Family reunification

The Finnish Red Cross headquarters provides information on the rules of family reunification and how to apply for it. We assist in communicating with authorities and other organisations in Finland and abroad.

According to the rules of war, states must facilitate the reunion of family members separated by conflict. Children have the right to their parents and to family life. The Red Cross Movement helps people separated from each other due to conflicts, natural disasters, and/or migration. The Red Cross helps thousands of families around the world to reunite every year. We work to ensure that separated families are reunited as quickly as possible.

The Finnish Red Cross cannot assist with legal or financial matters, nor does it fill in family reunification forms. These tasks are the responsibility of social workers and lawyers.

For questions regarding family reunification, please contact the Finnish Red Cross headquarters: exchange, +358 (0)20 701 2000 (weekdays 8.30 am–4.00 pm), migration(at)redcross.fi.

How to get involved

Regarding family reunification, the role of volunteers is to guide individuals to contact a social worker and/or the Red Cross district office. It is important to direct a person in a difficult situation to seek psychosocial support. A volunteer can advocate locally for the importance of family reunification and seek support from a social worker. Volunteers can also advise and guide people to activities organised by the Red Cross.

Training path

A volunteer can strengthen their skills by participating in a course on international humanitarian law, which includes the topic of restoring and maintaining family links.
The Red Cross headquarters and district experts have created a training module called "Restoring family links and Red Cross support" (in Finnish and English). If you identify a need to organise this training in your local area, please contact the district staff member responsible for migration work.