Foreign Ministry’s consular services assist over 245,000 Finns around the world in 2025

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Finnish missions abroad provided consular services to approximately 245,000 customers in 2025. In addition, the Ministry’s 24/7 service was contacted around 6,700 times over the course of the year.

The number of requests for assistance was highest in the most popular travel destinations among Finns: Spain, Germany, Thailand, Estonia and Sweden. In 2025, the Unit for Consular Assistance at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs was involved in managing 610 cases of death abroad. There were 71 victims of crime abroad, 204 requests for assistance due to an illness and 147 arrests or detainments. The latter number does not include detainments in the Nordic countries, as those cases are handled through direct contact between the countries’ authorities.

In 2025, Finnish missions around the world issued 15,947 new passports and 5,559 identity cards.

Requests for assistance can be sent to the missions, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry’s 24/7 service. The missions and the Ministry’s 24/7 service are primarily responsible for giving advice and for helping customers handle matters independently.

The crisis that kept consular services busiest last year was the escalated conflict in the Middle East. The year was also marked by political unrest and demonstrations that turned violent in several countries, such as Tanzania and Nepal.

There are around 200 natural or man-made crises annually. As in previous years, natural disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions as well as countries’ internal conflicts and unrest kept the Ministry for Foreign Affairs busy.

Wide use of travel advisories and travel notifications

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs publishes travel advisories for more than 150 countries, and they remain the most read content on the Ministry’s website. In 2025, as in previous years, travel advisories for popular tourist destinations such as Spain, Greece, Thailand and Italy attracted most readers. Readers are also interested in travel advisories for countries in crisis.

Last year, nearly 230,000 people used the Foreign Ministry’s Matkustusilmoitus.fi service to submit a travel notification to a total of 216 countries or regions. The number of travel notifications increased by around 11 per cent from the previous year.

Travel notifications enable the Ministry to quickly contact travellers in emergency situations. The Ministry sends travellers the latest information from the authorities on developments in the destination country via text message or email.

Good preparation is half the journey

The problems faced by Finns abroad and the need for information while travelling have not decreased. Expired, lost or forgotten passports are the most common problem. It should be kept in mind that in many countries, the authorities require the passport to be valid for several months after the journey. People with dual nationalities may also be requested to present their other passport when leaving the country. Always keep your passport in a safe place while travelling, and do not leave it or other valuables in your rental car, for example.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs recommend always taking out travel insurance with sufficient coverage before travelling. The European Health Insurance Card entitles to medically necessary health care in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain or Northern Ireland.

Before travelling, you should always read the travel advisory (in Finnsh or in English) issued for your destination country on the website of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and submit a travel notification. Remember also the Ministry’s 24/7 service, ready to help you at +358 9 1605 5555 and paivystys.um(at)gov.fi.