Application for right of residence under the withdrawal agreement for family member of a British citizen

You were a family member of a British citizen before the transition period ended on 31/12/2020.

• spouse or cohabiting partner
  • Persons living continuously in a marriage-like relationship within the same household regardless of their gender are comparable to a married couple if
    • they have lived together for at least two years or
    • they have a child in joint custody or
    • other weighty reason.
• a child who is under the age of 21 or dependentThe child must be under 21 years of age, or a direct descendant who is dependent of a British citizen or their husband/wife, i.e. a child or a grandchild.
• dependent parents
  • A dependant of a British citizen or their husband/wife who is their direct ascendant, i.e. a mother, father or grandparent etc.
• custodian, if the British citizen is underaged
• other relative
  • Other relative is comparable to a family member of a British citizen irrespective of citizenship, if
    • in his/her country of origin, the other relative is a dependant of such British citizen who has a primary right of residence in Finland or lives in the same household. Other relative of the spouse of a British citizen is usuallynot comparable to a family member of a British citizen.
    • a serious health condition requires that the British citizen in questions takes care of them personally.
    • the other relative has resided in Finland and applied for a residence card for a family member of an EU citizen, registration of right of residence or right of residence by virtue of the withdrawal agreement, or a visa by the time the transition period ends, i.e. 31/12/2020.

• meets the criteria for residence as laid down in the withdrawal agreement
• lives in Finland or
• has lived in Finland prior to 31/12/2020.

You can review the criteria for right of residence of each application type on the following pages:  

• Right of residence for British citizen under the withdrawal agreement 
• Right of permanent residence for British citizen under the withdrawal agreement 
• Replacing the permanent right of residence for British citizen under the withdrawal agreement 

Fill in the form either electronically on Enter Finland or by using a paper form. A separate application form must be filed for each applicant.

You must submit the application yourself. Your employer or family member cannot apply for a right of residence by virtue of the withdrawal agreement on your behalf. You can, however, submit an application on behalf of your underaged child.

After you have submitted the application, book an appointment at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service. If you are living outside Finland, book an appointment at a Finnish mission or an application centre of an external service provider.  You will find instructions online for your appointment at the mission or an application centre of an external service provider on finlandabroad.fi.

Depending on the method of your application, you can pay for your application on the Enter Finland service, the service point of the government agency, mission, or an application centre of an external service provider.

• If you submitted your application on Enter Finland, you must make an appointment to prove your identity and present the original copies of the documents you have attached in your application. 
• If you have submitted a paper copy of your application, you should prove your identity. Bring with you your application and the original copies of the appendices needed for your application. 
• All applicants must be present when the application is submitted. If the applicant is an underaged child, their custodian must be present when the application is submitted. If the other custodian of the child for whom a right of permanent residence is applied cannot be present when the application is submitted, you must provide his/her written consent for the child to move to Finland as an attachment to the application.
• You shall provide your fingerprints when you visit the Finnish Immigration Service, the Finnish mission or the application centre of an external service provider. All applicants over the age of six applying for a residence permit must provide their fingerprints during application submission. 
• A photograph of the applicant, which complies with the passport photo guidelines of the police, must be attached to the application. The photograph can be black-and-white or colour. The photograph must not be older than six (6) months. For detailed instructions, see the website of the Police force www.poliisi.fi/passikuva.

If you have applied for the right of residence electronically on the Enter Finland service, you can print out a certificate of the pending status of the application.

If you are applying for a right of residence using a paper form, you will be provided with a certificate of having submitted the application for right of residence immediately after you have submitted the application concerned.  

The Finnish Immigration Service will contact you during the processing of your application, if necessary. Make sure that your contact information is up to date.

If you have submitted an electronic application, you can supplement it on Enter Finland, if necessary. If you have submitted your application on paper, you can supplement your application by post or via an encrypted email connection if necessary. Postal address of the Finnish Immigration Service and instructions for sending an encrypted e-mail are available at migri.fi/en/contact-information. Use a cover letter for additional information. 

You can cancel your application at any time while your application is pending. The processing fee is typically not refunded. More information available on migri.fi/en/cancelling-an-application.

You will receive the decision by post or on Enter Finland.

If you have submitted an electronic application, you will receive a notification by email or text message when the decision has been made.

You will be granted a residence permit card to prove your right of residence by virtue of the withdrawal agreement. If you are granted a right of residence or right of permanent residence under the withdrawal agreement, your permit will be valid as of 1 January 2021. This means that you will receive your residence permit card only after 31 December 2020, even if the decision on your application has been made already earlier. If you are in Finland, the card will be mailed to you.

Even when you are granted the right of permanent residence pursuant to the withdrawal agreement, the maximum period of validity of your residence permit card is five (5) years. Biometric identifiers recorded on the residence permit card chip will include a facial image and two fingerprints. To guarantee the data security of the card chip, the residence permit card must be replaced every five (5) years. 

If you are dissatisfied with the decision, you have a right to lodge an appeal with an Administrative Court. Instructions on lodging a complaint are attached to the decision.

A fee is charged for most rulings of the Administrative Court. Information on legal fees is provided by the Administrative Court.