Finland does not issue a separate document called a work visa. To work for more than 90 days, you need a residence permit, and the ordinary route for standard employment is the residence permit for an employed person (työntekijän oleskelulupa, commonly abbreviated as TTOL). You must have confirmed employment before you can apply for the TTOL permit.
Which permit you need, and the order of steps
The residence permit for an employed person is designed for people coming to Finland to work for a Finnish employer or an employer operating in Finland. It is granted specifically for the field of employment of the job. You must have confirmed employment before you can apply. You can learn more about finding a job in Finland before starting the process.
The steps involve several key stages:
- Secure confirmed employment.
- Submit your first permit application from abroad and pay the fee.
- Have your employer submit their terms of employment.
- Visit a Finnish mission abroad to prove your identity.
A first TTOL permit must always be applied for abroad; you cannot apply for a first work-based permit while in Finland. Conversely, an extended permit can only be applied for in Finland. Work lasting over 90 days always requires a residence permit.
There are more than 20 different residence permits that can be granted on the basis of work, depending on your duties and possibly the length of employment. For an overview of grounds, see the residence permit in Finland guide. Note that a TTOL permit is not granted to light entrepreneurs (kevytyrittäjä) who work through an invoicing service company. If you work in higher-earning specialist roles, you should instead read the guide to the Finland EU Blue Card and specialist permit.
A first residence permit is usually granted for one year at the most. An extended permit can be issued for up to four years, though for a work-based permit its duration depends on the length of the employment relationship.
The salary floor in 2026 and how it is counted
For the TTOL permit in 2026, your total gross salary must be at least €1,600 a month. This income may come from several employment relationships.
This €1,600 gross floor has applied to first TTOL applications since 1 January 2025 under amendments to the Aliens Act, and it applies only to the TTOL permit, not other work-based permits. For extended permits, the €1,600 minimum has applied since 1 April 2025; before that date, the extended-permit minimum was €1,430. Prior to 1 January 2025, a first TTOL could be granted at collective-agreement pay or an income requirement of €1,399 a month.
Key rules govern how this pay is assessed:
- Collective agreements: Under the Migri income requirement, your salary must also be at least what the collective agreement (työehtosopimus) for the employment relationship specifies.
- Supplements excluded: Supplements, such as evening and night work supplements, do not count towards the €1,600 floor.
- Fringe benefits: At most 50% of the TTOL salary may consist of fringe benefits, such as employer-provided accommodation or a company car, counted at their taxable value.
- Part-time work: Part-time work can qualify, but zero-hours or on-demand contracts do not meet TTOL requirements. Migri calculates monthly gross income for part-time roles as: working hours × hourly wage × 4.3.
- Annual review: Migri reviews the minimum salary for work-based permits every year, so the figure may change.
When you apply for an extended TTOL permit, Migri checks retrospectively whether you met the stated terms and were paid an average of at least €1,600 a month. It reads salaries from the Incomes Register (tulorekisteri).
Labour market testing, and what happened to the TE office partial decision
Until 1 January 2025, the TE Office (TE-toimisto) made a partial decision on TTOL applications before Migri. That partial decision has been removed. Migri now processes the permit as a whole, assessing the terms of employment, checking employer obligations, considering income, and carrying out labour market testing.
Labour market testing means Migri assesses whether suitable labour for the job would be available in Finland or the EU/EEA within a reasonable time. This testing applies to all first TTOL applications, including jobs in a national labour shortage sector.
How the test works depends on regional policies:
- Regional scarcity: If the main occupation is named in the regional work permit policy of the Economic Development Centre, labour is regarded as scarce. The employer does not need to establish availability.
- Regional oversupply: If the occupation is not in the regional policy and the Labour Force Barometer shows an oversupply in the field, a TTOL permit usually cannot be issued, though Migri assesses each case.
- Testing procedure: Where testing applies, the employer must post the job on Job Market Finland (Työmarkkinatori) with the same requirements, keep it open for 2 weeks, and report on recruitment in the terms of employment form.
For an extended permit, no labour market test is needed for an extension in the same field, or in a different field after at least 9 months of work on the TTOL permit, or for a national labour shortage sector.
What the employer has to do
After you apply in Enter Finland, the employer must add the terms of employment and other documents through Enter Finland for Employers, or fill in the paper form.
The employer must verify and document that you have the professional skills required for the job. Health care professionals also need a licence from Valvira (lvv.fi).
The employer can supplement the application as soon as it is submitted and paid; doing so without delay speeds up the decision.
Employer rules and requirements include:
- Employer certification: Employer certification (työnantajan sertifiointi) shortens processing for a company's work-based applicants and lets them apply for a D visa. A first employer certification is granted for two years, then extended for three years at a time.
- Hiring notifications: An employer hiring a non-EU/EEA person who already holds a permit and right to work must notify Migri within 7 days of the start of employment, unless it filed terms of employment in the application.
- Premature termination: Since 11 June 2025, an employer must notify Migri within 14 days when a work-based permit holder's employment ends prematurely; failure may be sanctioned.
Applying, paying and proving your identity
A first TTOL permit costs €750 online or €950 on paper. An extended TTOL permit costs €230 online or €430 on paper. Migri does not start processing an application until the fee is paid.
For a first permit, you must always prove your identity in person at a Finnish embassy or consulate abroad. The residence permit card is biometric; its chip stores a facial image and two fingerprints.
A TTOL applicant can apply for a D visa together with the permit only if the employer has employer certification. The D visa does not shorten permit processing times; it costs €95 online or €120 on paper. Issued as a 100-day entry visa only with a granted permit, it lets you travel as soon as the permit is granted instead of waiting for the card abroad. The card is then delivered to a collection point in Finland in about 2 weeks after the decision.
How long it takes, and why fast track is not for this permit
The maximum processing time provided by law for a TTOL permit is 2 months. However, that two-month limit runs only once the application is complete, the employer has filed the terms of employment, and the applicant has proved identity. It pauses while the application is being supplemented. Migri can start processing a first TTOL application before you have proved your identity.
According to Migri processing times, in October 2026, Migri's estimate for a first TTOL permit was 1 month in most cases and 2 months in a minority of cases; estimates are updated every 2 months. Under the Migri residence permit application for an employed person figures, in July 2026 first TTOL applications took on average 17 days to a positive decision and 64 days to a negative one. In July 2026 extended TTOL applications took on average 37 days to a positive decision and 162 days to a negative one.
Fast track (a decision in two weeks) is for specialists, start-up entrepreneurs, EU Blue Card holders, ICT specialists and managers, and top or middle management; the TTOL permit is not on the list. Fast track requires applying and paying in Enter Finland, proving identity within five working days, and the employer adding terms of employment within two working days. Only a first permit can be fast-tracked, and not if you are already in Finland; a missed condition puts the application on normal processing times.
When you may start work and what you may do
You cannot start working before the TTOL permit is granted. A TTOL holder may work only in the field of employment of the permit, but may have several jobs in that field. A valid TTOL holder may also work in a national labour shortage sector without a new permit; the list is updated yearly.
If you face employment changes, you can read more about rules on losing your job on a work permit. If you do not apply for an extension before the first permit expires, your right to work ends. If you apply for an extension before the permit expires, you can usually keep working while it is processed.
Some jobs, such as interpreter, teacher, expert, specialist, researcher, professional athlete or coach, can be done without a permit for up to 90 days if your stay is legal and you have an invitation or contract.
