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.

Applicants who are under the age of 15 must be accompanied by at least one parent or guardian. Minors aged 15 or over may apply for a passport independently without their parents or guardians if they have their parents’ or guardians’ written consent and their identity and the authenticity of their parents’ or guardians' consent can be verified.

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.