Amendments to provisions on permanent residence permits enter into force on 8 January 2026

The amendments made to the Aliens Act tighten the conditions for obtaining a permanent residence permit in several ways.

We will update the application forms and the instructions on our website as soon as possible to comply with the amendments. If a web page has not yet been updated and contains outdated information, this is stated at the top of the page.

Permanent residence permit can be obtained through different application paths

Each application path has different requirements regarding the period of residence, Finnish or Swedish language skills and work history. These new requirements are called integration requirements. There are also other permit requirements that the applicant must meet. 

In some cases, the language skills requirement and the work history requirement are not applied. Derogating from the requirements is possible in some cases. Read more about the new requirements and about the possible exceptions to them on the page Permanent residence permit application.

You can obtain a permanent residence permit through the following application paths:

Residence of 6 years

You have lived in Finland for at least 6 years under a continuous residence permit (A permit) or a Brexit permit, you have at least 2 years of work history in Finland, and the level of your Finnish or Swedish language skills is satisfactory (level B1). If you have reached 65 years of age, the language skills requirement does not apply to you. 

Annual income of EUR 40,000

You have lived in Finland for at least 4 years under a continuous residence permit (A permit) or a Brexit permit, and your annual income is more than EUR 40,000.

Higher education degree completed in Finland

You have completed a master’s degree at a university or a university of applied sciences, a licentiate or doctoral degree or a bachelor’s degree at a university (not at a university of applied sciences) in Finland, and the level of your Finnish or Swedish language skills is developing (level A2 or 15 credits in Finnish or Swedish language studies completed at a higher education institution).

Degree completed outside Finland

You have lived in Finland for at least 4 years under a continuous residence permit (A permit) or a Brexit permit, you have a master’s degree or a licentiate or doctoral degree recognised in Finland and at least 2 years of work history in Finland.

Particularly good language skills

You have lived in Finland for at least 4 years under a continuous residence permit (A permit) or a Brexit permit, you have at least 3 years of work history in Finland, and the level of your Finnish or Swedish language skills is particularly good (level C1).

Other changes

• Obtaining a long-term resident’s EU residence permit (P-EU permit) will require good Finnish or Swedish language skills. Derogation from the language skills requirement is possible on exceptionally serious grounds in individual cases. Read more on the page Amendments to Aliens Act regarding permanent residence permits.
• A child under 18 years of age can obtain a permanent residence permit without having to meet the period of residence requirement if the person who has custody of the child has a permanent residence permit or a P-EU permit or is a Finnish citizen. Read more on the page Permanent residence permit for a child.
• Being sentenced to unconditional imprisonment will affect the calculation of the period of residence, both in the case of a permanent residence permit and a P-EU permit.

Read more on the page Amendments to Aliens Act regarding permanent residence permits.

Amendments concern applications submitted on or after 8 January 2026

If you have submitted your application for a permanent residence permit or P-EU permit before 8 January 2026, the amendments will not apply to your application. If you submit your application on or after 8 January 2026, we will decide your application in accordance with the amended Aliens Act.

Make sure that you meet all permit requirements before you submit an application. 

If you have questions

• Website of the Finnish Immigration Service: Amendments to Aliens Act regarding permanent residence permits
• Press release by the Ministry of the Interior: Stricter conditions for permanent residence permits as of 8 January (intermin.fi)