Finland has a crime victim compensation program to provide financial compensation to victims of violent or personal crime.

Eligibility Requirements
Report to Police: No time limit.
Filing Period: 10 years; exceptions are made.

Claimants

• Victims of crime
• Dependents of victims of crime
• Foreign citizens
• Citizens of Finland victimized in a foreign country

Procedures

A crime victim may obtain an application from the State Treasury, the police, or local offices of the Social Insurance Institution. Abroad, applications are normally available at Embassies and Consulates of Finland.

The application should be sent either directly to the State Treasury or to any local office of the Social Insurance Institution. It will take 6 months, on average, for a victim to receive notification of the program's decision. Compensation is paid immediately after the decision is made.

Benefits & Award Limits
The maximum awards in Finnish Marks are:
Personal injury: 270.000
Property damage: 135.000
Loss of income: 660 a day

Compensable Costs

• Medical expenses
• Mental health
• Lost wages for disabled victims
• Lost support for dependents of homicide victims
• Funerals
• Any clothing, articles for daily use, spectacles, and dental plates damaged by the crime
• Litigation expenses to recover compensation from the offender

Emergency Awards

The program does not offer emergency compensation. However, the Act obliges the State Treasury to pay advance compensation where the applicant's right to compensation is evident and the decision is delayed.

Funding Sources

The program is funded by the State.

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