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Brexit

Frequently asked questions: Brexit

Residence permit card

I have been granted a residence permit card under the withdrawal agreement (a Brexit residence permit card). My permanent card is about to expire. What should I do?

You can apply for a new card in the Enter Finland online service. Read more on the page Renewal of Brexit residence permit card.

I have been granted a residence permit card under the withdrawal agreement (a Brexit residence permit card). What should I do if my card is lost, damaged or stolen, or if the information printed on the card is no longer up to date?

Apply for card renewal if your Brexit residence permit card is lost, damaged or stolen or if the personal details on the card have changed.

If you lose your card or your card is stolen, report the lost or stolen card to the police.

If your card is lost or stolen outside Finland, report it to the authorities in the country in question and to the police in Finland.

You must be in Finland to apply for a new Brexit residence permit card: the application cannot be submitted abroad.

Read more on the page Renewal of Brexit residence permit card.

What is the transition period? 

Once the UK left the European Union, it became what is known as a ‘third country’, and its citizens became ‘third-country nationals’. The withdrawal agreement entered into force on 1 February 2020. This initiated the transition period, lasting until 31 December 2020, during which the Union’s rules on freedom of movement continue to apply to UK citizens just like before Brexit. 

What is the application period?

The application period is the time from 1 October 2020 to 30 September 2021, during which UK citizens may apply to have their registration of an EU citizen’s right of residence converted to right of residence under the withdrawal agreement. 

What is a third-country national?

A third-country national is a citizen of a country that does not belong to the European Union. They must have a residence permit to stay in Finland for more than 90 days. British citizens, for example, are third-country nationals.

Applying for right of residence under the withdrawal agreement

I’m a British citizen. Do I need to apply for a Brexit permit?

If you have lived in Finland before 1 January 2021, you may apply for a Brexit permit but must have a valid reason for submitting the application late.

  • Use the ‘Additional information’ field of the application form to explain all the reasons and circumstances due to which you did not submit the application within the required time frame. 
  • Attach possible supporting documents, such as a doctor’s certificate, to your application as proof of why you have reasonable grounds for a late application.  

If you are a British citizen but have not lived in Finland before 1 January 2021, you cannot apply for a Brexit permit. The Brexit Application Finder will help you choose the right application. 

I am a British citizen living in Finland. I did not apply for a Brexit permit by 30 September 2021. I have lived in Finland before 1 January 2021 What can I do now?

You can still apply for a Brexit permit if you have reasonable grounds to submit your application late.

  • Give the reasons why you did not submit your application within the given time limit in the field ‘Additional information’ in your application.
  • Attach to your application also any documents on why you have reasonable grounds for late application. Such a document can be a doctor’s certificate, for example.

The Application Finder at Migri.fi helps you find the right application. Even when you submit your Brexit permit application late, your right to work or study will continue while your application is being processed.

If you do not have reasonable grounds to apply for a Brexit permit late, you must apply for a first residence permit

Remember that you need to meet the requirements for the residence permit for which you apply. The Application Finder on our website will help you choose the right application. 

A first residence permit is issued according to national law, which means that when you apply for a residence permit you will not be granted a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement.

I am applying for right of permanent residence under the withdrawal agreement. According to the application, I am required to have resided legally in Finland for five years. What does ‘legally’ mean?

In this context, residing legally means that you have not posed a threat to public order or security and, on the other hand, you have resided in Finland for a continuous period of five years as per the requirements laid down in the Citizens’ Rights Directive, i.e. that you have resided in Finland as an employee, a self-employed person, a student or a family member, or alternatively that you have had sufficient means to provide for yourself and your family whilst residing in Finland, and your livelihood in Finland does not depend solely on income support or other similar benefits.

My UK passport is not currently valid. However, I have a Finnish ID card issued to me. Can I apply for right of residence under the withdrawal agreement by presenting an ID card, KELA card or driver’s licence issued in Finland?

No, you cannot. You must present a valid travel document issued by the UK to you when applying for right of residence under the withdrawal agreement. A UK citizen may present a valid passport or ID card issued by the UK. If you do not have a currently valid travel document, you must apply to the UK authorities for one as soon as possible.

I have been granted right of residence under the withdrawal agreement. The basis for residence given on my application was studying. I have been offered a job. Since the basis for my residence is changing, do I need to reapply for right of residence under the withdrawal agreement as an employee?

No. Once right of residence under the withdrawal agreement is granted to a UK citizen, they and their family members do not need to reapply for right of residence if they change jobs, start a business, go from studying to employment, or go from employment to retirement. The right of residence under the withdrawal agreement includes the right to study, the right to work and the right to operate a business.

Residing outside Finland

Can I reside and work in other EU Member States once I have been granted right of residence under the withdrawal agreement in Finland?

The right of residence under the withdrawal agreement, including the right to employment, is only valid in Finland. Freedom of movement will not apply to UK citizens after the transition period ends on 31 December 2020. You may freely move within the Schengen area by displaying a passport and your right of residence certificate for a maximum period of 90 days within any continuous period of 180 days, but you will no longer have the right pursuant to EU law or your right of residence under the withdrawal agreement to live and work in another EU Member State. After 1 January 2021, please consult the authorities of the country to which you wish to relocate concerning residence permits.

I have right of permanent residence under the withdrawal agreement. According to Migri.fi, the Brexit residence permit cards are only valid for 5 years at a time. If I have been granted a permanent Brexit residence permit card under the withdrawal agreement, does that not mean that my Brexit residence permit card is valid until further notice?

Even if you have the right of permanent residence, the residence permit card certifying this is itself only valid for five years at a time. 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 years.

Family members

I am a UK citizen. My spouse is a third-country national who lives abroad and was not able to move to Finland before the transition period ended on 31 December 2020. We were married in 2007. Can my spouse still apply for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement? What needs to be done?

Your family members may apply for right of residence under the withdrawal agreement after the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020 and even after the end of the application period on 30 September 2021 if:

  • you are a UK citizen and you have been granted right of residence under the withdrawal agreement in Finland;
  • you were resident in Finland before the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020 and continue to be resident in Finland thereafter.

Your family members may also apply for right of residence under the withdrawal agreement while they are abroad. In this case, their applications must be submitted to a Finnish mission or an application centre of an external service provider. 

If your relationship or family unit was formed after the transition period (after 31 December 2020), your family member must apply for a residence permit.

I am a UK citizen and met my spouse in April 2019. My spouse is not an EU citizen. We lived in separate countries while we were dating, i.e. we were in a long-distance relationship. We got married on 1 March 2021, and my spouse will come to live with me in Finland. Can my spouse apply for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement as my family member?

No, it is not possible in that case. You have not lived together for 2 years, and you were not married before the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. When a couple has married or registered their partnership after the transition period (after 31 December 2020), the provisions that concern a third-country national’s entry into and residence in Finland will be applied to them. This means that your spouse must apply for a residence permit.

I am a UK citizen, and I have registered my EU citizen’s right of residence in Finland. I am pregnant, and my child will be born after the end of the transition period, in April 2021. Can I apply for right of residence under the withdrawal agreement for my child?

Yes, you can. Under certain conditions, the withdrawal agreement covers children born or legally adopted after the end of the transition period, i.e. after 31 December 2020.