My Oulu: Consular services available for Turkish citizens – passport renewal possible during the pop-up day
The the honorary consulate room at the City Hall is reserved for international relations. In January, German Ambassador Stephan Auer (pictured in the middle) was presented with the opportunities for industrial investments in Oulu's green transition, among other things.
Jaa sosiaalisessa mediassa:
Turkish citizens living in Oulu and nearby areas will have a rare opportunity on Wednesday, April 23 to take care of official matters closer to home, as the consular section of the Turkish Embassy will bring its mobile services to Oulu for the first time. The event will take place in the honorary consulate room at Oulu City Hall, which will be reserved for embassy use for the day.
Wednesday 23rd of April will be the first time Turkish citizens can renew or apply for a passport at Oulu City Hall. The mobile consular service is part of the Turkish Embassy’s effort to bring services closer to citizens living far from Helsinki.
The consular section is prepared for up to 65 customer appointments during the pop-up day, and about half of the available time slots have already been booked. This indicates a clear need for mobile services.
”This is the first time we are bringing services closer to Turkish citizens living far from Helsinki. In the future, depending on demand, we may plan to organize a similar event again and even expand it to other cities”, says First Counsellor Bengü Tetik from the Turkish Embassy.
During the day, attendees can take care of matters such as renewing a passport or ID card, making notifications to the registration (e.g., birth, marriage, divorce), notary services (powers of attorney, certificates), requests for official documents (e.g., criminal record extract, birth or marriage certificate), and matters related to deferral of military service.
Diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Finland date back to 1924. The Turkish Embassy in Helsinki was initially established as a legation in 1946 and upgraded to an embassy in 1959. The current ambassador, Deniz Çakar, is the 21st and the first woman to serve in this role. Consular services and visa processing are normally handled at the consular section in Helsinki.
An international pulse in the city hall
Oulu City Hall hosts an active honorary consulate room that is used to promote international relations. Currently, Oulu has honorary consuls representing 18 different countries. Last year, ambassadors from 30 different nations visited Oulu.
Ambassador visits often include meetings with local citizens – especially when the country has its own honorary consul in Oulu. For example, Martti Launonen (South Korea) and Riitta Pörhö (Germany) actively take part in the programs of ambassadors who have visited recently.
”In December, South Korea’s Ambassador Jung-ha Kim and India’s Ambassador Hemant H. Kotalwar visited Oulu. In January, it was Germany’s Ambassador Stephan Auer. Ambassadors are usually happy to meet with their country’s citizens, as long as their schedule allows”, says Outi Rouru, Head of Public Relations and Protocol at the City of Oulu.
The appointment of honorary consuls is often linked to strengthening cultural or trade relations. For instance, cooperation between South Korea and Oulu is strongly rooted in technology, such as 5G and 6G networks. At the same time, Oulu can learn from the global success of Korean culture. With Germany, collaboration ranges from tourism and health technology to the latest energy sector investments: recently, the German company ABO Energy secured a planning reservation in the Pyyryväinen area for hydrogen industry development.