Changing status of right of permanent residence for British citizen

If you are a British citizen and have been granted either a certificate of an EU citizen’s right of permanent residence or a permanent residence permit, you may apply for change of status to the right of permanent residence under the withdrawal agreement.

The withdrawal agreement between the United Kingdom and the EU entered into force on 1 February 2020. The period of applications for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement has ended on 30 September 2021. Despite the expiry of the actual application period, you can apply for a status change to the right of permanent residence under the withdrawal agreement even after 30 September 2021 if:

you have reasonable grounds to submit your application late and
you have resided in Finland before the end of the transition period (31 December 2020).

If you are temporarily staying outside Finland, you can apply for the change of your right of permanent residence to the right of permanent residence under the withdrawal agreement free of charge abroad. You can submit your application at a Finnish mission abroad or at an application centre of an external service provider abroad. 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).

Make sure you meet the following requirements:

Make sure you have all the necessary attachments

Attach the following obligatory documents to your application:

Copy of your passport or identity card (you must also present the document in original).
Passport photo complying with the photo guidelines issued by the police, or a photograph retrieval code you received from a photo shop.
A certificate of the right of permanent residence in Finland or a permanent residence permit.

Give the reasons why you did not submit your application within the given time limit in the field ‘Additional information’.

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.

Application process step by step

Fill in the application either in the online service Enter Finland or using a paper application. You must fill in a separate application form for each applicant.

You must submit the application yourself. Your employer or family member, for example, cannot submit the application on your behalf. You can, however, submit an application on behalf of your underage child.

After completing the application, book an appointment at one of the service points of the Finnish Immigration Service. If you are temporarily abroad, book an appointment at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate). You will find instructions for visiting a Finnish mission or an application centre of an external service provider on the website finlandabroad.fi.

The application is free of charge.

If you applied online in Enter Finland, you must visit a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service, a Finnish mission or an application centre of an external service provider to prove your identity and present originals of the documents you attached to your application.
If you are submitting a paper application, you must visit a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service, a Finnish mission or an application centre of an external service provider to prove your identity. Bring with you the application and originals of the attachments needed for the application.
All applicants must be present when submitting the application. If the applicant is an underage child, the child’s parent or guardian must be present when submitting the application. If the child’s other parent or guardian is not present when submitting the application, you must attach to the application the other parent’s or guardian’s written consent to the child’s application.
Your fingerprints will be taken during your visit to the Finnish Immigration Service, a Finnish mission or an application centre of an external service provider. All applicants over the age of six must give their fingerprints when submitting their application.
You must attach to the application a passport photo of the applicant. The passport photo must comply with the photo guidelines issued by the police. The photo can be black and white or colour. The photo can be no more than six (6) months old. You will find detailed instructions on the website of the Finnish police at poliisi.fi/passport/passport_photo_instructions.

If you have applied for changing your residence status online in Enter Finland, you can print out a certificate of a pending application from the online service.

If you are applying for changing your residence status with a paper application, you will receive a certificate of submitting an application for a residence status immediately after you have submitted your application.

If needed, the Finnish Immigration Service will contact you during the processing of your application. Make sure that your contact details are up to date.

If you have submitted your application online and need to supplement your application, you should do it in the online service Enter Finland. If you have submitted a paper application and need to supplement your application, you should do it by post or encrypted email. The postal address of the Finnish Immigration Service and instructions for sending encrypted email can be found on the page migri.fi/en/contact-information. Fill in a covering note and attach it to your additional documents.

You may cancel your application at any time during its processing. As a rule, the processing fee will not be returned to you. For more information, see the page migri.fi/en/cancelling-an-application.

You will receive the decision by post or on Enter Finland.

If you have submitted an electronic application, you will receive a notification by email or text message when the decision has been made.

You will be granted a residence permit card to prove your right of residence by virtue of the withdrawal agreement.

Even when you are granted the right of permanent residence pursuant to the withdrawal agreement, the maximum period of validity of your residence permit card is five (5) years. 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 (5) years.

If you are not satisfied with the decision, you have the right to appeal against the decision to an administrative court. Instructions on how to appeal will be attached to the decision.

The majority of decisions made by administrative courts are subject to a fee. Contact the administrative court to find out more about court fees.