Starting from 1 January 2026, people in Finland will no longer be able to use a paper power of attorney to collect a passport or national ID card on behalf of someone else. The Finnish police announced this change in a statement on Thursday.
They explained that the main reasons are the risk of forgery and the need to follow new European Union rules for identification. Under the new rules, passports and identity cards will only be given to the person who applied, their legal guardian, or someone who was officially approved during the application process. Any paper documents provided after the application is made will not be accepted.
The police stated;
- You can only collect a passport or ID card from someone who was specified at the time of the application, either online or in person at a police station.
- People can still give permission to collect a passport either online or in person at a police station. However, for an identity card, the permission must be given in person. The person applying for the ID card must go to a police station to confirm the authorized person during a required identity check.
- only the person who is giving permission needs to visit in person; the person they are allowing to collect the ID card does not have to be there.
This change is mainly because of new EU rules about electronic identification. Finnish ID cards have a chip with a so-called Citizen Certificate, which requires high security standards.
Officials say paper authorizations are becoming easier to fake and do not meet the security requirements for handling national identity documents. The police confirmed that passports and ID cards issued on or before 5 December 2025 can still be collected using a paper power of attorney until the end of the year. After 31 December, paper powers of attorney will not be accepted at any collection point.
Meanwhile ,update on the police’s e-service platform, for maintenance took place between 16:00 and 20:00 on 5 December.