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Updates about Syria

The change of regime in Syria in December 2024 has led to changes in the country’s security situation. This page contains current information about how the situation in Syria affects customers of the Finnish Immigration Service. The page has been published also in Arabic and in Kurmanji. 

This page was last updated on 16 July 2025.

Decisions on international protection

The Finnish Immigration Service has paused its decision-making on asylum applications from Syrians.

Country of origin information on Syria is continuously being sourced. For the time being, changes in Syria's security situation may be sudden and unpredictable. Because the security situation of Syria is not stabilised, decision-making has not yet been continued.

Decision-making has partly been resumed for permits other than first asylum applications. Decision-making has been resumed for applications that do not require an assessment of the country’s security situation in the same way as asylum applications do.

Decision-making on the following application types is now continuing:

  • Extended permits and permanent residence permits for Syrian citizens who have been granted international protection.
  • Applications for an alien’s passport in cases where the applicant does not have a residence permit on the basis of international protection in Finland.
  • Applications for a first residence permit on the basis of family ties that require determining whether protection status should be granted.

Applications for international protection

You can still apply for asylum in Finland by telling the border control authorities or the police in Finland that you want to apply for asylum. Asylum applications can still be submitted even though the decision-making has been paused.      

If you are applying for an extended permit on the basis of refugee status or subsidiary protection status, remember to submit your residence permit application before your current residence permit expires. Your right to work will remain valid if you submit your application for an extended permit on time. 

Asylum interviews

We will resume conducting asylum interviews in August 2025 as usual.

Requests for expedited processing

Requests for expedited processing of asylum applications from Syrian citizens are not being processed at the moment because the decision-making has been paused. 

If you need someone to talk to

The MIELI Crisis Helpline in Finnish (mieli.fi) offers crisis assistance and support in Finnish 24/7 at +358 9 2525 0111. The MIELI Crisis Helpline in English (mieli.fi) offers crisis assistance and support in English. You can read more on the website of MIELI ry (mieli.fi).

The MIELI Crisis Centre Helsinki offers short-term crisis counselling and guidance in crisis situations. For more information, see MIELI Crisis Centre Helsinki – MIELI ry (mieli.fi).

If you are a client of a reception centre, you can contact an employee of your reception centre or the reception centre nurse for advice and help. If you have been granted a municipality of residence, contact your local health centre. If you go to school or are studying, you can contact the school psychologist, the school social worker or the school nurse.

In urgent situations, call 112 (the emergency number in Finland).

Voluntary return

Assistance in the form of assisted voluntary return, granted by the reception centre or the Finnish Immigration Service, is currently not being granted for returning to Syria.

When you have a pending asylum application

If you wish to return to Syria, you need to cancel your asylum application first. For instructions, see the page Cancelling an application.

When you have international protection status in Finland

If you have international protection status and you move permanently to your country of origin, you can ask the Finnish Immigration Service to cancel your residence permit. Notify the Finnish Immigration Service of this by completing and submitting the form Notice of voluntary return to home country (pdf). If you do so, your protection status will end, too. 

For instructions on how to ask for cancellation of your residence permit, see the page Withdrawal of residence permits. See the page Ending of refugee status and subsidiary protection for more information about ending your protection status.

You can get assistance for returning to Syria

Your wellbeing services county may grant you financial assistance for returning to Syria if you have a municipality of residence. Contact the social services of your wellbeing services county to apply for the assistance. You will find the contact details in the following file: Wellbeing services counties (pdf). The return assistance granted by the wellbeing services counties covers the following costs:

  • Travel and relocation costs. 
  • Essential expenses arising from obtaining a travel document.
  • Other expenses that are necessary for the journey to Syria.
  • A discretionary return assistance of up to EUR 1,187.10 for a person returning alone and of up to EUR 2,374.20 for a family.

Your wellbeing services county may also provide you with guidance on the arrangements for returning to Syria. Before the wellbeing services country can assess whether you are eligible for the return assistance, you must first request the Finnish Immigration Service to end your protection status.

This is how you can apply for the return assistance granted by the wellbeing services counties:

  1. Contact your local wellbeing services county. If you are considering returning to Syria, you will be provided with guidance and support.
  2. Submit an application for return assistance to your wellbeing services county.
  3. The wellbeing services county decides whether or not you can be granted the return assistance. 
  4. The wellbeing services county will give guidance and instructions on the different stages of the return arrangements.

If there is a large number of people returning to Syria voluntarily, they may be assisted by arranging a charter flight. The police will assist with arranging the possible charter flight.

If you have a pending asylum application and you live in a reception centre, you cannot be granted financial assistance to cover the costs of returning.

Getting a travel document

This is how you can apply for a travel document independently:

  1. Email the Syrian Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden.
  2. State in your message that you need a travel document for travelling to Syria.
  3. Attach to the message a copy of your old Syrian passport or ID card. If you do not have them, mention this in your message to the embassy.

The embassy will arrange a telephone interview with you and confirm that you are returning to Syria voluntarily. You do not need to travel to Stockholm.

The embassy can grant you a temporary travel document that is valid for 30 days. The document will be sent to you by post.
For contact details of the embassy, see the website of the Syrian Embassy in Stockholm.