Current affairs

In line with the Government decision of 7 April, the restrictions on entry at Finland’s external borders will continue until 8 May 2022.

The Embassy of Finland will process passport and ID card applications in Edinburgh at Royal Scots Club on Wednesday 18th May and Thursday 19th May 2022. Appointments must be made in advance by emailing the Embassy.

The customer service and switchboard of the Finnish Embassy in London will be closed on Good Friday 15th April and Easter Monday 18th April 2022.

President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinistö visited London on 14–15 March 2022. At the invitation of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson, President Niinistö attended the JEF Leaders' Summit and met Johnson bilaterally at his residence in Downing Street 10.

In line with the Government decision of 10 March, the restrictions on entry at Finland’s external borders will continue until 10 April 2022.

President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinistö will travel to London to attend a JEF Leaders’ Summit on 14–15 March 2022.

Have you ever wondered why Finland is ranked the happiest country in the world four years running? Would you like to have an in-depth understanding on Finnish society and Finland's position in the world? This year's Foreign Correspondents' Programme might just give you the answer and help you delve deep into all things Finnish.

Birgitta Vuorinen joined the Finnish Embassy in London in early January as a senior specialist in higher education and science policy. She relocated to London from the Ministry of Education and Culture, where she worked as Director of the Division for Higher Education Policy. The UK thus became the ninth area of expertise for the Team Finland Knowledge network. Vuorinen’s task is to follow higher education and science policy in the UK, foster opportunities for cooperation, promote Finland’s visibility, and assist Finnish higher education institutions, research institutes and other innovation ecosystem stakeholders in their endeavours for closer cooperation with British parties.

On 21 to 22 February 2022, Minister Kaikkonen will attend the Joint Expeditionary force (JEF) ministerial meeting in Grantham, Great Britain. The ministers will discuss the current security situation in Europe and the development of the JEF cooperation.

The second year of the pandemic was busy for the consular assistance services provided by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Finland's missions abroad, and the number of customers continued to increase. In 2021, the Ministry and the missions abroad provided consular services to a total of 255,000 customers.