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Requests for a certificate for seasonal work will be processed faster

Publication date 30.4.2018 12.35 | Published in English on 30.4.2018 at 13.13
Press release

As of this year, citizens of visa-free countries who come to Finland for seasonal work for less than three months must obtain a certificate for seasonal work. At the moment, there are approximately 2,300 pending requests for a certificate for seasonal work.

The Finnish Immigration Service prioritises the processing of requests for a certificate for seasonal work. Applicants will be informed of the decision on their request for a certificate for seasonal work before the intended employment is supposed to begin. If you arrive in Finland before your employment begins but have not yet received your certificate for seasonal work, you are required to present your employment contract and documents on your request for a certificate for seasonal work to the border authorities.

All requests for a certificate for seasonal work submitted in April or earlier will be processed and decided by the end of May. We aim to decide requests that become pending in and after May within one month. All requests for a certificate for seasonal work are processed as urgent without any separate requests.

Please note that the processing of your request may take considerably longer if the application is incomplete and we have to ask for additional information. We will contact the applicant or the employer if additional information is needed.

To keep our customers updated, we have published a bulletin on the queue of applications for seasonal work permits on our website. This bulletin is updated every week.

Fill in your application in our e-service Enter Finland

We recommend that you submit your request for a certificate for seasonal work in our e-service Enter Finland. You will find our e-service at enterfinland.fi.

Please note that if you wish to submit your application online, you have to do it in Enter Finland, not by e-mail. If you already have submitted a request for a certificate for seasonal work on paper, please do not submit a new request online.

Using the e-service will speed up the processing of your request considerably. Another advantage is that the processing fee for an online application is less expensive than the fee for a paper application. If you are not sure whether you need a certificate or a residence permit, the e-service will guide you to the right application.

When your request has been processed, you will get the certificate to your Enter Finland account. You can then print it for you and your employer.

To remember when you request a certificate for seasonal work:

  •  Attach a colour copy of your valid passport to your request.
  •  Attach your employment contract or a binding job offer or the supplement form TY6_plus that is filled in and signed by your employer to your request.
  •  You salary must be at least 1,189 euros per month with the least amount of hours mentioned in the employment contract or the form TY6_plus.
  •  Your request must be paid. If you submit it online, the application fee is 60 euros. (Note! The application fee for a request submitted on paper is 100 euros. If you submit your request on paper, remember to attach a copy of the payment receipt to your request.)
  •  When it comes to your arrival in Finland, it is important to remember that citizens of visa-free countries are allowed to stay in the Schengen area without a visa for 90 days within a period of 180 days.

Which permit do you need?

If you are going to work for less than three months

  • If you are coming from a country whose citizens are not required to have a visa, apply for a certificate for seasonal work at the Finnish Immigration Service.
  • If you are coming from a country whose citizens are required to have a visa, apply for a seasonal work visa at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate).
  • If you are going to work as a picker of wild berries, you do not need to apply for a permit. You must, however, obtain a visa from a Finnish mission if you are coming from a country whose citizens are required to have a visa.

If you are going to work for three to six months

If you are going to work for six to nine months

  • Apply for a residence permit for seasonal work at the Finnish Immigration Service. In this case, your application will be processed in two stages. This means that an Employment and Economic Development Office makes a partial decision on the application first, and then the Finnish Immigration Service makes its own decision.
  • The length of the employment relationship determines the duration of the permit granted.

Submitting your application online is less expensive than submitting it on paper:

  • Residence permit for seasonal work
    • For 3–6 months: online application 400 euros, paper application 470 euros
    • For 6–9 months: online application 450 euros, paper application 520 euros
  • Request for a certificate for seasonal work
    • Online application 60 euros, paper application 100 euros
  • If you submit your certificate request online, you do not have to visit a Finnish mission to prove your identity. When your request has been processed, you will get the certificate to your Enter Finland account. You can then print it for you and your employer.
  • If you submit your certificate request online, you must pay the application fee in the e-service.
  • If you apply for a residence permit for seasonal work online, you can pay the application fee either in Enter Finland or when you visit a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) to prove your identity.

More information about seasonal work can be found on our website: http://migri.fi/en/seasonal-work

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