Ministry of Justice, Finland

This booklet is primarily intended for situations where a child has been abducted from Finland to a foreign country. In the case of a child being abducted from another contracting state to Finland, the Ministry of Justice is the Central Authority just like when the abduction takes place in the reverse direction.

When the Ministry has received a request for return of the child from the foreign state, it assigns the case to a Finnish lawyer whose first duty generally is to attempt to achieve a voluntary return of the child. Failing this, the lawyer will bring action for the return of the child in the Helsinki Court of Appeal where all cases of child abduction are concentrated in Finland. Parents are granted free legal proceedings in Finland. Appeals against decisions made by the Court of Appeal can be lodged with the Supreme Court. If a decision on the return of a child is not voluntarily complied with, it can be enforced through coercive measures.