1. The child is under the age of 18 

• The child must be under 18 years of age on the day when a permanent residence permit is applied for him or her. If the child has reached the age of 18 after the application was submitted, it will not affect the processing of the application.

2. The child lives in Finland. In some situations, the period of residence requirement applies to the child. 

• A child is not required to meet the period of residence requirement in Finland if the child’s parent or guardian who has custody of the child resides in Finland and has a permanent residence permit, a P-EU permit or Finnish citizenship. 
  • In this situation, you can apply for a permanent residence permit for a child immediately after birth if the child lives in Finland. Please note that the child will usually be required to have a valid national passport when a residence permit is applied for the child. 
• The child must have lived in Finland for at least 4 years under a continuous residence permit (A permit) if he or she does not have a parent or guardian who has custody of the child in Finland or if the parent or guardian has a residence card of a family member of an EU citizen. 

For more information on how to calculate the period of residence, see the page Period of residence requirement for permanent residence permits.

3. The child has sufficient financial resources 

• For example, the income from employment or business activities of a parent or guardian living in Finland can be used to secure sufficient financial resources. Financial resources cannot be based on social assistance, labour market subsidy or basic unemployment allowance.
• In some situations, the requirement for sufficient financial resources does not need to be met. See the page Income requirement to check whether the child must meet the income requirement.

4. The child’s parents or guardians have given consent to applying for a residence permit

• If two persons have custody of the child, both persons must consent to applying for a residence permit for the child. 
• A separate consent is not required from the parent or guardian who applies for a permanent residence permit for the child. However, a consent is required from the other parent or guardian of the child. 

5. The child is not guilty of or suspected of such offences that may prevent getting a permanent residence permit

• If the child has committed offences or is suspected of having committed offences, it may not be possible for the child to get a permanent residence permit. For more information, see the page Impact of crimes on getting a permanent residence permit. 

See also the general requirements for entering the country on the page Permanent residence permits.

Attachments:

Check the required attachments in more detail from the application form for a permanent residence permit for a child and only submit the ones that apply to the child’s situation.  

The attachments must be legalised, unless they have been issued by authorities of a Nordic country or by authorities of an EU Member State. See the page Interpretation, translation and legalisation for instructions on how to have your documents legalised. 

1. A copy of a valid passport issued by the child’s country of nationality and a passport photo

• The child will usually be required to have a valid national passport when a residence permit is applied for the child.
  • If the child does not have a passport, obtain a national passport for the child. If necessary, obtain an alien’s passport for the child so that the child can travel and obtain a national passport.
  • If the child has received international protection, the child is not required to have a national passport. For more information on the passport requirement, see the page Passport and other travel documents. 
• The child must have a passport photo complying with the photo guidelines issued by the police, or a photograph retrieval code from a photo shop. Read more on the website of the Finnish police (poliisi.fi). 
  • The passport photo must be no more than 6 months old.

2. Document on sufficient financial resources 

• If the child must meet the requirement for sufficient financial resources, submit proof of the financial resources. See the application form for information on what documents you must provide on financial resources. What documents you must provide depends on how sufficient financial resources are secured for the child in Finland. 

3. Parent’s or guardian’s consent

• The other parent or guardian who has custody of the child must fill in the form Consent from the guardians for a passport or a residence permit application for a child (pdf). Attach the form to the application. 
• If the other parent or guardian who has custody of the child lives outside Finland, the consent must be confirmed by a notary public or a similar authority.
  • If the child does not have another parent or guardian who has custody of the child, attach a free-form explanation for this. 

4. Supplement form for parent or guardian

• The parent or guardian must fill in and sign the form Supplement form for parent or guardian (pdf). 
• You do not need to attach the form if the child applies for a residence permit at the same time as his or her parent or guardian who has custody of the child or if the child was born in Finland and lives with his or her parents or guardians in Finland.

5. Birth certificate

• Attach a birth certificate only if the child was born outside Finland and has not previously had a residence permit in Finland.
• The birth certificate must state the names of the child’s parents.