Legislative amendments concerning permanent residence permits to enter into force in January
Parliament has approved the amendments to the Aliens Act, and they will enter into force on 8 January 2026. The legislative amendments will tighten the requirements of permanent residence permits.
General changes
- In the future, issuing a permanent residence permit will require, with certain exceptions, six years of continuous residence in Finland.
- Applicants for a permanent residence permit will need to have sufficient knowledge of Finnish or Swedish and a two-year work history, although some exceptions will apply.
- It will be possible to obtain a permanent residence permit after four years of uninterrupted residence if the applicant also meets one of the following conditions:
- Annual income of EUR 40,000 or
- A master's degree or postgraduate degree recognised in Finland and at least two years of work history, or
- Particularly good knowledge of Finnish or Swedish and at least three years of work history.
- A permanent residence permit can be obtained without the required period of residence if the applicant has completed a master's degree, a postgraduate degree or a bachelor's degree in Finland.
- A child under the age of 18 can receive a permanent residence permit without the required period of residence if their guardian has a permanent residence permit, a P-EU residence permit or Finnish citizenship.
- Granting an EU residence permit (P-EU) to a long-term resident who is a third-country citizen requires good knowledge of Finnish or Swedish.
- An unconditional sentence of imprisonment affects the calculation of the residence period for both permanent residence permits and P-EU residence permits.
In addition, you must also meet the other requirements for obtaining a residence permit.
In some situations, the conditions concerning language skills and work history are not required or can be deviated from. Learn more about the new requirements of the legislative amendments and possible exceptions on the page Amendments to Aliens Act regarding permanent residence permits 2026. We will provide further information on this subject as soon as the legislative amendments enter into force.
The amendments apply to applications submitted on or after 8 January 2026
If you submit an application for a permanent residence permit or a P-EU residence permit before the entry into force of the Act on 8 January 2026, the amendments to the Aliens Act will not affect your application. Make sure that you meet the conditions for the permit before submitting the application.
If you are applying for a permanent residence permit, you can submit your application approximately three months before the required period of residence is completed. You also do not have to wait until your current permit expires. Make sure you meet the other requirements for the permit before submitting the application.
If you submit your application before 8 January 2026 and you only have an appointment to prove your identity at a service point after that, the legislative amendments will not affect your application.
If you submit your application on or after 8 January 2026, we will make a decision on the application in accordance with the amended legislation.
Permanent residence permit and P-EU residence permit applications will be renewed in the Enter Finland service on Janiary 8 2026 — submit your unfinished application before the renewal
We will renew the application forms for permanent residence permits in the Enter Finland service on January 8 2026 at 12 a.m. (Finnish time). The service will not be available during the update.
Applications filled in before the renewal that have not been submitted will disappear from the service during the renewal. If you have an unfinished application that you would like to submit, please complete your application and submit it by 11:59 p.m. on January 7 2026 (Finnish time). If you do not submit your application before the renewal, you will need to fill in the application again from the beginning.
Enter Finland’s form renewal applies to the following residence permits:
- Permanent residence permit and EU residence permit for a long-term resident who is a third-country citizen (P-EU permit)
- Permanent residence permit for a child and EU residence permit for a child of a long-term resident who is a third-country citizen (P-EU permit)
The paper application forms for permanent residence permits and P-EU residence permits will also be renewed.
Additional information
- Release from the Ministry of the Interior: Stricter conditions for permanent residence permits as of 8 January (intermin.fi)
- Website of the Ministry of the Interior: Reform of legislation on the granting of permanent residence permits (intermin.fi, in Finnish)
