Travel doesn’t always go smoothly – Ministry for Foreign Affairs helps travellers abroad

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the missions abroad provided consular services to approximately 205,000 customers last year. Over the course of the year, the Ministry’s 24/7 service was contacted around 6,800 times in total.

The number of requests for assistance was highest in Spain, Germany, Thailand, Estonia and Sweden. They are the countries where Finns are most likely to travel. In 2024, the Unit for Consular Assistance at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs was involved in managing 637 cases of death abroad. This means that just under two Finnish citizens die in a foreign country every day. There were 81 victims of crime abroad, 227 requests for assistance due to an illness and 131 arrests or detainments. The statistics on the latter do not include detainments in the Nordic countries, as those cases are handled through direct contact between the countries’ authorities. 

In 2024, Finnish missions around the world issued 15,359 new passports and 5,837 identity cards. The corresponding figures in 2023 were 20,369 and 4,538, respectively.

People in distress abroad contact both the missions, the Ministry and the Ministry’s 24/7 Service Centre. The missions and the Ministry’s 24/7 Service Centre are primarily responsible for giving advice and for helping customers handle matters independently. When planning a trip abroad, or at the latest if something unfortunate happens during your trip, remember the consular services provided by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

The crisis that kept consular services busiest last year was the escalated conflict in the Middle East, especially the situation in Gaza and Lebanon. As part of crisis management, staff from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ consular rapid response team and from the Defence Forces were sent to support Finland’s Embassy in Beirut and to assist Finnish citizens in autumn 2024. In October and November, many Finnish travellers were affected by the floods in Spain. The missions used social media channels and direct messages to instruct them to avoid flooded regions in different parts of Spain. 

There are around 150 natural or man-made crises annually. As in previous years, natural disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and countries’ internal conflicts and unrest kept the Ministry for Foreign Affairs increasingly busy.

Travel advisory and travel notification services are popular

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. Last year, travel advisories were published for two new destinations, Gambia and Côte d’Ivoire. In 2024, travel advisories for popular tourist destinations such as Spain, Greece, Thailand and Italy attracted most readers. Travellers also read travel advisories for countries in crisis to get up-to-date information on changes in the destination.

Last year, nearly 200,000 people used the Foreign Ministry’s Matkustusilmoitus.fi service to notify the Ministry of their trips to a total of 215 countries or regions. The number of travel notifications increased by around five per cent from the previous year. Their number also always increases when crises occur. Spain and Greece accounted for the highest number of notifications.

Travel notifications enable the Ministry to quickly contact travellers if the security situation in their destination so requires. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs disseminates up-to-date information from the authorities on changes in the situation in the country of destination by text message or email.

Keep your passport safe and travel insurance valid to avoid problems along the way

The problems faced by Finns abroad and the need for information while travelling have not decreased. Expired, lost or forgotten passports are still the biggest single problem, as a trip abroad cannot even begin without a valid passport or identity card. It is not always enough to have a passport that is valid for the duration of the journey. In several countries, the authorities require the passport to be valid for several months after the journey. People with multiple nationalities may also be requested to present their other passports 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. Getting a new passport or identity card abroad may cause considerable inconvenience.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs recommends 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. If something happens, hospital bills can easily climb to thousands of euros, especially in remote destinations.

Before travelling, read the travel advisory for your country of destination on the website of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and make a travel notification. Remember also the Foreign Ministry’s Service Centre, ready to help you 24/7 at +358 9 160 55555 and by email at: [email protected]