Finland does not offer a general job seeker visa for people who have not studied or conducted research in the country. If you completed a degree or finished research in Finland, you can apply for a residence permit to look for work or start a business for up to two years. Non-EU/EEA citizens who have not studied or researched in Finland must secure a job or a binding offer before applying for a work-based residence permit.
Is there a job-seeker permit for people who did not study in Finland?
A non-EU/EEA citizen can apply for a work-based residence permit only after finding a job or receiving a binding job offer. For more on the standard employment route, see the Finland work permit guide.
To travel to Finland to look for work without a residence permit, you need a visa where your nationality requires one. A visa is for a short visit of up to 90 days. You may not start working before you have a valid residence permit.
Migri's residence permit to look for work or start a business is listed for students and researchers only. Some short jobs, such as interpreter, teacher, expert, specialist or researcher, can be done without a permit for up to 90 days.
Who can get the permit to look for work or start a business
The residence permit to look for work is for people who have or have had a residence permit for studies or research and do not yet have a job. This relates directly to permits held while studying in Finland.
You must have completed a degree in Finland, or finished research work or a doctoral degree in Finland.
A researcher on an EU-directive research permit qualifies on finishing the research; a researcher on a national research permit qualifies only after completing a degree in Finland.
You can also use this permit if you already have a job but do not earn enough for a work-based permit. The permit must be applied for within five years of the date your student or research permit expired.
How long it lasts and the three-part option
A first or extended permit to look for work can be granted for at most two years.
The permit can be used in up to three parts, each at least six months long, with the last part ending within three years of the start of the first.
The permit is an A (continuous) permit if your previous permit was an A permit, and a B permit if it was a B permit.
Money and fees
You must have at least €800 a month for accommodation, food and other needs. For a 2-year permit you must have at least €19,200 available; for an extension, work income can secure your support.
The permit fees depend on how you apply and whether it is a first or extended permit:
- First permit online: €750
- First permit on paper: €800
- Extended permit online: €230
- Extended permit on paper: €430
Migri estimates 3 months in most cases for an extended job-seeker permit and up to 6 months in a minority of cases; the statutory maximum is 3 months.
Deadlines and applying from inside Finland
A first permit to look for work is applied for abroad; an extended one only in Finland.
Graduates in Finland apply for it as an extended permit, before the current permit expires, attaching the degree certificate. You can apply before the degree certificate arrives if you will receive it within three months.
Timing affects when you may begin employment:
- If the extension was applied for before the previous permit expired, you can start work as soon as you find a job.
- If late, you cannot start work before the decision.
- On a first permit you can start working as soon as you receive a positive decision.
Working on the permit and what to do when you find a job
The permit gives an unrestricted right to work regardless of your field of study. You can search across sectors using resources for finding a job in Finland.
When you get a job you do not have to apply for a new permit straight away; apply for the next permit at the earliest three months before the current one expires.
The three-month/six-month unemployment rule does not apply to the job-seeker permit, so graduates can take even fixed-term jobs without risk of withdrawal; a work-based permit obtained later is subject to it. See the guidance on losing your job on a Finland residence permit for those conditions.
Once you have a job (or a trade or business), apply for the work-based permit (degree or research completed in Finland) before the job-seeker permit expires. Graduates with a job, trade or business apply for the permit for a person with a degree completed in Finland instead of the employed-person or entrepreneur permit; the degree need not be recent. A person with a degree completed in Finland can apply for that permit, which does not require a labour market test.
For the degree-completed permit in 2026, net income must be at least €1,210, €1,090 or €1,030 a month depending on where you live, and savings can count. The degree-completed permit costs €530 online or €630 on paper as a first permit.
From here to permanent residence
Since 8 January 2026 a permanent permit can be granted without a residence period to someone who completed a bachelor's, master's, licentiate or doctoral degree in Finland and has developing (A2) Finnish or Swedish.
If you have already had a 2-year continuous job-seeking permit, you cannot get a permanent permit on those same grounds.
