Savings in time and door hinge lubricants – passports and ID cards available from the police through e-services for 10 years now

Savings in time and door hinge lubricants - passports and ID cards available from the police through e-services for 10 years now

In 2018, electronic services were promoted at police stations with the slogan "go directly without passing the police station."

Initiating applications to the police for passports and ID cards has now been possible electronically for 10 years. Digitalisation has greatly reduced the number of personal visits to police stations. Several million passport applications have already been made through the service and in 2024 alone more than a million applications will have been made by the end of the year.

In early December 2014, the police announced that it was possible to apply for passports and ID cards online through the police e-service using strong identification. At the time, a "streamlined procedure" was introduced with regard to passports. This meant that applications could be processed without having to visit a police station. The same procedure for ID cards was introduced at the beginning of 2017 once the required legislative amendments were in place.

"The police were already leaders at that time and continue striving to remain at the forefront of development in terms of e-services for citizens. The police have also recently been actively involved in the national and international development of digital travel documents and digital IDs," says Hanna Piipponen, Chief of Licence Administration at the National Police Board.

Finland's digital travel document pilot was also noted in Time magazine's list of innovations of the year in 2023.

Making applications electronically speeds up application processing and saves police resources. Since it is not always necessary to visit a police station, electronic applications save not just human resources but also the outside door hinges of police stations.

The change has brought about savings both in time and physical activity. The streamlined procedure coupled with the electronic police booking system to make appointments has significantly reduced the need for people to queue for services at police stations, which could earlier take a long time. Services were earlier also greatly dependent on police station opening hours.

"Citizens no longer need to visit a police station as often as earlier and no longer have to depend on office hours. A laptop or mobile device with internet access makes it possible to initiate applications flexibly 24/7. There has also been a reduction in travel for services and the need for paper forms. People can even apply for a passport from the comfort of their own home. The document they have applied for can often be delivered for collection from their nearest grocery store, for example," is how Piipponen describes how services have developed.

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