Serving a community sanction in your own home country

Serving a community sanction in your own home country is possible if your home country is a Nordic country or an EU Member State. The enforcement of community sanctions cannot be transferred to other countries.

Serving a community sanction in another Nordic country

You may request a transfer of a community sanction to another Nordic country if you are imposed community service, supervision of conditional imprisonment, or supervision of conditional release. If your community sanction is transferred to another Nordic country, the enforcement of the sentence is governed by the law of that country.

The proposal for transferring your community sanction is made by the probation office. The official request for a transfer to another Nordic country is made by the Director of the Client Processes Department of the Prison and Probation Service.

Serving a community sanction in another EU Member State

You may request a transfer of the enforcement of a community sanction to an EU Member State where you have permanent residence. Community sanctions suitable for transfer:

• community service
• juvenile punishment
• monitoring sentence
• supervision of persons sentenced to conditional imprisonment
• supervision of conditional release
• probationary liberty under supervision.

In addition, it is required that the judgment probation decision is final, the transfer would advance your possibilities to reintegrate into society and you consent to the transfer.

The decision on and the official request for a transfer to another EU Member State is made by the Director of the Client Processes Department of the Prison and Probation Service. The transfer decision made by the Prison and Probation Service may be appealed to the Helsinki Administrative Court.
Find out more about the transfer of a community sanction to another state

Right to use legal counsel

In a transfer matter, you have the right to a legal counsel or a defence counsel paid from State funds.
The probation office can help you find a legal counsel. The decision on the legal counsel and the payment of the counsel’s fee is made by the Prison and Probation Service.

Further information

For more information on the matter, please contact the International Enforcement Team of the Enforcement Unit of the Prison and Probation Service by email kvtp.rise@om.fi.