Permanent residence permit application

Apply with this application either for a permanent Finnish residence permit (P) or for a long-term resident’s EU residence permit for third-country nationals (P_EU). You can get a permanent residence permit when you have lived in Finland on a continuous residence permit (A permit) for an uninterrupted period of four years. You can get a P_EU residence permit when you have lived in Finland on a continuous residence permit (A permit) for an uninterrupted period of five years.

Expected processing time for electronic application

1–2 months
Expected processing time for paper application

2–9 months
Electronic application fee

180 €
Paper application fee

180 €

This is what you should do

1

Make sure you meet the requirements for the residence permit you are applying for.

2

Make sure you have all the attachments needed. If necessary, have them translated and legalised.

3

Fill in your application.

4

Pay for your application in the e-service Enter Finland or at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.

5

Book an appointment at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.

6

Wait for a decision. The Finnish Immigration Service will contact you if necessary.

7

Read what happens after you have applied.

General requirements for entry into Finland

Make sure you meet the general requirements for entry into Finland before you submit an application.

Right to work

Your right to work while your application is being processed depends on the grounds on which your previous residence permit was granted to you. If you only apply for a permanent residence permit after your previous residence permit has expired, you are not allowed to continue working. Read more about the right to work while your permanent residence permit application is being processed.

After you get a permanent residence permit, you have an unrestricted right to work.

General attachments

Valid passport (you must present it when you submit the residence permit application)
Passport photo complying with the photo guidelines issued by the police or a photograph retrieval code you received from a photo shop, OLEL_PK
Color copies of the passport page containing personal data and all pages that contain notes