Application for an extended permit on the basis of studies

1. You have EUR 560 per month at your disposal

It is your responsibility to ensure that you have sufficient financial resources for living in Finland. You must have at least EUR 560 at your disposal every month to be able to pay for your accommodation, food and other needs.

• In your application, provide documentation proving that you have sufficient funds to live in Finland for the first year of studies.
  • A deposit in a Finnish bank account is the easiest and most reliable way to show that you have sufficient financial resources.

When you are applying for an extended permit, you may secure your means of support with work. The Finnish Immigration Service receives information about your salaries and benefits from the Incomes Register. Therefore, you do not need to attach certificates of salaries or benefits to your application. If we need further information, we will send you a request for additional information. Read more on the page Incomes Register.

If your educational institution supports your living in Finland, you do not necessarily need to have 560 euros per month at your disposal. When applying for an extended permit, your income from work can also be taken into account. Read more about income requirements.

 

2. Your studies are progressing

You got your first residence permit on the basis of studies. You have to be a student at an educational institution in Finland and your studies must be progressing.

• If you are studying at a vocational education institution, you must study full-time and your studies must progress according to the study plan.
• If you are a student at a higher education institution, you must complete approximately 45 credits during an academic year.
• If you have completed fewer than 45 credits during an academic year, attach to your application documentation of the reasons why you have not made enough progress in your studies. The documentation can be, for example 
  • a statement from your supervisor, if you are writing a thesis
  • a doctor’s certificate, if you cannot make progress in your studies because of your health.  

 

3. You have insurance

As a student, you must personally cover the costs if you become ill in Finland. In order to get a residence permit, you must take out private insurance that will cover your medical and pharmaceutical expenses.

If you have a Kela card, a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or a UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) you do not need to take out other insurance. Attach a certificate of insurance to your application.

Read more about the insurance you need, and about accepted insurance companies, on the page Insurance.

If necessary, have the attachments translated and legalised.

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
• Colour copies of the passport page containing personal data and of all passport pages that contain notes

Application-specific attachments

• Certificate of acceptance/attendance from your educational institution in Finland
• Documentation of sufficient financial resources
• Documentation of health insurance
• Documentation of paid tuition fee or documentation of scholarship
• If you have completed fewer than 45 credits during an academic year, attach to your application
  • a statement from your supervisor, if you are writing a thesis
  • a doctor’s certificate, if you cannot make progress in your studies because of your health.  

You can fill in the application online in Enter Finland. The fee for an online application is lower than for a paper application. If you apply for your first residence permit in Enter Finland, you might not need to visit a service point when you apply for an extended permit.

If you cannot use Enter Finland, fill in a paper application. You will find a link to the application at the bottom of the page.

If you apply for a residence permit online in Enter Finland, you need to pay the processing fee  

• with a credit card or with Finnish online banking credentials when you submit your application, or
• when you visit a Finnish embassy or consulate abroad or a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service in Finland to prove your identity.  

If you apply for a residence permit with a paper application, you need to pay the processing fee

• when you visit a Finnish embassy or consulate abroad or a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service in Finland to prove your identity.

• If you are abroad, book an appointment at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate).
• If you are in Finland, book an appointment at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.

When you apply for an extended permit, you may avoid the need to visit a service point to prove your identity if you log in to your existing Enter Finland account using Finnish online banking credentials. Read more on the page Identification.

For more information, see: 

• Handling your matters at a Finnish mission
• Handling matters at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service

• If you applied online in Enter Finland, you will receive notifications of your application's progress and of possible requests for additional information by email and text message.
• If you applied on paper, you will receive notifications of your application's progress and of possible requests for additional information by email.

For more information, see: Processing of applications

You can follow the processing of your application with the help of our chatbot, Kamu, by giving Kamu the diary number of your application. Kamu will also tell you the expected processing time of your application. 

For more information, see: What affects the processing time of your application