Application for right of permanent residence for British citizens

The grounds for your residence in Finland may have changed during the period you have had the right of residence, or you may have had several valid grounds for your residence at the same time.

Your right of residence may have been based on:

• employment
• self-employment
• studies
• sufficient financial resources.

Your right of residence may also have been based on being a family member of a British citizen. In this context, family members are:

• spouses and cohabiting partners
  • Persons living continuously in a marriage-like relationship in the same household regardless of their sex are comparable to a married couple if:
    • they have lived in the same household for at least two years or
    • they have a child in their joint custody or
    • there are other weighty reasons.
• children under the age of 21 or a dependent child
  • The family member may be, for example, a child or grandchild who is the British citizen’s or the British citizen’s spouse’s direct descendant and under 21 years of age or dependent on the British citizen or the spouse.
• dependent parents
  • The family member may be, for example, a mother, father or grandparent who is the British citizen’s or the British citizen’s spouse’s relative in the direct ascending line and dependent on the British citizen or the spouse.
• persons who have custody of a minor British citizen
• other relatives, under certain conditions
  • Other relatives may be regarded as family members of the British citizen regardless of the relative’s citizenship if:
    • the relative is, in the country of departure, dependent on the British citizen who holds a Brexit permit in Finland or lived in the same household as the British citizen or
    • serious health grounds absolutely require the British citizen in question to give the relative personal care.
  • Other relatives may apply for the right of permanent residence under the withdrawal agreement only if they have earlier been granted a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement.

• You have resided in Finland based on the right granted to you under European Union law before the end of the transition period (31 December 2020) and have continued to reside in Finland thereafter.
  • For children who have been born or adopted after the end of the transition period and for family members who have moved to Finland later, the period of residence begins either from birth or from arrival in Finland.
• The continuity of the residence is not affected by the following absences:
  • Temporary absences not exceeding 6 months per year.
  • Longer absences to undertake compulsory military service.
  • One absence of a maximum of 12 consecutive months for important reasons.
    • Such reasons can be, for instance, pregnancy and childbirth, serious illness, studies, vocational education and training, or a posting in another EU Member State or a third country for work.

• Copy of passport. Bring with you the original passport when you go and prove your identity.
• A passport photo of the child, 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
• You can also attach the following attachments to the application, e.g.:
  • Employer’s certificate of employment contract
  • Tax decisions
  • Payslips 
  • Bank statements
  • Information about pension, if you have retired. This may be a decision on pension, for example

• Copy of passport. Bring with you the original passport when you go and prove your identity.
• A passport photo of the child, 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
• You can also attach the following attachments to the application, e.g.:
  • Information on self-employment
  • Trade Register extract of the business
  • Completed financial statements of the company 
  • Individual tax decisions 
  • Customer contracts and invoices of assignments undertaken for the company
  • Certificate of valid YEL insurance (entrepreneur’s pension insurance)
  • Bank statements
  • Medical certificate of incapacity to work, if you have had work-related disability for the past five years
  • Information about pension, if you have retired

• Copy of passport. Bring with you the original passport when you go and prove your identity.
• A passport photo of the child, 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
• If your employment contract has ended or you are no longer self-employed, or if you have become incapable for work, attach more information of the circumstances to the application. 
  • Information by the employer on the grounds for ending the employment contract
  • A certificate by public employment services on the job search if you have been unemployed
  • Information on the reasons why self-employment has ended, if you were previously self-employed
  • Information on vocational training
  • Medical certificate of incapacity to work 

• Copy of passport. Bring with you the original passport when you go and prove your identity.
• A passport photo of the child, 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
• You can also attach the following attachments to the application, e.g.:
  • Certificate of attendance from your educational institution
  • Extract from the study register
  • Degree or qualification certificate if you have completed your studies
  • Assurance of sufficient financial resources for the applicant and family members

• Copy of passport. Bring with you the original passport when you go and prove your identity.
• A passport photo of the child, 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
• Information on sufficient financial resources for you and your family members
  • Information on sufficient financial resources can mean, for example:
    • Information on regular income, such as pension, rental income or sponsor income
    • Information on property
    • Bank statements
    • Other documentation on property

• Copy of passport. Bring with you the original passport when you go and prove your identity.
• A passport photo of the child, 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
• Information on cohabiting, such as a tenancy agreement showing that you have lived together with a partner for at least two years 
• Document on family ties, such as a marriage certificate, birth certificate or other similar type of document indicating family ties.
  • The document must be legalised if it has been issued by a country that is not a Nordic country or an EU Member State.
  • Documents issued by UK authorities do not need to be legalised if they have been issued before the end of the transition period (31 December 2020).
• For spouses and registered partnerships, a document that indicates that the family relationship or registered partnership existed before the end of the transition period (31 December 2020).

