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Are you coming to Finland to do seasonal work? You will require a visa, a certificate or a permit for seasonal work

Publication date 22.10.2018 10.49
Press release

You will require a permit for seasonal work if you are coming to Finland from outside the EU to do winter seasonal work.

An example of seasonal work is seasonal employment in the tourism sector. Seasonal jobs requiring a permit are listed on our website.

Apply for a permit on the basis of how long you will be doing seasonal work in Finland.

People coming to work for less than three months:

People coming to work for three to six months:

  • Apply for a seasonal work permit.
  • Submit the application in the Enter Finland online service and provide proof of your identity abroad at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate). If you are unable to apply online, submit a paper application at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate).

People coming to work for six to nine months:

  • Apply for a seasonal work permit.
  • Submit the application in the Enter Finland online service and provide proof of your identity abroad at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate). If you are unable to apply online, submit a paper application at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate).
  • The decision involves two phases. First, the Employment and Economic Development Office issues a partial decision. Then the Finnish Immigration Service processes the application.

You do not require a seasonal work permit if you are a citizen of an EU country, Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein or Switzerland.

You will receive a decision faster by using Enter Finland

You can apply for a seasonal work permit or a seasonal work certificate online via the Enter Finland service.

  • When you fill out the application using Enter Finland,
  • The service guides you in applying for the correct permit.
  • The service calculates how long you have done seasonal work during the previous 12 months.
  • You do not have to visit a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) to prove your identity for a certificate request.
  • The processing fee is less expensive than submitting an application on paper.

If your employer has an account in Enter Finland, you can give them permission to use the service in matters concerning your seasonal work permit. The employer can add appendices to your application. If you are unable to apply online, you can submit an application using a paper form.

Before submitting the application, read through the instructions carefully. The processing time will be longer if your application is incomplete.

Follow processing in Enter Finland or on our website

You can follow the processing queue for seasonal work applications on our website on in Enter Finland. We update the processing queue for seasonal work applications weekly.

We process applications concerning seasonal work as high priority applications. Separate requests for expedited processing are not needed. All applications are processed in the order they are submitted.

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