MFA: Foreign Ministry's Consular Service Centre to the Emergency Response Centre Agency - citizens will not be affected by the change

The Consular Service Centre is responsible for advising citizens at times outside the office hours of Finnish missions abroad. The telephone number +358 9 1605 5555 and the range of services provided will remain the same as before, which is why citizens will not be affected by the change.

"We recommend that you save the number on your phone before you leave to go abroad," says Jyrki Heinonen, Chief of Command and Control Centre at the Emergency Response Centres Agency.

In accordance with the Ministry's guidelines, the transferred consular services will be provided whenever a Finnish citizen or a foreign national with a permanent residence in Finland is in distress abroad due to an illness, accident or disaster or when falling a victim of crime, for example.

"It is our duty to help Finns who have encountered problems while abroad. With our guidance and advice, we can help people to handle matters independently in the country where they are staying. If necessary, we transfer the matter to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs or the mission of Finland responsible for consular assistance in the country in question," Heinonen adds.

The service is open round the clock every day of the year. As before, customers will be served free of charge by phone, by email and through the Nettikonsuli web consul service on Facebook. Service is provided in Finnish and Swedish.

In an emergency, please call the emergency number in the country where you are staying.

"We recommend that you look up the number for the local authorities in advance. 112 is available everywhere in the area of the European Union and calls are answered by an operator in the country where the call is made. Do remember that you cannot call an emergency centre in Finland from abroad. ”If you have a need for urgent consular assistance, please contact the Foreign Ministry's 24/7 Service Centre managed by the Emergency Response Centre Agency," Heinonen advises.

In emergency situations, it is important to follow the local media and observe the instructions provided by the local authorities.

"Examples of crisis situations include natural disasters, major accidents, political unrest, war and regional conflicts and epidemics," Heinonen says.

In the event of an emergency or crisis, travellers should submit their travel details in advance to the Foreign Ministry at https://matkustusilmoitus.fi. It is an easy way to ensure that the Foreign Ministry can contact Finnish travellers should it be necessary because of an abnormal incident.    

Inquiries:

Emergency Response Centre Agency
Jyrki Heinonen
Chief of Command and Control Centre
tel. + 358 0295 481,293

The Emergency Response Centre Agency's email addresses are in the format etunimi.sukunimi@112.fi

Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Antti Putkonen
Deputy Director, Unit for Consular Assistance
Tel. + 358 0295 350,126

The Foreign Ministry’s email addresses are in the format firstname.lastname@formin.fi.