Flawed watermarks spotted in Finnish passports

Defective watermarks in Finnish passports, in which the visa page watermarks are the wrong way around, have been brought to the attention of the police.

The police advised the passport holders to check the passport pages for errors, said a press release issued by the National Police Board.

The error is easy to spot by examining the visa pages against the light. On some visa pages, the watermark is upside down and the page numbers on the watermarks do not correspond with the printed page numbers.

In the passports issued in 2012-2016 the watermarks feature a swan and in the passports issued from 2017 onwards the watermarks feature a bear. Pictures of the watermarks are appended to the bulletin and available for viewing on the police website.

The printing or other security features of the passports are not defective. This defect only appears in the watermarks that can be viewed against the light.

Even if the passport has the aforementioned production error, it is a genuine and valid travel document.

Finnish border officials are aware of the passport production error and the National Police Board has informed border officials around the world extensively about the issue. However, problems could arise with border checks abroad due to the error.

If anyone notices that the passport is flawed, the holder should take it to a police department which processes passport matters.

The police will issue a new passport free of charge for the duration of the flawed passport’s remaining period of validity.