Police permit cards get new look

Firearms permits and private security industry licenses issued by the police will have a new look from the beginning of June, said the National Police Board in a press release on Tuesday.

The change is due to a new contract on the production and supply of permit documents.

New versions of the cards will be issued from 1 June 2023 onwards. The security paper products currently in use will be gradually replaced with new documents during this year once the security paper in stock has been used up.

The changes do not affect the validity of permit documents already issued.

The new design of the products aims to create a consistent set of documents while retaining a link to earlier versions.

Whereas the background of the cards has been entirely redesigned, the information layout has retained the familiar look, which helps usability. The colour themes differentiating different types of cards have also been kept the same as earlier.

On 6 July 2022, the National Police Board signed a contract with Thales DIS Finland Oy on the production service for permit documents.

The background for procurement is the expiry of the existing contract. The contract signed in 2022 becomes operative on 1 June 2023 and is valid for five years.

The contract includes the production and supply of the following permit documents: ammunition permit, firearms permit, authorisation of a firearms officer, gas spray permit, parallel permit, firearms permit for organisations or foundations, Firearms Administration security paper, acquisition permit form and European firearms pass as well as guard licences, security officer licences and security steward licences.