Finnish missions abroad

The central task of the network of Finland’s missions, as part of the Foreign Service, is to build a secure and predictable future for all Finns. Finland’s missions around the world provide a broad range of services to Finns and the Finnish society.

Finland’s representation abroad comprises diplomatic missions and consular missions.

Diplomatic missions refer to embassies and their separate offices in various states, and permanent and special missions to international organisations and cooperation organs. Finland has also diplomatic missions called liaison offices.

Consular missions refer to consulates general, consulates, and offices under the administration of a consulate general, headed by a career official, or honorary consulates, led by an honorary consul.

The network of Finnish missions abroad comprises 90 offices:

• 73 embassies (functions have been discontinued in Damascus and Baghdad)
• 1 consular office: Manila (the Philippines)
• 2 separate offices: Representative Office in Ramallah (Palestinian Territory) and liaison office in Minsk (Belarus)
• 5 consulates general: Los Angeles and New York (USA), Hong Kong and Shanghai (China) and St Petersburg (Russia)
• 1 consulate: São Paulo (Brazil)
• 2 branch offices: Murmansk and Petrozavodsk (under the Consulate General in St Petersburg, Russia)
• 5 permanent representations or missions in international organisations: EU, COE, OECD, UN, WTO
• 1 special mission: NATO

In addition, Finland has about 400 honorary consulates.

The President of the Republic can authorise the head of an embassy or mission to serve as a diplomatic representative not only in the host state but also in another state (so-called side accreditation), which means that the head of mission is also a non-resident head of an embassy or mission in another state.