Residence permit in Finland: the five main grounds

Finland's residence permit system rests on one question: why are you here? There is no general "I would like to live in Finland" permit. You apply on specific grounds, and these grounds decide how much money you need to show, how long you wait and how long the permit lasts.

Who needs a permit

If you come from outside the European Union and intend to stay in Finland for more than 90 days, you must apply for a residence permit. Citizens of EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland do not need one; they register their right of residence instead, which is covered in the immigration overview.

Two rules catch people out:

• You apply for yourself. Migri is explicit that you cannot apply on behalf of your spouse or your employee. A family member or employer supplies supporting forms, but the application is yours.
• A first permit is applied for abroad. You prove your identity at a Finnish embassy or consulate. Applying from inside Finland is allowed only in narrow cases, the main one being for family members of Finnish citizens.

Permit types

The card carries a letter:

• A — continuous, for someone moving to Finland for the long term (a specialist or the spouse of a Finnish citizen, for example).
• B — temporary, for a stay that is not intended to be permanent (seasonal work, an internship, an exchange).
• P — permanent, valid until further notice.
• P-EU — the long-term resident's EU permit, also open-ended, and easier to transfer to another EU country.

A first permit is usually granted for up to a year, though students can get one for their entire degree. An extended permit can run for up to four years.

1. Family ties

Close family members of someone living in Finland can get a permit: a spouse or registered partner, a cohabiting partner, and unmarried children under 18.

• If the family member in Finland is a Finnish citizen, there is no income requirement.
• If they are a foreign national with a permit, the family must show sufficient net income. In the Helsinki area (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen), the threshold is €1,210 a month for one adult plus €610 for a second adult, and more for each child. It is lower in other large towns and lower again elsewhere.
• Since 16 June 2025, a spouse must be at least 21 when the permit starts, as must a foreign sponsor. A Finnish citizen sponsor is exempt from this age rule.

Marriage to a Finn has its own page: marrying a Finnish citizen.

2. Finnish roots (remigration)

You can get a permit without working or studying if:

• you are a former Finnish citizen, by birth or application;
• at least one parent or grandparent is or was a Finnish citizen by birth; or
• you are from the area of the former Soviet Union and were an Ingrian evacuee resettled in Finland in 1943–44 and later returned, or you served in the Finnish army in 1939–45.

None of these routes has an income requirement, though the last one requires you to have accommodation arranged. The permit carries an unrestricted right to work and study. The separate Ingrian returnee scheme closed to new applicants on 1 July 2016.

3. Work

The usual route is the residence permit for an employed person. You need a confirmed job first; your employer fills in the terms of employment, and the post may be subject to labour market testing, meaning the employer checks whether the role could be filled from within Finland or the EU/EEA.

For 2026, the salary must be at least €1,600 gross a month and never below the collective agreement for the field. Specialists and EU Blue Card holders need at least €3,937 gross a month, and Migri's current processing estimates for their permits are shorter.

Certain jobs can be done for up to 90 days without a permit — interpreters, teachers, researchers, visiting experts, professional athletes and coaches, among others. Anything longer requires a permit, and a first work permit cannot be applied for from inside Finland. Finding a job in Finland covers the job search itself.

4. Running a business

You count as an entrepreneur if you are:

• a sole trader (toiminimi);
• a partner in a general partnership (avoin yhtiö);
• a general, not silent, partner in a limited partnership (kommandiittiyhtiö);
• a member of a cooperative with unlimited liability registered in the Trade Register; or
• a managing director or board member of a limited company (osakeyhtiö) who personally owns at least 30% of the shares or votes.

Owning a company is not enough: you must work in it in Finland, it must be profitable, and it must be entered in the Trade Register with a Business ID. The decision comes in two stages — a regional Economic Development Centre rules on the business first, followed by Migri. Freelancers invoicing through a billing service (kevytyrittäjä) cannot use this route.

A start-up entrepreneur permit is a separate route and requires a positive Eligibility Statement from Business Finland before you apply. More details are in starting a business in Finland.

5. Study

Studying in Finland for more than 90 days requires a permit. You must show €800 a month for living costs; for studies of a year or more, that means €9,600 in your own bank account when you apply, on top of any unpaid tuition fees. A sponsor's promise does not count.

Students may work an average of 30 hours a week across the year. See studying in Finland.

Fees

These fees are current as of 26 September 2026. They are paid upfront, and Migri will not begin processing until they are received.

How long it takes

The law sets maximum processing times for some permits: 2 months for an employed person, a specialist or an entrepreneur, 3 months for a first student permit, and 9 months for family ties. Migri publishes its current estimates and updates them every two months; applications based on family ties are currently queued well beyond the usual estimates, so expect the long end.

Getting a permanent permit

The rules changed on 8 January 2026. The standard path now requires six years on an A permit, at least two years of work in Finland, and satisfactory (B1) Finnish or Swedish. A four-year path remains for people earning over €40,000 a year, and for some with a recognised master's degree or strong Finnish or Swedish. A master's, licentiate or doctoral degree completed in Finland, or a bachelor's degree from a Finnish university (not a university of applied sciences), plus basic (A2) Finnish or Swedish or 15 credits of language studies, can lead directly to a permanent permit. Applications must be made from within Finland.

For what to do once you have your permit card, see first steps after moving to Finland, or go back to living in Finland.