Income requirement for family members of a person who has been granted international protection
You are required to have secure means of support in Finland from other sources than benefits paid by the society.
For example, the income from employment or business activities of your family member living in Finland can be used to secure your means of support.
Your means of support are calculated from your net income, that is, from income that remains after tax and after employer’s and employee’s pension and insurance contributions.
Some social benefits are considered income
Certain social benefits reduce the required means of support. These are called social security benefits compensating for expenses. Such benefits are, for example:
- child benefit
- child care allowance
- child maintenance allowance
- study grant
- housing allowance
The following people do not need to have secure means of support:
- A family member of a person who has been granted asylum or accepted as a quota refugee before 1 July 2016, if the family has been started before the sponsor arrived in Finland.
- A family member of a person who has been granted asylum on or after 1 July 2016, if the family was started before the sponsor came to Finland and if the family member submits his or her application for a residence permit on the basis of family ties within three months after the sponsor is informed that he or she has been granted asylum.
- A family member of a person who has been accepted as a quota refugee to Finland on and after 1 July 2016, if the family was started before the sponsor was accepted as a quota refugee and the family member submits his or her application for a residence permit on the basis of family ties within three months after the sponsor is informed that he or she has been accepted as a quota refugee.
- If the sponsor is under 18 years of age and has been granted asylum in Finland, is a quota refugee or has been granted a residence permit on the basis of subsidiary protection or temporary protection.
Please notice: if you wish to submit your residence permit application on paper, you have to book an appointment at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate). The appointment is booked directly from the mission. You should contact the mission to find out how to book an appointment. If you are not able to submit your application on paper within three months, for example because there is a long appointment queue, you can still apply for a residence permit without an income requirement.
However, you have to book the first available appointment and use it to submit your application. You can also apply for a residence permit online.
Approximate amounts of money needed to secure an applicant’s means of support in Finland
Person |
EUR/month |
EUR/year |
one adult |
1,000 |
12,000 |
another adult living in the same household |
700 |
8,400 |
one family member younger than 18 |
500 |
6,000 |
second family member younger than 18 |
400 |
4,800 |
third family member younger than 18 |
300 |
3,600 |
fourth family member younger than 18 |
200 |
2,400 |
fifth family member younger than 18 |
100 |
1,200 |
sixth family member younger than 18 and other family members after that |
0 |
0 |
For example, a family of two adults and two children under 18 years of age needs a total of EUR 2,600 per month to have secure means of support (EUR 1,000+700+500+400).
A family of a single parent and four children younger under 18 years of age needs EUR 2,400 per month to have secure means of support (EUR 1,000+500+400+300+200).
Exceptions to the income requirement are only made in exceptional cases
An exemption may be made from the income requirement if there are exceptionally weighty reasons for this or if it is in the best interests of a child.
If you feel that you should not be required to have secure means of support, please attach the necessary reasons and documents to your residence permit application.