Residence permit on the basis of family ties

There are backlogs in the processing of residence permit applications submitted on the basis of family ties. As we are working on clearing the backlog, the processing times vary more than usual right now. For this reason, accurate estimates of the processing times cannot be shown on our website at the moment. The processing times provided by law are stated below.

We prioritise applications that have been submitted before or on 31 July 2025 and in which the applicant has proved their identity for more than 6 months ago. Because the processing time provided by law for students’ family members is 3 months, we are also processing applications submitted by students’ family members on or after 31 July 2025. We also aim for a quicker processing of applications from children under the age of 18.

If you apply for a residence permit on the basis of family ties and your family member who lives in Finland or applies for a residence permit together with you has a pending application that is still being processed, your application cannot be decided before a decision is issued on your family member’s application.