Passport application for a child
Children are not included on their parents’ passports or identity cards. The child for whom a passport or an identity card application is being made must be present in person.
Consent of the parents or guardians
As a rule, a passport is issued for a minor upon the parents' or guardians' consent.
The consent must be obtained from the child's all parents or guardians. The consent may be given in writing, too, if it is sufficiently detailed:
- The consent must specify the person who is the subject of the consent (full name and date of birth).
- The consent must contain the full name, date of birth, contact details and signature of the person giving the consent.
- The consent must be written in a language the embassy official understands (e.g. Finnish, Swedish, English).
- Potential limitations concerning the period or region of validity must be mentioned.
A parent or guardian may be asked to be present to identify the child.
Chapter 2, section 11 of the Finnish Passport Act states that if the parent or other guardian has refused their consent, a passport may, nevertheless, be issued to a minor if refusing the passport would be clearly contrary to the best interests of the child and if it can be deemed apparent that the child will not, except temporarily, be taken to another state without the consent of the parent or guardian. The purpose of this provision is to prevent situations where a parent or other guardian refuses their consent with the sole purpose of causing harm to the other parent or guardian or the child.
Chapter 2, section 16 of the Finnish Identity Card Act states that if one of the child’s parents or other guardians objects to the issue of an identity card to the child, the identity card will be refused.
A minor’s identity card without travel entitlement, which can be issued in the absence of the parents’ or guardians’ consent, cannot be applied for at a Finnish mission abroad (sections 2 and 9(2) of the Identity Card Act); this card can only be issued by the Finnish Police.
Other documents you might need in Canada
If the child is born outside Canada, his/her own or Finnish parent's Canadian Permanent Resident Card or a Canadian visa. For Finnish parent(s) who have dual or multiple citizenship, documentation confirming citizenship status.
If a child is a dual citizen, the passport is valid until he/she reaches the age of 22, unless a certificate for retaining Finnish citizenship between the ages of 18 - 22 is provided.
Please note! A passport can only be issued to a child that has been registered to the Finnish population registration system.
Payment
Passport and identity card fees are paid when submitting the application. The payment should be made in the form of cash, a money order, or a certified cheque made out to the Embassy of Finland or Consulate of Finland if applying in Toronto or Vancouver.