Application for an extended permit on the basis of studies
Apply for a residence permit with this form if your studies continue but the validity of your residence permit is about to expire. Apply for an extended permit before your previous residence permit expires. We do not recommend that you apply for an extended permit earlier than three months before the expiry date of your residence permit. If you apply earlier, we may not necessarily be able to assess whether you meet the requirements for an extended permit and may be unable to grant the permit. Do not apply for an extended permit before you have completed the necessary ECTS credits.
Please observe that in matters concerning extended permits the residence permit card will not be sent abroad. You have to have a valid address in Finland where the card can be sent.
This is what you should do
Prepare:
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 accepted by Finland (um.fi). Present your passport when you submit your residence permit application
- A passport photo complying with the photo guidelines issued by the police, or a photograph retrieval code you received from a photo shop
- The passport photo must be no more than 6 months old.
- 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.
Fill in the application:
You can fill in the application in the online service 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 online via the online service Enter Finland, pay the processing fee:
- with a credit card or with Finnish online banking credentials when you submit the application, or
- when you visit a Finnish mission abroad to prove your identity.
If you apply with a paper application, pay the processing fee:
- when you visit a Finnish mission abroad to prove your identity.
Book an appointment to visit a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) abroad to prove your identity.
For more information, see the page Proving your identity abroad.
- 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
Right to work
If you have applied for an extended permit in good time, in other words before your previous permit expires, you may work while your residence permit application is pending. If you submit your application too late, you cannot start working before you get a new residence permit.
You can work without restrictions if your work is related to your degree. This means practical training or diploma work as part of the degree.
- In addition, you may work in paid employment for a maximum of 30 hours per week. The number of working hours can be exceeded some weeks, as long as the average working hours are no more than 30 hours per week at the end of the year.