Govt to float tender for outsourcing services for visa, residence permit

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is planning to launch a tendering process for outsourcing its entry permit application submission services in 2024, said the ministry in a press release on Wednesday.

As a preparation for the upcoming tendering process, the Ministry will survey the market in autumn 2023.

The Foreign Ministry’s current outsourced application submission services cover visa and residence permit applications in about 30 countries and nearly 100 locations.

The market survey will gather information about external service providers on the market and about their services, digital solutions and geographical service networks.

It will also examine external service providers’ references from other countries and the quality of their services and seek to identify potential new service solutions and related technical applications.

The survey will also be used to assess the estimated value of the procurement.

The Ministry has announced the market survey, alongside a request for market information, contact information and instructions for submitting the information, in the HILMA official service for notices on public procurement in Finland.

Service providers must submit their answers by 20 October 2023.