Submit residence permit application for summer seasonal work by the middle of March
The annual peak for work-based residence permit applications usually falls in May–June, when applications are submitted at short notice, particularly for seasonal work.
If you wish to obtain a decision before your employment begins in the summer, submit your residence permit application by the middle of March, or at least two months before your work will begin.
Processing of applications takes several weeks. The process has two stages. First, an Employment and Economic Development Office will issue a partial decision concerning your application. Then, the Finnish Immigration Service will make its decision. The processing time in the Employment and Economic Offices varies.
Submit your application online
You can submit your residence permit application for an employed person electronically. Electronic services make the application process faster, since your application forms and attachments do not need to be sent by post from one authority to another. With e-services, you can also follow the progress of your electronic application online.
In addition, you can submit your application in paper form. You can print the application form on theApplication forms webpage. Fill in the form carefully and submit all necessary attachments. This ensures that your application will be processed fastest. You can read more on the 'Residence permit for an employed person'web-page.
Preparing a residence permit card takes about two weeks
If you are granted a residence permit, you will receive a residence permit card. It takes about two weeks to manufacture the card and deliver it to you.
For the time being, we must send residence permit cards for Russia, Kazakhstan, Beijing (China), Shanghai (China) and Israel by the courier service of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Card deliveries to the embassies in these countries will take longer, but generally no more than three weeks.
Residence permit required from citizens of non-EU and non-EEA countries
Citizens of EU countries, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland may work in Finland without a residence permit. If their stay in Finland exceeds three months, they must register their residence with the local police.
Citizens of all other countries need a residence permit to be able to work in Finland.
Only berry, fruit and vegetable pickers, whose employment relationship lasts for a maximum of three months, may work in Finland without a residence permit. If they come from a country whose citizens are required to have a visa, they must obtain one from a Finnish embassy. More information on the visa requirement is available on the Ministry for Foreign Affairs website.
