Image: Mårten Lampén / Yle

Close checks by customs officials at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport have revealed some 100 forged passports and other identity documents entering the country in letters and parcels. The documents have been bound for asylum seeker reception centres and private individuals.

"One in four identity documents entering the country has borne signs of falsification," said Kari Kettunen, head of the Border Guard’s anti-crime unit.

"Every week we come across counterfeits. We’ve detained some people and booked them for criminal liability. But it’s clear that the vast majority of people coming into Finland are seeking asylum on credible grounds," Kettunen pointed out.

Customs: Some individuals want to conceal their identity

People fleeing conflict need identity documents from their home countries to register as asylum seekers and many have arrived in Finland without such documentation. As a result the quantity of personal documents sent to Finland has exploded in recent weeks, officials say.

"So far this year there must have been more than 500 altogether, but the pace has intensified to the point where almost 50 arrived yesterday alone," said airport customs chief Mika Pitkäniemi.

Finnish Customs say that most of the ID papers they’ve intercepted have come from Iraq and Syria and have been mailed from Iraq and Turkey.

They say part of the reason for the forged documents is the large number of asylum seekers arriving in Finland, adding that some new arrivals may have their reasons for using counterfeits.

"Maybe the person wants to hide something in his or her past and therefore wants to conceal their real identity. In some cases it has emerged that it may have something to do with human trafficking," Kettunen explained.