Comprehensive analysis of residence permit in Finland

Foreign residents who have been in Finland for more than three months need to apply for residence permits, especially those who want to work in Finland. So what do you need to know about the residence permit in Finland? Follow me to have a look! Welcome to reading.

Detailed analysis of residence permit in Finland

Foreign residents who need to live in Finland for three months or more should hold residence permits. If you want to work in Finland, you need to apply for a residence permit in a shorter time.

20 12 1 introduced a biometric residence permit with fingerprint information.

Please refer to the document link at the bottom of the page for the materials and other detailed information required for different types of residence permit applications.

Reasons for applying for residence permit

You can apply for a residence permit for the following reasons: family members are in Finland, working or studying in Finland, Finnish origin, returning immigrants, humanitarian reasons or other special reasons.

Do I need a residence permit?

Nationals of other Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland) can enter and stay without restrictions and do not need a residence permit. At the same time, they don't need to apply for a work permit.

Nationals of the European Union and similar countries (Liechtenstein, Switzerland) do not need residence permits. But you must register with the local police station within three months after entering the country.

How to apply?

To apply for a residence permit for the first time, I must submit an application to the local Finnish embassy or consulate, and finally the Finnish Immigration Bureau will make a ruling. The honorary consulate does not accept applications. In some cases, applications for residence permits based on family members or other reasons can be submitted at the local police station in Finland.

The application form must be carefully and completely filled in and signed, and the applicant should prepare all other necessary materials except the application form in advance. Applications must be submitted in Finnish, Swedish or English. All attachments must be translated into one of the above three languages. Applicants will collect fingerprint information when filling out the application form. Applications cannot be submitted through intermediaries or mail.

Students can apply for a residence permit online, of course, this first needs to be registered with the Finnish Immigration Bureau (English). Please note that only PDF and JPG formats are accepted for uploading files applied online. All application forms (in English) can be downloaded from the Finnish Immigration Bureau.

Residence permit validity period

There are two kinds of residence permits with a fixed term: temporary residence permit (also known as B-type residence permit) and long-term residence permit (A-type residence permit). What kind of residence permit can be obtained depends on the purpose and intention of the applicant to stay in Finland.

Work permits are also divided into temporary work permits (Class B) and long-term work permits (Class A), depending on the nature of the work.

The student residence permit is usually a temporary residence permit, which is class B.

The residence permit applied by family members shall not exceed the validity period of the residence permit held by the guarantor. The type of residence permit depends on the residence permit of the guarantor. The first residence permit is usually valid for one year, unless the applicant specifically requests a shorter time. Holders of long-term residence permits can get a residence permit extension of no more than three years.

Two years after obtaining a temporary residence permit, it can be converted into a long-term residence permit, provided that the applicant's situation has not changed from that at the time when the residence permit was issued.

Foreigners who hold a fixed-term residence permit must apply for an extension of their residence permit in advance if they plan to stay in Finland beyond the validity period of their residence permit. The application for extension can only be submitted at the Finnish police station.

If you have a long-term residence permit and have lived in Finland for more than four years, you can apply for a permanent residence permit. The permanent residence permit is valid for a long time.

Invalid residence permit

If a foreigner permanently moves out of Finland or lives in a country outside Finland for two consecutive years and intends to live in a foreign country for a long time, his residence permit will be invalid.

Report to the local population bureau

According to the newly revised population information law, anyone who plans to go abroad for three months or more needs to report to the local population bureau whether he will go abroad for a short time or permanently.

How much does it cost to get a residence permit?

The application fee for residence permit can be paid in advance, but in general, the application fee will be collected in person when the applicant comes to the embassy to submit the application. Please refer to the websites of the Finnish Immigration Bureau and local embassies and consulates (see left). If the visa is rejected, the application fee will not be refunded.

How long does it take to accept the application?

It is difficult to give the exact acceptance time, and whether the applicant is required to supplement the application materials directly affects the acceptance time of his application. The embassy or consulate cannot affect the time when the Finnish Immigration Service accepts the application. If you want to know, applicants can refer to the average processing time listed on the website of the Finnish Immigration Bureau.

residence permit

Successful applicants will be granted a biometric residence permit. The validity period of the card is up to 5 years, and the residence permit beyond the validity period needs to be updated immediately. The extension of residence permit application can only be completed at the local police station in Finland.

The residence permit is not bound to any specific passport, but the personal information on the residence permit must be consistent with that on the passport. In other words, if the personal information on my passport changes, the cardholder must update the residence permit immediately.

Applicants who hold the old residence permit (passport label version) must apply for a new residence permit if they have a new passport.

If the residence card is lost or stolen, the cardholder must report it to the police station. Cardholders must first apply for a short-term visa from Finnish embassies and consulates abroad, and then apply for a new residence permit card after entering Finland. In the process of reapplication, the additional application materials should include the police station's certificate that the residence permit has been lost or stolen. The application procedure will depend on the specific circumstances.

What are the rights of holding a residence permit?

Holders of residence permits can enjoy the right to live or travel in Finland within the validity period of residence permits, and can freely enter and leave the country. Work permit holders also have the right to work in Finland. Holders of residence permits can also travel or stay in other Schengen countries for up to 3 months, provided that there is no objection to the entry and exit management of that country.