It is employer’s obligation to make sure that the employee has the required permit in order to be eligble to reside and work in Finland.

Citizens of EU/EEA countries do not need a residence permit for Finland. They can reside and work freely in Finland up to three months after which they must register their right of residence at the Finnish Immigration Service office. Citizens of Nordic countries are exceptions, and they can register themselves at Local Register Office. Citizens of other Non-EU citizen usually need a residence permit based on employment.

There are different categories of residence permits and right to work varies from type of the permit. Some work may be performed without a residence permit for restricted period of time (usually no longer than 90 days).

• Residence permit for an employed person
• Residence permit for a specialist
• Residence permit for researcher
• Other types of work that require a residence permit
• Residence permit for studies/student
• Residence permit for a person who has completed a degree in Finland
• Right to work without a residence permit
• Registration of EU citizens

Residence permit for an employed person shall be applied for professional work, for example for cooks or construction workers. In order to be able to apply for a residence permit for an employed person, the applicant must have a signed employment agreement from a Finnish employer or other employer operating in Finland.

It is often easiest to apply for the residence permit in the e-service EnterFinland. The application should be filled out in Finnish, Swedish or English. Also all the attachments to the application must be in one of the above mentioned languages. If the documents are not in one of the languages, they must be translated by an authorized translator.

For the application of the residence permit for an employed person, an employer must complete a TEM054 form as an appendix to the application. The form can be found on the Finnish Immigration Service’s website under residence permit application forms.

If the intended stay in Finland exceeds one year, a foreign citizen must register his/her personal information to the Finnish Population Information System at the Local Register Office (maistraatti) of the place of his/her residence.

Residence permit for a specialist shall be applied when the job is demanding and special expertise is needed. The salary should be approximately 3000€ gross per month.

A specialist can come to Finland and work up to three months without a residence permit. However, the person needs to have a job ready in Finland and a valid visa or right to stay without a visa in Finland during that time. If the work will last longer than three months, the employee needs to apply for a residence permit for a specialist. The application is recommended to be submitted soon after arriving in Finland so that the employee’s right to work will not expire. If the visa expires and the residence permit has not been granted yet, the employee has no right to work in Finland.

If the intended stay in Finland exceeds one year, a foreign citizen must register his/her personal information to the Finnish Population Information System at the Local Register Office (maistraatti) of the place of his/her residence.

If the employee is a visiting teacher or lecturer, belongs to the top or middle management of a company or is performing tasks that are part of the delivery contract of a machine or device, for example, s/he does not have to have a residence permit for an employed person but s/he need to have a residence permit that is granted separately for each case and specified duties. Residence permit applications.

Student needs to have a residence permit for studying if the studies last longer than 90 days.

A student has right to work without restrictions if the work is part of a traineeship which is a compulsory part of the degree or the student is doing a thesis as part of the degree. Otherwise a student has limited right to work which means that s/he can perform other kind of work for 25 hours/week on average during the academic year. The hours are not restricted on a weekly level so overall the average working hours should be 25 hours/week. During summer and winter holidays when the educational institution does not offer any instruction, a student has right to work freely.

If a person has completed a degree or other qualification in Finland s/he may apply for new residence permit on the grounds of work after having found a job. If the person was working already during the studies when having had student’s residence permit, can s/he continue working or even start in a new job until s/he has received a decision to the new residence permit application. The employee does not have limited right to work as a student, but s/he can work full-time, for example. If the decision is negative, the person cannot continue working even though s/he would appeal the decision.

Residence permit for a person who has completed a degree in Finland

In some cases work can also be performed without a residence permit. The employee does have to have a valid visa or right to stay without a visa in Finland during that time, though.

An employee can come to pick berries or to gather special plants or vegetables, for example, without a residence permit if the duration of the job is no longer than 90 days. For more information on right to work without a residence permit, please visit Finnish Immigration Service’s website.

Citizens of an EU member state, Liechtenstein or Switzerland do not need to have a residence permit or a visa for Finland. They can stay in Finland up to three months without registering their right of residence and start working immediately after arriving to Finland. If the stay is longer than three months, the EU citizens need to register their right of residence within three months of the entry into Finland.

It is often easiest to register the right of residence in the e-service EnterFinland. The application should be filled out in Finnish, Swedish or English. Also all the attachments to the application must be in one of the above mentioned languages. If the documents are not in one of the languages, they must be translated by an authorized translator.

After completing the registration application, the EU citizen must prove his/her identity and show the originals of the attached documents at the service point of the Finnish Immigration Service. Processing of the application starts only after visiting the service point and having verified one’s identity. Note, it is recommended to make an appointment beforehand through online appointment system.

If the intended stay in Finland exceeds one year, a foreign citizen must register his/her personal information to the Finnish Population Information System at the Local Register Office (maistraatti) of the place of his/her residence.