Cancellation and expiry of EU residence permit

Your EU residence permit will be cancelled if you have lived outside the European Union for a continuous period of two years, or outside Finland for a continuous period of six years.

If there are specific or exceptional grounds for your absence, the Finnish Immigration Service may decide not to cancel your residence permit. Such grounds include for example studies or working on a long-term project. You must submit an application within a certain time limit to prevent the cancellation of your residence permit. More information is available on page Revoking the permit.

Your residence permit may be cancelled if you have knowingly provided false information when you applied for it, or have withheld essential information. The residence permit may also be cancelled if another Schengen State has decided to deport you and prohibited you from entering the country.

Your residence permit becomes void if you are deported or if you become a Finnish citizen. The residence permit also becomes void if you are granted an EU residence permit in another Member State.