The Finnish Border Guard

The aim of the Finnish Border Guard’s operations is to maintain peaceful and controlled conditions along our borders. The Finnish Border Guard’s main responsibilities are border surveillance on land and at sea, as well as border checks on persons at border crossing points on land borders, in harbours and at airports. Control and surveillance are focused on the European Union’s external border, in line with the Schengen agreement. The Border Guard also engages in international cooperation for the purpose of maintaining border security.

The Finnish Border Guard leads maritime rescue operations and carries out searches and medical transports when needed. In addition, duties also include surveillance of the maritime area and traffic surveillance on waterways. The Finnish Border Guard is in charge of maritime pollution response. The Border Guard has equipment and readiness for oil and chemical pollution response. In marine areas, the Border Guard cooperates with the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom), the Finnish Defence Forces and environmental authorities.

The Finnish Border Guard has the authority to investigate offences as provided by the law. These include offences related to cross-border crime, such as facilitation of irregular migration, as well as smuggling of and trafficking in human beings. Moreover, the Border Guard investigates other matters, such as state border violations, driving under the influence (both vehicles and watercraft), forgeries as well as fishing and hunting offences and environmental offences. The Finnish Border Guard cooperates with the Police and Customs in crime prevention. In practice, the Border Guard also carries out certain police tasks and is responsible for customs control at those border crossing points where Customs does not operate.

The Finnish Border Guard participates in military defence in cooperation with the Finnish Defence Forces. Border surveillance is also surveillance of Finland’s territorial integrity. The Finnish Border Guard trains conscripts to Border Jaegers and Special Border Jaeger to border troops. Our conscript training units have special expertise in reconnaissance and commando operations in challenging conditions. The Finnish Border Guard is a militarily organised organisation.

The Finnish Border Guard is an internal security authority, and also serves as the Border Guard Department of the Ministry of the Interior.