According to the Norwegian and Swedish authorities, problems with the production of passports in Finland have contributed to increasing waiting times.
Renewal of a passport is an operation not only in Finland but also in Sweden and Norway that requires easier interest rate restrictions and increased travel time. Increased demand for passports, congestion in police licensing services and delivery difficulties have led to exceptionally long waiting times.
In Norway, police have appealed to citizens not to book trips abroad until they have secured a passport or identity card.
In the Swedish media, there have been reports of people queuing up outside police stations with chairs, sleeping bags and tent canopies. Many Swedes have reported their queuing experiences on social media.
According to the information provided by the Norwegian and Swedish authorities, in addition to increased demand, the delivery times for passports have been slowed down by a shortage of materials needed in the spring and a broken device at the passport manufacturer’s production plant in Finland.
In spring Norwegian broadcaster NRK (switch to another service) reports that the production of passports is slowed down by a shortage of glue, paper and a component needed in passport microchips. Passports from Finland, Norway and Sweden, among others, are produced at the French Thales office in Vantaa.
Chief of Licensing of the Police Board Hanna Piipponen tells that there have been no problems in the production of Finnish passports.
Passports are produced in Finland with a record capacity
CEO of Thales DIS Finland oy Tommi Nordbergin according to this year, more passports are expected to be completed than in the previous two years combined. To meet demand, manufacturing is running at record capacity and the number of employees has increased since the end of last year.
Information on production problems in the Norwegian and Swedish media Nordberg commented to , saying that the availability of materials has an impact on passport deliveries.
– Passports have a biometric chip, the availability of which became more difficult a year ago, in the summer of 2021. Supply chains have been able to adapt to the very rapid growth in demand and it can be estimated that the availability of components and materials will remain critical for several months.
– Maintenance and repairs of manufacturing machines will be planned proactively, and in the event of unexpected equipment failures, Thales will be able to use production lines located elsewhere to ensure business continuity. But in unexpected situations, an individual customer may experience a delay in the delivery of a batch in progress, for example, Nordberg says.
Thales ’production is currently running, according to the CEO, without equipment disruption.
Those who need a passport are preparing to queue up for days
In Sweden, according to the police, the average time to renew a passport is more than 11 weeks. The waiting time has been shortened, as it was still more than 17 weeks a couple of weeks ago.
Some Swedes are tired of waiting for the passport they applied for in good time and rushed to get an express passport.
Last week, a temporary passport in Karlstad queued up Matilda Anttonen reports its search operation on Twitter. He joined the queue in front of the police station on Wednesday night and says he received his temporary passport on Friday morning. As he waited, he slept on a bench under the bare sky.
Anttonen, who flew to Croatia over the weekend, was Swedish television SVT (switching to another service) according to ordered a new passport and visited the passport photo five weeks ago. When the new passport did not begin to belong, he was forced to resort to a temporary passport.
Applicants for an express passport at Stockholm Arlanda Airport have prepared for queuing for up to three days.
– Something should be done, because this just seems to get worse. No one takes responsibility for this, queuing for a temporary passport at the weekend in Arlanda Charbel Haddad said For SVT news (you switch to another service).
– What can you say about that? This is completely absurd, commented the same queue Hanna Walander.
Queues are dismantled with additional staff and express pass restrictions
The Swedish police have reminded that you can also travel to EU countries and the Schengen area with an identity card, which can be obtained much faster than a passport. Last Friday, Swedish police said they had set up a separate queue for those Swedes who do not have a passport or ID card.
In Sweden, too, police telephone counseling is now so congested that 25-30 new employees answering surveys are being trained quickly, news last week Swedish radio (switch to another service). Of the approximately 30,000 calls a week, three-quarters are about passport issues.
In Norway, there is little hope of getting time to the police station this month, and in Oslo, for example, times have only been available for August. Last week police reported (moving to another service)that the average delivery time for passports is about six weeks and for ID cards about two weeks. This will be followed by the delivery time of the mail.
In Norway, at the end of May, obtaining an express passport was strictly limited to real emergencies. Police emphasize (you switch to another service), it is not enough to go abroad for a temporary passport or family reunion, for example. Now, however, the country is considering whether the line should be relaxed.
Norway and Sweden ready to allow expired passports
Norway is also trying to solve the passport congestion by proposing to the countries of the Schengen area that Norwegians be allowed to travel to the area exceptionally this summer with expired passports. The Schengen area comprises 22 EU countries as well as Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Norwegian TV2 (switching to another service) according to the Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl has also been in contact with the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom with a similar request. In Norway, it is estimated that up to 90,000 Norwegians will be left without the passport they need during the spring and early summer.
In Denmark, passport queues such as those in neighboring countries have been avoided and the delivery time for passports is 11 to 15 working days. There, the issuance of passports is instead of the police under the responsibility of municipalities (you move to another service). Danish passports are not manufactured in Finland.
Unlike in Finland, Denmark still issues ten-year passports, which reduces the number of applicants.
You can discuss the topic until Thursday 16.6. until 11 p.m.