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Finnish Residence Permits
Working In Finland
EU
Employed Persons
Non-EU
Employed Persons
EU
Self-Employed Persons
Non-EU
Self-Employed Persons
Permits For Students
Additional
Information
In addition to citizens of the European
Union, similar provisions regarding work & residence
permits apply to citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein,
Norway, and Switzerland. They are referred to hereafter
as "EU citizens and equivalent persons".
Finnish
Residence Permits
The local police issue:
- first residence permits to foreign family members
of Finnish citizens residing in Finland, and to the
family members' unmarried minor children
- extended fixed-term residence permits and permanent
residence permits to foreign nationals residing in
Finland
- extended residence permits for employed and self-employed
persons, and permanent residence permits.
Applications for the above permits must be submitted
to the District Police of the applicants' place of residence
in person or through an attorney. Applicants must go
to the police station in person to prove their identity
before a decision on a permit is made. Abroad, permit
applications are filed with a Finnish mission.
As regards
EU citizens, the local police register EU citizens'
right of residence, and handle matters relating to
the issue of residence cards to EU citizens' family
members' if the family members are not EU citizens.
Nordic
citizens do not need a visa or residence permit for
residing or working in Finland. When travelling between
Nordic countries, they do not need a passport or any
other identity document. Nordic citizens must, however,
be able to prove their identity, if necessary, which
is why they should hold a passport or identity card
when travelling. When entering Finland for purposes
other than short-term residence, Nordic citizens must
register their residence at a Register Office. That
is why the local police do not register their right
of residence.
The police may issue identity cards to
foreigners. Such identity cards are not travel documents,
which is why they cannot be used for travelling outside
Finland. The police may also, upon application, exchange
a driving licence issued in an EU or EEC country to
a comparable Finnish driving licence.
For further information
about permits and licences for foreigners, please contact
the District Police of your place of residence, the
Directorate of Immigration, an employment office or
a Finnish mission abroad.
More
Information > Police Department
Additional info...
Working
In Finland
An alien who intends to engage in remunerated employment
in Finland must usually have a residence permit for
an employed person. A person engaged in an independent
business or profession in Finland must have a residence
permit for a self-employed person.
However, there are many exceptions to this rule. For
example, citizens of European Union (EU) Member States
and equivalent persons do not need a residence permit
for an employed person or for a self-employed person.
Member States of the European Union
In addition to Finland, the Member States of the European
Union (EU) are Belgium, Bulgaria, Ireland, Great Britain,
Italy, Austria, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Cyprus,
Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal,
Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Similar provisions on the right of movement that apply
to citizens of EU Member States also apply to citizens
of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
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EU citizens right to work in Finland
EU citizens and citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein,
Norway and Switzerland can freely work in Finland
if the work lasts for a maximum of three months. After
that, they must register their right to reside
in Finland, but they do not need a special residence
permit.
How is the right to reside in Finland registered?
The employee must go to the local police department
to register his or her right to reside in Finland.
The police register the right of residence of an employed
person in the Register of Aliens and issue a registration
certificate verifying the registration. When necessary,
the employee must also present a doctor's statement
testifying to his or her state of health.
For how long is the right to reside in Finland valid?
Unless it is withdrawn, registration by a person with
the right to reside in Finland is valid until further
notice. After four years of residence in Finland, the
employee can be granted a permanent right of residence.
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Residence permit for a non-EU employee
Foreign employees who are non-EU citizens and equivalent
persons need a residence permit for an employed person
if they intend to work in Finland. An alien who has
entered the country either with a visa or visa-free
is not allowed to engage in remunerated employment
in Finland but, rather, has to apply for a residence
permit. A residence permit can be granted on
the basis of either temporary work or work of a continuous
nature.
In granting the permit, the needs of the labour market
are taken into consideration. The aim of the residence
permit praxis is to support the possibility of those
who are on the employment market to gain employment.
Thus, the availability of work force is also supported.
Granting a residence permit for an employed person
requires that the alien's means of support be guaranteed.
The employment office will estimate both the labour
political requirements and the sufficiency of the means
of support.
The prerogative of EU citizens and equivalent persons
to job openings
When making its deliberations, the employment office
takes into account that EU citizens and equivalent
persons, as well as other people who already legitimately
reside in Finland and who in fact may be available
to perform the work, have a priority in attaining job
openings in the EU area.
More
Information > Directorate of Immigration
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The right of EU citizens and equivalent persons to engage in business in Finland
EU citizens and citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein,
Norway and Switzerlandand can freely engage in
business in Finland after they have registered their
right to reside in Finland. The right applies to those
who are either private entrepreneurs or self-employed
persons (those with a right of establishment). Also,
service providers and receivers, such as doctors, hairdressers,
and those seeking medical care at their own expense,
may belong to this group. They do not need a separate
residence permit.
How to register the right to reside in Finland
A self-employed person must go to the local police
department to register his or her right to reside in
Finland. The police register the right to reside in
Finland of a self-employed person in the Register of
Aliens and issue a registration certificate verifying
the registration.
When registering his or her right to reside in Finland,
the self-employed person must present a certificate
of the registration of a trade or other reliable account
of self-employment.
More
Information > Directorate of Immigration
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Residence permit for a self-employed non-EU citizen
Non-EU citizens need a residence permit for
a self-employed person in order to engage in business
activities in Finland. In order to be granted a permit,
the applicant's business activity must be profitable.
The profitability of the business activity is estimated
on the basis of various reports that are obtained in
advance, such as the business plan or binding preliminary
contracts and funding agreements. The deliberation
is conducted by the Employment and Economic Development
Centre.
Granting a residence permit for a self-employed person
requires that the individual's means of support be
guaranteed. He or she must gain a regular income from
the profits of the operations, salary received, personal
funding withdrawals, or such items as sales profits,
in an amount above the threshold for basic income support
throughout the residence permit's period of validity.
The sufficiency of the income is determined by the
Employment and Economic Development Centre.
More
Information > Directorate of Immigration
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Permits For Students
Foreign students are welcome to study at Finnish educational
institutions. When a foreign student has been accepted
as a student at a Finnish educational institution,
he or she must usually also apply for a residence permit.
If the studies last for less than three months, no
residence permit is needed. The student can then conduct
his or her studies within the period of validity of
his or her visa or while an agreement on the abolition
of visas is valid.
For further information on applying
for a visa, the validity periods of visas and visa
application fees, as well as a list of countries whose
citizens do not need visas, see the website of the
Ministry for Foreign Affairs (section: Services > Foreign
nationals arriving in Finland).
More
Information > Directorate of Immigration (section:
Students)
See also: Study In Finland
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