RESIDENCE PERMIT FOR FINLAND - Maahanmuuttovirasto

FACT SHEET
RESIDENCE PERMIT FOR FINLAND
OTHER THAN EU/EEA CITIZENS
Foreigners coming to Finland generally need a
residence permit in order to stay in Finland for
a longer time.
This fact sheet gives information on residence permits
in general and related matters. Since this is general
information it does not necessarily apply to every
individual situation.
Please note that the information on this fact sheet does
not apply to citizens of EU member states or Iceland,
Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
RESIDENCE PERMIT AND VISA
A residence permit and a visa are both a type of permit
for entering a country and for staying in it.
A visa is issued for a short, temporary stay lasting no
more than three months. A foreigner arriving in Finland
for example as a tourist, on business or for a convention
needs a visa if he or she is a citizen of a country
requiring visas. Visas are issued by Finnish diplomatic
missions abroad. More information on visas and visa
requirements is available from Finnish diplomatic
missions and on the website of the Finnish Ministry for
Foreign Affairs at formin.finland.fi.
A residence permit is required when a foreigner
stays in Finland for longer than three months. A
residence permit is also required for a stay lasting less
than three months if the foreigner who is coming to
Finland intends to work and a residence permit for an
employed person is required for the work in question.
In order for a residence permit or visa to be issued, the
applicant must have a valid passport or other travel
document.
THE RESIDENCE PERMIT IS RECORDED
ON A RESIDENCE PERMIT CARD
A fixed-term residence permit is issued either as a
temporary residence permit (the document carries
the letter B) or as a continuous residence permit (the
document carries the letter A), depending on the
nature of the stay. A person’s first residence permit is
always a fixed-term permit. It can be issued for a year or
for a shorter or longer period than a year if a stay due
to work or study, for example, is shorter or longer.
A continuous residence permit (A-permit) can be
extended for a maximum of four years at a time and a
temporary residence permit (B-permit) can be usually
extended for a year at a time.
A person who has received a temporary residence
permit can apply for an extension of the permit for
continuous residence if the reason for staying in Finland
has changed during the period of residence, for
example because of marriage.
A foreigner can get a permanent residence permit
(the document carries the letter P) when he or she has
been resident in Finland for four years on a continuous
residence permit (A-permit). The fixed-term residence
permits should follow each other seamlessly, without
any breaks in between. This does not mean that the
person’s stay in Finland must have been uninterrupted.
The applicant is free to go on normal vacation trips
and other travel. The applicant is required to reside
in Finland for at least half the period of validity of the
residence permit and must have a valid residence
permit at the time he or she applies for a permanent
residence permit.
The grounds for issuing a continuous residence permit
do not have to be the same during the four years in
question. For example, after someone gets married, a
residence permit for an employed person may change
into a residence permit issued on the grounds of a
family relationship. However, if the residence permit
has changed during the four years from continuous
to temporary (i.e. from an A-permit to a B-permit), a
permanent residence permit cannot be granted.
DIFFERENT TYPES
OF RESIDENCE PERMIT
Fixed-term
Continuous (A)
extended for
a max. of 4 years
at a time
Temporary (B)
usually extended
for 1 year
at a time
resident (A-permit) for 4 years
12/2013 Englanti
Oleskelulupa Suomeen
Muut kuin EU/ETA-kansalaiset
Permanent (P)
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MIGRATIONSVERKET
FINNISH IMMIGRATION SERVICE

