Skip to Content

Are you a British citizen or a family member of a British citizen? Remember to apply for a Brexit permit by 30 September 2021

Publication date 6.9.2021 10.08
Press release

The United Kingdom has left the European Union. For this reason, you need to apply for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement (also called 'Brexit permit') on 30 September 2021 at the latest, if

  • you are a British citizen or the family member of a British citizen who resides in Finland
  •  you have resided in Finland before 31 December 2020, and have resided in Finland continuously since 31 December 2020.

When you submit your application before the given time limit,

  • you can reside legally in Finland.
  • your right to work will continue until you receive a decision.
    • If you receive a positive decision, your right to work in Finland will continue without restrictions.
  • you can continue your studies in Finland in accordance with your right of residence until you receive a decision.

If you are a family member residing in Finland,

you need to apply for a Brexit permit on 30 September 2021 at the latest. If you are not sure which application form you should use, use the Application Finder to find out. The Application Finder will help you find the application form that you should use. The application you should use depends on whether you are a British citizen or a citizen of another third country.

If your family member is a British citizen, he or she must also apply for a Brexit permit and meet the residence requirements laid down in the withdrawal agreement.

If you are only now moving to Finland, you need to apply for a Brexit permit within three months from your arrival in Finland. In such a case, you do not need to apply for a Brexit permit by 30 September. Instead, you can submit your application also after 30 September. Remember that your family tie to a British citizen must have been formed prior to December 2020 and you must still be a family member of a British citizen when you move to Finland.

If you are a family member living abroad,

you can apply for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement (Brexit permit) at any time, provided that your family member is a British citizen and

  • he or she meets the residence requirements laid down in the withdrawal agreement
  • he or she is living in Finland
  • he or she has lived in Finland prior to 31 December 2020, or
  • your family tie was formed before 31 December 2020, unless the applicant is a child who was born later than that.

In such a case, you do not need to apply for a Brexit permit by 30 September. Instead, you can submit your application also after 30 September. Submit your application at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) or an application centre of our external service provider. For contact details of Finnish missions and the application centres of our external service provider, visit the website finlandabroad.fi.

Apply online in Enter Finland

Submitting an online application is the fastest way to apply. When you submit your application by 30 September via Enter Finland, you can visit a service point to prove your identity later. The time limit for proving your identity has been extended until 31 December 2021. 

When there is no need to ask for further documents, the processing of the application is fast. Such applications usually have the right application form and all the necessary attachments.

Travelling while your Brexit permit application is being processed

If you are planning to travel abroad during the processing of your application, we recommend that you take a Certificate of a pending application with you.

If you have questions regarding the requirements for entry into Finland, please contact the Finnish Border Guard. The Finnish Border guard is responsible for controlling the borders.