Are you moving to Finland? The following provides information about immigration formalities and the documents you will need.

If you are a foreign national and plan to work in gainful employment in Finland, you will need a residence permit. If you want to run your own business or freelance in Finland, you must have a residence permit for a self-employed person. There are some exceptions: these include professionals working on temporary assignments or in scientific research.

For more detailed information, go to the Finnish Immigration Service website.

Immigration formalities for EU citizens

EU citizens must register their residence after staying three months in Finland. You will need to present a valid passport and proof of your employment status (e.g. contract or scholarship).

For more details, visit the Finnish Police website.

Immigration formalities for Nordic citizens

Nordic citizens shall register at the Register Office in case their stay exceeds six months. A written certificate of registration will be issued after the authorities have established that the requirements for registration are met.

Immigration formalities for citizens from other countries

There are some exceptions to the requirement of a residence permit for gainful employment. For example, interpreters, teachers and experts who have been invited or who have a contract to work in Finland for no longer than three months do not need a residence permit. In these cases you must, however, have a valid visa if you are coming from a country that does not have reciprocal visa exemption arrangements with Finland.

Visa

Residence permit

When to apply for documents

We recommend that you to start the application process at least 2-3 months before you plan to travel to Finland. Processing times for different applications vary. You should be aware that the process cannot be started until the Embassy or Consulate has received all the required paperwork.

Immigration formalities for family members  

Residence permits can be granted to family members on the condition that the main applicant has a guaranteed income from sources other than state benefits. Notice that the definition of family member in Finnish legislation may be narrower than in other countries.

In order to register your family members with the Finnish authorities, you will need to provide apostilled documents. The minimum requirement to start the registration process is your marriage certificate and birth certificates for children.

Registration of EU citizens’ and family members’ residence cards

Applying for a residence permit on the basis of family ties

Importation of removal goods

If you are planning to bring your car or pets to Finland, contact the Customs Information Service to check the required formalities.

What documents to bring

Bring your marriage certificate and your children’s birth certificates. It’s important that you bring original versions of your documents. No matter how insignificant a document may seem, bring it along; you never know when you might need it.

In Finland it is often required that copies of documents concerning your work experience, such as letters of reference and degree diplomas, are authenticated. This means you will need to show the originals either to a public official who can authenticate them, or to two people (e.g. colleagues) who will sign and authenticate the copies (after checking the originals).