The Helsinki Administrative Court charged us 270 euros without providing timely or beneficial results. They closed my case without responding to my email, despite instructions to contact them directly. We have screenshots proving there was no mention of the specific charge, only a vague statement that “some of their services might* cost.”
We paid 477 euros for a residence permit in October 2023. I requested a longer duration than one year, but my appeal was denied, and they charged an additional 270 euros. This appeal was not a typical extension but a request for a longer permit duration before we started living here. The decision came too late, in June/July 2024, after I had already applied for an extension.
The bill lacked a cost description, surprising even my Finnish husband. We only discovered the charge was for the appeal after extensive calls. Migri’s information was unclear about potential costs, leading us to assume it was covered by the initial fee. We didn’t know that first permits are usually only for one year. Their website mentioned up to four years, misleading us into appealing.
Can I contest this charge through another organization or government entity? The Court Fees Act states that fees are charged regardless of awareness. Migri didn’t clearly inform us about costs for specific services, making it seem harmless. My Finnish husband, having lived abroad for over ten years, and I relied on Migri’s website for information. If we had known the norms, we wouldn’t have pursued the appeal and incurred this charge.
“Hello,
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to formally request the cancellation of the payment of 270 euros that you requested from me. When I applied for a reconsideration of the duration of my residence permit, I was never informed that pursuing this option would incur a fee.
Could you please clarify if there is any information on your website that clearly indicates charges for this service?
Furthermore, I only received the result in June 2024, despite applying since October 2023. It has been almost a year. What purpose does this serve? Additionally, I only became aware of this payment request on July 13, 2024 when visiting my mother-in-law, as we used her address. I have already applied for an extension of my residence permit on July 8, 2024, on my own.
Receiving this bill in July, or even June, is no longer relevant to my case. It has taken too long and has not been beneficial.
While I understand charges for services rendered, I was not aware of this fee prior to proceeding. Is this amount clearly stated anywhere before submission? I have never seen any mention of charges associated with this process.
It would have been helpful to receive such information beforehand, especially considering the significant costs associated with our residence permit as spouses of Finnish nationals, which we assumed covered all related fees.
Before moving here, I lived in Japan for over 8 years, where visas cost only 4000 yen (23.20 euros) and can be valid for up to 5 years.
If my memory serves me correctly, you charged me about 80,000 yen (less than 500 euros) for a visa valid for only about one year.
I hope for a reasonable resolution to this matter and urge you to ensure that such information is clearly communicated on your website in the future.
Best regards,
Vimlah Sysikaski”
August 2, 2024
For those wondering what happened to the €270 appeal court fee: we contested it, and the court removed the fee. However, the difficult part is that we had already paid it because we wanted to be good citizens and avoid any issues with the law, even though we tried to be reasonable by contesting it. I've asked if it's possible to get a refund. Good luck to us. But yes, I'm sharing this to let you know that it is indeed possible. We sent them proof and a screenshot showing how it looked to us before submitting the appeal—there was no clear mention of any required payment—and I really tried to explain. It didn’t fall on deaf ears. Still, I'm grateful to Finland overall.
