Ukrainians have had to travel to other municipalities to pick up residence permit cards
Permits were often sent to pick-up points 40-60 km away, and sometimes even farther. In some cases, family members received their cards at different locations. PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK.
Nadiia Fedorova
Published 27.03.2025 5:00
Updated 27.03.2025 5:02
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In Facebook groups, Ukrainians have shared stories of their cards being sent far from their home addresses, despite closer pick-up points being available. Some had to travel up to 115 km to retrieve their cards.
Larissa Ratouchnaia, a board member of the Ukrainian Association in Finland, took notice of the widespread complaints at the beginning of March. She decided to collect the cases of the affected individuals and address the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) with a formal letter on behalf of the Association.
According to Ratouchnaia, the delivery issue impacted hundreds of individuals, including not only Ukrainians but also immigrants from other countries. Some lacked access to transportation or financial resources to travel long distances, while for others, such as mothers with small children, the organization of travel was challenging.
The delivery company, DB Schenker, stated they cannot comment on the agreement with the Finnish authorities.
Process Owner Marita Pio at Migri, why did the problem occur:
Starting January 23rd, 2025, card delivery for customers under temporary protection switched entirely to direct delivery. This means cards are sent directly from the manufacturer to a designated pick-up point. Previously, renewed cards were sent to Migri, which then mailed them to customers.
Migri anticipated an increase in card deliveries due to the extension of direct delivery of residence permit cards for temporary protection. To prevent overloading pick-up points and ensure smoother collection, cards were distributed more broadly across pick-up points near customers’ residences.
Have any measures been taken to resolve the issue?
Migri and the card distributor have received feedback from customers about cards being sent to pick-up points farther away or in another municipality. Migri has investigated the issue and discussed it with the card manufacturer and distributor.
Since the actual number of renewed cards was much lower than expected, Migri decided in February to stop broader distribution to multiple pick-up points. After reviewing the situation again this week, it was decided that broader distribution is no longer needed. The system has returned to the previous method, where cards are sent to a pick-up point close to the customer’s residence.
What options are available for those unable to travel long distances to pick up their card?
Since broader distribution was halted in February and cards are stored at pick-up points for up to 14 days, uncollected cards have already been returned to Migri. Customers can email Migri and request their card to be resent.