• Copy of passport. Bring with you the original passport when you go and prove your identity.
• A passport photo of the child, 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
• Certificate of dependency
• Documents on family ties (the documents must be legally authenticated if they were issued by a country other than a Nordic country or an EU member state)

• Copy of passport. Bring with you the original passport when you go and prove your identity.
• A passport photo of the child, 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
• Certificate of dependency, care
• Documents on family ties (the documents must be legally authenticated if they were issued by a country other than a Nordic country or an EU member state)

Complete the application form

Fill in the form online in the Enter Finland online service, or use a paper form. A separate application form must be filed for each applicant. You will find a link to the application form at the bottom of the page. You must submit the application yourself. Your employer or family member, for example, cannot apply for the right of permanent residence under the withdrawal agreement on your behalf. You can, however, submit an application on behalf of your underaged child.

Book an appointment for proving your identity

After you have submitted your online application or completed a paper application form, book an appointment for visiting a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service. 

• Use the appointment system of the Finnish Immigration Service.

If you are temporarily staying outside Finland, book an appointment to visit a Finnish mission abroad or an application centre of an external service provider.  

• For instructions on how and where to book the appointment for a Finnish mission or an application centre abroad, see the website of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (finlandabroad.fi).

Pay the processing fee

Pay the processing fee. Depending on your application method, you can pay the fee online on Enter Finland, at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service in Finland, at a Finnish mission abroad, or at the application centre of an external service provider abroad.

Visit a service point

• If you have submitted an online application, bring with you to the service point the original documents that you attached to your online application. 
• If you have completed a paper application, bring with you the form that you have filled in and the attachments that are required for the application. Bring the original documents. 
• All applicants must be present at the service point to prove their identity. If the applicant is a minor, the child’s parent or guardian must be present at the service point. If a child who applies for a right of residence has two parents or guardians and one of them cannot be present at the service point, attach to the application a written consent given by the other parent or guardian for the child to move to Finland.
• Your fingerprints will be taken when you prove your identity. All applicants who are at least 6 years of age must provide their fingerprints when they prove their identity. 
• Each application must contain a passport photo of the applicant. The passport photo must comply with the passport photo instructions of the Finnish police. The photograph can be black-and-white or in colour. The photo must not be older than 6 months. See the passport photograph instructions on the website of the Finnish police (poliisi.fi).

If you have applied for the right of residence online, you can print out a certificate of the pending status of the application.

When you submit a paper application, you will be given a certificate of having submitted an application for the right of residence immediately after you have submitted the application.

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

If you have submitted an online application, log in to your Enter Finland account to supplement your application. 

If you have submitted a paper application, you can supplement it by post or by sending us encrypted email. See the page Contact information for the postal address of the Finnish Immigration Service and for instructions on how to send encrypted email to the Finnish Immigration Service. Fill in a covering note form (pdf) and attach it to the additional documents that you send.

You may cancel your application at any time while your application is pending. The processing fee is typically not refunded. Read more on the page Cancelling an application.

You will receive the decision by post or into your Enter Finland user account.

You will receive a residence permit card for proving your right of permanent residence under the withdrawal agreement.

The card is valid for up to 5 years at a time even if your right of residence is permanent. Biometric identifiers recorded on the residence permit card chip will include a facial image and two fingerprints. To ensure the data security of the chip, the card must be renewed every 5 years.

If you are dissatisfied with the decision, your right to lodge an appeal with an Administrative Court is guaranteed by Finnish legislation. Instructions on lodging a complaint will be 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.

If your application was rejected but you now meet the criteria for a right of permanent residence by virtue of the withdrawal agreement, you can reapply for right of permanent residence by submitting a new application.