Residence permit application for au pair status

Apply with this application for a residence permit if you intend to come to Finland to work as an au pair.

The purpose of an au pair position is to provide a young person (aged 17 to 30) an opportunity to become acquainted with the language and culture of the country in exchange for performing light housework. The purpose of an au pair position is not to gain a household employee. Domestic staff applies for a residence permit with the form OLE_TY1. Au pairs are required to have studied or taken an interest in the Finnish or Swedish language or culture, for instance Finnish history or politics. The working hours of an au pair must be set so that he or she will have the opportunity to take classes in Finnish or Swedish while in Finland.

You can live in Finland on an au pair status for the maximum of one year.

Expected processing time for electronic application

2–4 months
Expected processing time for paper application

2–4 months
Electronic application fee

380 €
Paper application fee

480 €

Au pair

This is what you should do

1

Make sure you meet the requirements for the residence permit you are applying for.

2

Make sure you have all the attachments needed. If necessary, have them translated and legalised. The processing time may be longer if you have not filled in your application sufficiently.

3

Fill in your application in the online service Enter Finland or use a paper application form.

4

Pay for your application in the online service Enter Finland, at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) or at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.

5

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

6

Wait for a decision. The Finnish Immigration Service will contact you if necessary.

7

Read what happens after you have applied. Check the estimated processing time of your application. You can follow the processing of your application with the help of our chatbot Kamu. In addition, you will usually receive automated messages at the different processing stages of your application.

8

You should wait for the residence permit in the same country or locality where you submitted your application and proved your identity.

General requirements for entry into Finland

Make sure you meet the general requirements for entry into Finland before you submit an application.

You can only get a residence permit if you are able to travel to Finland and stay in the country legally. This means that you must have a valid passport. If your passport expires while the residence permit is valid, remember to renew it early enough. Your residence permit may be withdrawn if you don’t have a valid passport while residing in Finland.

Requirements

You must also meet the following requirements:

Obtain certificates of your language skills and your studies in Finnish culture. Attach them to your application.
The following certificates are approved: certificate issued by an educational institution; certificate of an online course you have completed if the company offering the course is responsible for the course content (WordDive or Alison, for example).
Please note that we do not accept online courses from platforms where anyone can set up a course to sell through the platform but the platform is not responsible for the teaching or the contents of the course (Udemy, for example).

Because you live with the host family and help with cooking, other household chores and child care, it is very important that you do not have an infectious disease that could endanger the host family or you. Such diseases are for instance salmonella or one of the pox diseases that children in Finland are vaccinated against at a certain age.

Right to work

You cannot start working as an au pair before you get a residence permit. As an au pair, you may be expected to carry out light domestic work for a maximum of 25 hours per week. You must have at least one full free day every week, and two successive free days at least every second week. Your host family must give you enough time to attend language courses and for your cultural and professional improvement.

If you cannot continue living with your host family, you are free to find a new host family. You do not need to apply for a new residence permit if your old permit is still valid. You may work as an au pair in Finland for a maximum of one year.

Your right to work ends when your residence permit expires. Your right to work will end even if you apply for an extended permit on other grounds, such as on the basis of work.

General attachments

A valid passport accepted by Finland (um.fi). Present your passport when you submit your residence permit application
Passport photo complying with the photo guidelines (pdf, poliisi.fi) issued by the police or a photograph retrieval code you received from a photo shop, OLEL_PK (pdf)
Colour copies of the passport page containing personal data and of all passport pages that contain notes
Document showing that you are legally staying in the country where you submit the application
Form MP_1 (pdf) (if you already are in Finland and apply for your first residence permit)

Application-specific attachments

A written agreement between you and your host family where you agree on the following issues:
- accommodation, rights and obligations during the au pair placement
- means of support and any benefits you may receive from your host family
- pocket money of at least 280 euros per month
- duties, and how the maximum of 25 hours reserved for the duties is distributed over the week
- free time and free days (at least one full free day every week, and two successive free days at least every second week)
- courses you will attend (language course in Finnish or Swedish or other course where you acquaint yourself with Finnish culture and society)
General health certificate showing that you do not have tuberculosis, salmonella or hepatitis and do not carry measles (the certificate must be less than three months old)
Health and accident insurance for the whole period of your stay
Certificate of a basic knowledge of the Finnish or Swedish language
Certificate of your interest in the Finnish culture (for example a certificate of studies in history, art or politics)

The rights of an au pair

As an au pair, you may be expected to carry out light domestic work for a maximum of 25 hours per week. You must have at least one full free day every week, and two successive free days at least every second week. Your host family must give you enough time to attend language courses and for your cultural and professional improvement.

Your status as an au pair is comparable to that of a family member. You participate in the everyday activities of the family, and your daily amount of work must not exceed the amount of domestic work and child-minding performed by other members of the family.

If for some reason you cannot continue working and living with your host family, you may change your host family without applying for a new residence permit, as long as your permit is still valid. You may work as an au pair in Finland for up to one year. An extension permit will not be granted on the grounds of working as an au pair. If you wish, you may apply for an extension on other grounds.