REQUIREMENTS FOR GETTING
A RESIDENCE PERMIT
Employed or self-employed persons
A foreigner generally needs a residence permit
for an employed person if he or she intends to be
in gainful employment in Finland. A person who
intends to be self-employed or pursue a trade in
Finland needs a residence permit for a self-employed
person. A residence permit for an employed person
is also required for short and fixed-term employment
relationships. There are, however, certain cases where
a residence permit for an employed person is not
required if the employment lasts for less than three
months.
A person who has been issued a continuous residence
permit (A-permit) on grounds other than employment
or pursuit of a trade, or a permanent residence permit
(P-permit) is free to work and does not need a separate
residence permit for an employed person or
a self-employed person.
A residence permit for an employed person may be
applied for only by the employee.
Students
A foreign student needs a residence permit if the
period of study in Finland is longer than three months.
Residence permits are mainly issued for studies at a
university or vocational institution leading to a degree
or vocational qualification. Exchange students are
issued with a residence permit if they are participating
in an approved exchange programme.
Students must be able to prove that they have sufficient
funds for their residence. In addition, when applying
for an extension to a residence permit, students are
also required to have a certain number of completed
courses.
Students are permitted to do a limited amount of work
under a residence permit issued for studies.
Family members
A family member of a Finnish citizen or a citizen of
some other country who is living in Finland can be
issued with a residence permit on the basis of family
ties. A family member is a spouse or cohabiting partner,
a registered partner (of the same sex) or an unmarried
child under the age of 18 whose guardian is a person
resident in Finland. If the person resident in Finland
is under 18 years old, then his or her guardian is
considered a family member.
A person resident in Finland and their family members
should have a secure source of income that must not
rely on social welfare benefits. This requirement does
not apply to family members of Finnish citizens.
Returnees and persons from areas
of the former Soviet Union
Foreigners who have Finnish ancestry or some other
close connection with Finland may be granted a
residence permit on that basis. No other reason, such
as work or study, is required in order to receive the
permit. Receiving a residence permit depends on
how direct and close a person’s Finnish ancestry is. If
the Finnish ancestors are several generations back, a
residence permit cannot be granted on that basis.
People who may be granted a residence permit based
on Finnish ancestry or close connections with Finland
are: former Finnish citizens, persons of Finnish origin,
i.e. who have a mother, father or grandparent who was
born a Finnish citizen, and certain persons from areas of
the former Soviet Union.
HOW TO APPLY FOR A RESIDENCE PERMIT
Foreigners should generally apply for their first
residence permit before arriving in Finland at the
Finnish diplomatic mission in their country of origin. If
the applicant resides permanently in another country,
he or she should apply for the permit to the embassy of
his or her legal country of residence.
Various attachments must be enclosed with the
application depending on what the purpose of the
applicant’s stay in Finland is. The application form for a
residence permit is available from diplomatic missions
or it can be printed out from the Finnish Immigration
Service’s website at www.migri.fi. The required
attachments are listed in section E of the application
form.
A residence permit for an employed person may be
applied for only by the employee.
Former Finnish citizens and others who have Finnish
ancestry have a choice of applying for a residence
permit either at a Finnish diplomatic mission before
coming to Finland or from the police of the municipality
where they are residing in Finland. In applying for a
residence permit, these persons must give a reliable
account of their ancestry. They are not required to
prove that they have means of support. For information
on residence permit applications for so-called Ingrian
Finn returnees, see www.migri.fi.
In the exceptional case that the applicant is already in
Finland when applying for a first residence permit, the
application should be submitted to the police in the
municipality where the applicant lives, and the police
will also supply the application form.
New fixed-term (extended) residence permits and
permanent residence permits are generally issued
by the police in the municipality in Finland where
applicants live. Applications are also submitted to the
police. When applying for an extension to a residence
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MIGRATIONSVERKET
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FINNISH IMMIGRATION SERVICE

permit for an employed person, the application may
also be submitted to the Employment and Economic
Development Office.
A fee is charged for processing residence permit
applications. The fee must be paid in advance and it is
not refunded even if the application is unsuccessful.
Decisions on residence permits may be appealed to the
Administrative Court. The decision includes instructions
for appeal.
THE PERIOD OF VALIDITY OF
A RESIDENCE PERMIT
For residence permits issued before 2012 a sticker has
been attached to the permit-holder’s travel document.
From the beginning of 2012, a separate residence
permit card will be issued with each residence permit.
The first residence permit is always fixed-term and it is
usually issued for one year. If the reason that a foreigner
is coming to Finland is, for example, temporary
fixed-term employment or study, the residence permit
can be issued for a shorter or longer period than a year.
A residence permit for an employed person is a
temporary residence permit (B-permit) or a continuous
residence permit (A-permit) depending on the nature
of the work. A continuous residence permit is usually
granted for one year the first time. A temporary
residence permit is granted for the duration of the
employment contract. A residence permit for a selfemployed
person is generally granted for a year.
A student’s residence permit is temporary in nature. If
studies last for more than a year, the residence permit
is generally issued for a year at a time. It can also be
issued for a longer period if the duration of studies is
known in advance. When the studies end, the student
can stay in Finland if a new residence permit can be
issued on some other grounds.
A residence permit issued on the basis of family ties
is valid at most for the same period as the sponsor’s
residence permit. The residence permit can be
fixed-term or permanent.
A permanent residence permit is valid until further
notice. If you have a permanent residence permit and
your passport expires, you do not need to re-apply
for a residence permit. However, you must apply for a
residence permit card at a police station. The residence
permit card is proof of your right to reside in Finland.
When an applicant has been granted a residence
permit, the person in question may live, reside and
move freely in Finland. While the residence permit
remains in force, the holder may freely choose where
to live in Finland and may also leave Finland and return
again.
CANCELLATION OF A RESIDENCE PERMIT
A residence permit is cancelled if the holder has moved
out of Finland permanently or has continuously resided
outside Finland for two years for permanent purposes.
If there is an acceptable reason for this absence, it
is possible to file an application to avoid having the
residence permit cancelled.
A residence permit may also be cancelled if the
applicant has knowingly given false information or
concealed relevant information. The cancellation of a
fixed-term residence permit can be considered if the
grounds for issuing the residence permit no longer
exist.
A residence permit can also be cancelled if another
Schengen State has decided to order the foreigner
to be removed and prohibited from entering the
Schengen area.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Further information on residence permits is available in
Finland from the Finnish Immigration Service and the local
police, and from Finnish diplomatic missions abroad, which
will also help in matters concerning visas. The Employment
and Economic Development Office can also provide
counselling regarding residence permits for employed
persons.
Practical instructions and contact information is available
on the following websites:
www.poliisi.fi (the police)
formin.finland.fi/missions (the Ministry for Foreign Affairs)
www.mol.fi (Employment and Economic Development
Office)
Finnish Immigration Service
Postal address: P.O. Box 18, 00581 Helsinki, Finland
Customer Service: Lautatarhankatu 10, 00580 Helsinki
tel. +358 295 419 600
Internet:
www.migri.fi
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MIGRATIONSVERKET
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FINNISH IMMIGRATION SERVICE