New Decree of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on Fees for Services Produced by the Foreign Service enters into force on September

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has issued a Decree on Fees for Services Produced by the Foreign Service for 2020–2022. The new decree will replace the former Decree of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on Fees for Services Produced by the Foreign Service (377/2014). The new decree will enter into force on 1 September 2020 and will be valid until 31 December 2022.

The new decree lays down provisions on fees for services produced in the Foreign Service, except for residence permit fees, fees related to citizenship matters and visa fees, on which provisions are laid down elsewhere by law or by EU legislation.

The new decree corresponds mainly to the current decree, but certain amendments relating to content and structure have been made. 

When the new decree enters into force, Finnish missions abroad will begin to charge a fee (EUR 30) for the transfer of population data referred to in section 34 of the Government Decree on the Population Information System (128/2010). However, if the transfer of data is related to the provision of other consular services, the service will remain free of charge.   

The new decree also includes certain adjustments of fees, based on the general rise in costs.  

The decree also lays down provisions on fees for services provided on the basis of the Act on the Openness of Government Activities and fees for services provided under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (2016/679).