Current information on residence permit services for Pakistani nationals in Doha

A Decree of the President of the Republic of Finland defines the locations of Finland's missions abroad and specifies which missions provide consular services, including residence permit services. For Pakistani residence permit applicants, Doha in Qatar has been designated as the service location from 1 October 2025 onwards. At present, no alternative service locations are available. Finland’s mission in Islamabad closed on 16 June 2026.

Since 31 March 2026, Pakistani nationals apply for a visa in advance before travelling to Qatar. Currently, Pakistani applicants cannot travel to Doha for identity verification because their visa applications are still being processed in Qatar. The Finnish authorities cannot influence the entry policies of third countries.

Finland cannot change the designated service location without amending the Presidential Decree. While the situation in the Middle East remains unstable, the service location set out in the Decree cannot be changed for Pakistani residence permit applicants. Finnish authorities continue to monitor the situation and will review the service location once conditions stabilise. However, the Finnish authorities cannot implement changes quickly, as these require thorough preparation.

Finnish authorities, including the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Embassy, are taking all possible steps within their remit to identify solutions to this challenging situation.

 

Information for student residence permit applicants:

• For matters related to rescheduling or cancelling an appointment for proving your identity, contact the VFS Global service centre in Doha directly.

• If you cannot prove your identity within three months of submitting your application in Enter Finland, please notify the Finnish Immigration Service of your situation and any new appointments via the ‘Send additional information’ feature in Enter Finland.

• If your studies in Finland are about to begin in the autumn but you cannot prove your identity for your residence permit, contact your educational institution to explain your situation.

 

The mission monitors appointment availability at VFS and will open additional identity verification slots if necessary as the situation evolves.