People conducting security clearance vetting encounter Finns face-to-face

For many Finns, security clearance vetting investigation is the closest contact they ever have with the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service. In fact, a large number of Finns have had dealings with SUPO at some point, as there are currently over 225,000 safety clearances issued by SUPO in force. Most of the personnel security vetting investigations only require a quick visit to the online service, but in some cases, SUPO also interviews the individuals subject to security clearance vetting. Last year, SUPO organised more than 900 such interviews.

In the interviews, the employees of the Vetting Department meet a wide range of people from different sectors of society. People may sometimes feel nervous about a meeting with SUPO, but the experience is almost always positive: after all, it means that the interviewee is being hired to a new position.

“It's a conversation, not an interrogation. We want to establish an understanding of people’s life situations and, for example, their foreign interests. It’s always nice to see people who are getting a job and are excited about it”, says an analyst working at the Vetting Department.

The analyst conducting foreign interests investigation has been working at SUPO for nearly five years. A career in the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service was a long-time dream for the analyst, even though they initially had a rather vague image of the intelligence and security service.

“Among my fellow students, SUPO was considered a great workplace. I used to think that everyone working at SUPO is a police officer, but of course that wasn’t true”, the analyst recalls.

An analyst’s work varies greatly, as in addition to interviews, they also carry out research and analysis work on broader development trends. The analyst has been witnessing how the security clearance vetting process has developed in recent years from many different perspectives.

“We also always try to look at our service from the perspective of our clients. We have a developmental approach to our work, and we are constantly asking ourselves whether we could do things even more efficiently. Consequently, work phases done manually in the process have been reduced significantly in recent years”, says the analyst.

The growing importance of the business sector for Finland and the world political situation are reflected in security clearance vetting every day. 

“Disruptive technologies and start-ups with their unique corporate culture in particular are topics that we have had a chance to explore. I feel very grateful for the opportunity to be involved in supporting and protecting key operators in these fields”, the analyst says.

The number of SUPO statements on foreign nationals is on significant growth

By issuing statements on foreign nationals, the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service influences decisions concerning, among other things, the deportation of counter-terrorism targets. The Finnish Security and Intelligence Service issues statements to the Finnish Immigration Service on matters related to residence permits and citizenship if SUPO considers that, based on their information, the applicant may pose a threat to national security. 

The amendments to the Aliens Act that entered into force in 2025 significantly improved SUPO’s possibilities to influence the residence of persons who pose a serious threat to national security in Finland. Now, even a person’s international protection status or a permanent residence permit can be ended based on a threat they pose to national security. SUPO has strongly developed its statement process on foreign nationals to be able to effectively exploit the opportunities provided by, for example, the new legislation.

SUPO has actively used the opportunity to give statements, and the number of statements issued increased considerably last year compared to previous years.