Seasonal worker: check the instructions for which permit you should apply for

If you are coming to Finland for seasonal work from a non-EU country, you will need a permit. In Finland, seasonal workers are hired, for example, to work at strawberry plantations and in other employment within agriculture.

For more details, see our list of seasonal jobs.

Checklist for seasonal workers

The duration of your employment determines which permit you should apply for.

• If your employment will last for less than three months
  • and you are coming from a visa-free country, you should apply for a certificate for seasonal work from the Finnish Immigration Service.
  • and you are coming from a country whose citizens are required to have a visa, you should apply for a seasonal work visa at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate).
• If your employment will last for three to nine months,
  • you should apply for a residence permit for seasonal work.
  • Submit your application in the online service Enter Finland, and visit a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) abroad to prove your identity. If you cannot use the online service, submit a paper application at a Finnish mission.
• If your employment will last for more than six months,
  • the decision-making process has two steps: an Employment and Economic Development Office (TE Office) will first make a partial decision. After this, the Finnish Immigration Service will process your application.

Start using Enter Finland

• We recommend that you submit your application in the online service Enter Finland. If you apply online in Enter Finland, the processing fee for your application is lower. You will usually receive a decision quicker than by using a paper application. 

• Your employer can also create a user account in Enter Finland for Employers and supplement your application. By doing this, your employer can speed up the processing of your application. You need to give your employer permission to use the service in matters regarding your residence permit for seasonal work in your own Enter Finland application. 

Follow the processing of your application easily online 

We process applications for seasonal work in the order in which they have been submitted. However, we take into account the starting date of the employment in the processing.  

We try to process applications submitted for the same employer at the same time. 

You can easily follow the processing of your application online: 

• When you apply for a residence permit for seasonal work in Enter Finland, you can follow the processing of your application in the online service. 

• If you have applied for a residence permit for seasonal work, you can ask about the status of your application from our chatbot Kamu on our website migri.fi. Kamu will check the status of your application among all other applications with the same type of matter and processing grounds. For more information, see the page migri.fi/chat1.

• We publish a weekly update on the processing queue for applications for a residence permit for seasonal work. The update is published on our website.

We can only inform the applicant of the decision. If you are an employer of a seasonal worker, you should ask you employee to inform you of the decision. 

When arriving in Finland, please note the instructions regarding the coronavirus situation

The Finnish government has decided that seasonal workers are critical for the security of supply. Finland has tightened its border traffic restrictions until 25 February 2021 (situation 16 February 2021). 

The Finnish Border Guard is responsible for controlling the borders. You will find up-to-date instructions on the website of the Border Guard at raja.fi/en/guidelines-for-border-traffic-during-pandemic. 

Normally, you must visit a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) for proving your identity when applying for a residence permit for seasonal work. If you are unable to get an appointment at a Finnish mission due to the coronavirus situation, you may apply for a certificate for seasonal work. However, we recommend that you wait for an appointment for proving your identity in your country of residence. If you choose to apply for a certificate for seasonal work instead of a residence permit for seasonal work, you can come to Finland without visiting a Finnish mission for proving your identity. If your seasonal work in Finland lasts for more than three months, you must apply for a residence permit for seasonal work after arriving in Finland. In this case, you should book an appointment at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service in Finland. You should be prepared to wait for an appointment, as the waiting times for available appointments are long at the moment. We will charge you a normal processing fee for a new application.

More information

• See frequently asked questions about the effects of the coronavirus on seasonal work.
• See frequently asked questions about matters concerning applications for seasonal work.

• Read more about seasonal work and the instructions for applying. 

• You can also watch our webinar on seasonal work.  

Language versions

• (ru) Инструкции для сезонных рабочих — какие разрешения необходимо получить
• (ukr) Сезонний працівник - дивись інструкції як отримати дозвіл на виконання сезонної роботи

Updated 12.3.2021: Translations to Ukrainian and Russian added to the language versions