Finland - Obtain a Police Clearance Certificate (Extract from Criminal Records)
Introduction
A police certificate is an official document issued by police or government agency of a country to enumerate any criminal records that the applicant may or may not have. Criminal records may include arrest, conviction, and possibly criminal proceedings.
The criminal records are at national central register where data mostly on those sentenced to imprisonment are recorded. Data are gathered and stored as well as submitted for the imposition and execution of penal sanctions. Information can also be submitted for the clarification and assessment of a person's trustworthiness and personal aptitude.The criminal records are kept by the Legal Register Centre which comes under the Ministry of Justice
Eligibility
Those wishing to check the information held on them should submit a request to the Legal Register Centre.
Everyone is entitled to check the information held on them in the criminal records. If at least one year has passed since the person concerned previously exercised his or her right of scrutiny, the information will be provided free of charge.
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Instructions
- You need to provide a police certificate when applying for permanent residence.
- You can request a Police Clearance for Immigration by sending a letter to the National Legal Register Office (Oikeusrekisterikeskus). The letter must include all required information:
- Sign the letter and indicate the address where the document and invoice for service fees should be sent.
Required Information
- Your full name (including any previous names)
- Your Finnish personal identity number (henkilötunnus)
- Your place of birth
- The reason for your request and
- Your language preference
Procedure
It is the applicant’s responsibility to contact the relevant authorities to obtain the necessary police certificates or clearances. Each country’s procedures are different. Applicants may have to apply to more than one level of government or more than one agency - municipal, provincial, state, federal and the police, courts or similar governmental agencies for the police certificate. If a police certificate cannot be obtained from any of the countries on the list, provide a written explanation why and an original letter from the police authority confirming that it will not issue a certificate.
- All compulsory fields should be filled in.
- Make sure all entered information is correct.
- Make sure all required documents are provided.
Send a letter to the National Legal Register Office (Oikeusrekisterikeskus) with all required information.
Extract from the Criminal Records (Rikosrekisteriote) is issued by the Legal Register Center in Hameenlinna, Finland. The request must be submitted in letter format either by mail or by fax, including applicant's signature. E-mail requests are not acceptable. Requests should be sent to:
Oikeusrekisterikeskus/Rikosrekisteri
PL 157
13101 Hameenlinna, Finland
Fax: (358)-(3)-622-3783
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Required Documents
- Identity Card or Passport
- Birth certificate
- Driver’s licence
Fees
- 50 FIM required for return to address in Finland.
- 90 FIM required for return to address abroad.
Validity
The police record is valid only for 3 months.
Documents to Use
Sample Documents
Please attach sample completed documents which would help other people who would like to follow this procedure.
Processing Time
It will take 1 - 2 working days.
Office Locations & Contacts
For information or to make an application contact:
Legal Register Centre - Oikeusrekisterikeskus
P.O. Box 157
FI–13101 Hämeenlinna, Finland
Telephone: +358–(0)3–622 3770
Fax: +358(0)3–622 3783
Email: oikeusrekisterikeskus@om.fi
Website: http://www.oikeus.fi/oikeusrekisterikeskus
Contact information
There are 11 district police departments in Finland: Contact information
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Video
Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. Attach videos using the following tag <&video type="website">video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites. Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation. Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed. e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M".
Information which might help
An entry is made into the criminal records when a person is sentenced to:
- unconditional or conditional imprisonment
- supervision
- besides conditional imprisonment, to pay a fine (supplementary fine), to do community service or is placed under supervision
- community service
- juvenile penalty or, instead of juvenile penalty, to pay a fine
- dismissal, or
- sentence is waived on grounds of the person´s criminal irresponsibility.
Other than the above-mentioned pecuniary penalties or conversion imprisonments are not entered into the criminal records. An entry is not made of an imprisonment passed by virtue of the Act on Non-military Service.
A fine imposed on a body corporate (company, foundation, etc.) is entered into the criminal records.
The data on sentences imposed abroad on a Finnish national or a foreigner permanently living in Finland are entered into the register if the sanctions are equivalent of the above-mentioned ones, which are to be entered into the register.
The information about a convicted person having served his/her sentence or possibly been pardoned is entered into the register
Other uses of the Document/Certificate
A police clearance certificate is a copy of your criminal record or a declaration of the absence of any criminal record. Police clearance certificates are different in each country and territory and may be called police certificates, good conduct certificates, judicial record extracts, pcc, etc. They are issued by police authorities or government departments and used by Citizenship and Immigration to prevent individuals who possess a risk to Country's security from entering the country.
External Links
Ministry of Foreign affairs of Finland
Others
According to the Personal Data Act, the controller of a personal data file must draw up a description of the file indicating, for example, the controller, the purpose of the file, a description of the data subjects and the related data and data groups.
Everyone, with a few exceptions, has the right to know what data concerning him/herself is stored in a personal data file or if no data has been entered in the file at all. Everyone also has the right to demand that errors be corrected and unlawfully stored data be removed.
Personal data can be checked once a year free of charge. A request for scrutiny must be presented personally to the local police, from where the request is forwarded to the Data Protection Ombudsman or to other authorities if necessary. Persons making such a request must prove their identity. In cases where there is no right of scrutiny, the Data Protection Ombudsman can verify that the data is legal.
You will not be granted access to data on yourself if a pre-trial or other investigation of an offence is unfinished, or if providing access to the data could compromise national security, defence or public order and security, or hinder the prevention or investigation of crime (section 27 of the Personal Data Act). Neither does the right of access apply to certain data in the National Schengen Information System nor classification, surveillance or modus operandi data concerning persons or acts (section 45, Act on the Processing of Personal Data by the Police).
The data controller may charge a reasonable fee covering the immediate costs of providing access to the data if less than one year has passed since the previous instance of providing the data subject with access to data in the file (section 26 of the Personal Data Act, section 4 of the Act on Criteria for Charges Payable to the State, Ministry of the Interior Decree 1376/2001, Annex).
