Remigration
Remigration means a move to Finland by persons who have
- Finnish roots
- a close connection to Finland in some other way.
Under certain conditions, these persons may get a residence permit in Finland without any other grounds such as work or studies.
You may apply for a residence permit on the grounds of remigration if you meet one of the following conditions:
You may get a residence permit if you have been but no longer are a Finnish citizen. It is not necessary for you to have been a Finnish citizen by birth. It is also acceptable that you became a Finnish citizen by application.
You do not need to give a statement on your means of support, although other residence permit applicants usually need to do so.
Apply for a residence permit by submitting an application:
Residence permit application for former Finnish citizens, OLE_EN
You may get a residence permit if at least one of your parents or grandparents is or has been a Finnish citizen by birth.
It does not matter if your grandparent or parent has later lost his or her Finnish citizenship, for example by becoming a citizen of some other country.
You do not need to give a statement on your means of support, although other residence permit applicants usually need to do so.
Apply for a residence permit by submitting an application:
Residence permit application for former Finnish citizens, OLE_EN
You can get a residence permit based on remigration if you are from the area of the former Soviet Union and
- you were an Ingrian evacuee during in World War II in 1943–1944 and you were resettled in Finland and then returned to the Soviet union; or
- you served in the Finnish army during World War II in 1939–1945.
You must have accommodation when you are applying for a residence permit on the basis of remigration. Read more about finding accommodation.
You do not need to give a statement on your means of support, although other residence permit applicants usually need to do so.
Apply for a residence permit by submitting an application:
Family members
If you have been granted a residence permit on the basis of remigration, your family may usually apply for a residence permit on the basis of family ties.
You are allowed to work if you have a residence permit on the basis of remigration
If you have been granted a residence permit on the basis of remigration, there are no limits on your right to work and study in Finland. Read more on the page Right to work.
Application process when you are applying for your first residence permit on the basis of remigration
Apply for a residence permit by submitting a paper application.
After you have filled in your application, you must visit a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) abroad or a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service in Finland.
Bring the application with you. Have your fingerprints taken, prove your identity and show the originals of the documents that you have attached to your application. Pay for your application at the service point or the Finnish mission.
The processing time of your application depends on the grounds on which you applied for it. You can find the expected processing times on the page Processing times. You may also use the Processing Time Checker to get an estimate on the remaining processing time of your application.
If we notice that something is missing from your application or if we need additional information from you, we will contact you.
If you submit your application abroad, you cannot come to Finland to wait for a decision while the application is being processed.
If you nonetheless come to Finland while your application is still being processed and you wish to wait for a decision here, you must cancel your first application and submit a new residence permit application in Finland. We will charge you a new processing fee for the new application. If you do not submit a new application after you have arrived in Finland, you must leave the country before your visa or visa-free period expires.
If you are in Finland when you apply for a residence permit, you are allowed to wait for the decision in the country even if your visa or visa-free period expires.
If you need to supplement your application, you can do so in one of the following ways:
- by post
- by email
- by bringing your additional documents to a service point or an office of the Finnish Immigration Service during their opening hours. There is a postbox meant for additional documents in all of our service points. Put your documents in the box.
Read more on the page "Supplementing your application".
You may cancel your application at any time during its processing. Read more on the page Cancelling an application.
The way you will be notified of a decision depends on the way you submitted your residence permit application:
- If you submitted your application abroad, you will be informed of the decision by the Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) that you have selected in your application as your service point.
- If you submitted your application in Finland, you will be informed about the decision by the police, or the Finnish Immigration Service will inform you about it by post.
Some decisions will be sent by post with an advice of delivery. Read more about collecting your letter on the Advice of delivery page.
If you get a positive decision, you will get a residence permit card.
If you applied for a residence permit in Finland and receive a negative decision, you may be refused entry to Finland.
If you are not satisfied with the decision, you have the right to appeal against the decision to an Administrative Court. Instructions on how to appeal will be attached to the decision.
The majority of decisions made by the Administrative Courts are subject to a fee. Contact an Administrative Court to find out more about court fees.