Finland’s return rules are set to become stricter as the government prepares to use the full national discretion allowed by the European Union’s new Return Regulation. The Ministry of the Interior (Sisäministeriö) plans to extend the maximum detention period during return procedures and increase fixed-term entry bans from 15 to 20 years, with a government proposal expected to reach Parliament in autumn 2026.
The ministry launched the legislative project on 3 July. It is due to run until March 2027, although officials are working under a tight timetable because the current parliamentary term is approaching its end.
The changes would form part of Finland’s national implementation of the EU Return Regulation, which establishes common procedures for removing non-EU citizens who do not have a legal right to remain in the bloc.
Finland plans to use the EU’s maximum detention period
The ministry said Finnish legislation would be amended to allow detention throughout return proceedings for the maximum period permitted by the European rules.
Under the regulation approved by the European Parliament in June, detention may last for up to 24 months. A further extension of up to six months may be allowed in specific circumstances, including when new information becomes available or cooperation with a third country improves.
Detention must be based on an individual assessment. It may be used when a person does not cooperate with authorities, is considered likely to abscond or is assessed as posing a security risk.
The rules also allow authorities to use alternatives to detention, including reporting requirements, residence at a designated location, financial guarantees and electronic monitoring.
Finland has not yet detailed how each of these options will be incorporated into national legislation. The ministry said the project would focus on the most important amendments that can be completed within the remaining government term.
Entry bans could be extended to 20 years
The Finnish proposal would also raise the maximum duration of a fixed-term entry ban from 15 to 20 years.
Entry bans prevent individuals who have received a return decision from entering Finland or, depending on the decision, the wider Schengen area for a specified period.
The EU regulation generally sets shorter maximum bans but gives governments wider powers in serious cases. People considered a security threat may receive bans longer than ten years or, in some circumstances, indefinite entry bans.
The planned Finnish changes would therefore place national legislation at the stricter end of the options made available by the regulation.
The initiative follows other amendments to Finland’s Aliens Act (ulkomaalaislaki), which entered into force in June 2026 and were intended to accelerate the enforcement of deportation decisions and strengthen the use of entry bans.
EU return rules allow hubs outside the bloc
The Return Regulation complements the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, most of which began to apply in June 2026. It introduces a common European system intended to simplify return decisions and strengthen cooperation among member states.
One of its most consequential provisions allows governments to establish so-called return hubs in third countries.
People who have no right to remain in the EU could be transferred to these facilities while awaiting removal to their country of origin or another country willing to accept them. Unaccompanied minors are excluded from such arrangements.
Agreements may only be concluded with countries that respect international human rights standards and the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning people to places where they face persecution, torture or other serious harm.
Some provisions concerning return hubs will begin to apply in autumn 2026 without requiring separate Finnish legislation. Most of the regulation will apply one year after it enters into force, in autumn 2027.
Finland supports a Nordic approach to returns
The Finnish government has repeatedly supported closer cooperation with other Nordic countries on migration and return policy.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, Finland will continue working with Nordic governments and other European partners to develop common return hubs in countries outside the EU. Helsinki considers such facilities a way to manage cases in which a return decision cannot be immediately enforced.
The government has also presented faster removals as part of its broader effort to reduce irregular migration and combat people smuggling.
Supporters of the EU regulation argue that common rules are necessary because only a limited proportion of return decisions issued across the bloc are implemented. The legislation introduces a European Return Order designed to make decisions easier to recognise and enforce between member states.
Human rights organisations and United Nations officials have, however, warned that the regulation could expand the use of prolonged detention and weaken safeguards for migrants. Critics have also questioned whether rights can be effectively monitored in return hubs located outside the EU.
Finland’s legislative proposal is expected to clarify how extensively the government intends to use the regulation’s detention, surveillance and entry-ban provisions. If approved, the national amendments are scheduled to enter into force in autumn 2027, placing Finland among the EU countries making the broadest use of the new return framework.
