Residence permit application based on family ties when you have custody of a child who has refugee status, subsidiary protection status or a residence permit on the basis of temporary protection

• Your child is under the age of 18; or
• Your child arrived in Finland without a parent or guardian and was under 18 when he or she applied for international protection. If your child has turned 18 after submitting the application, you must apply for a residence permit on the basis of family ties within three months of the date when your child was served with the positive decision.
  • Whether the child is required to be a minor may depend on whether the application was submitted within 3 months of the day when the child was served the decision that he or she has been granted asylum or refugee status. Send your application using the online service Enter Finland or submit a paper application at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) within 3 months of the date on which your child was served with the decision.
    • If you are unable to submit your paper application within this time, for example due to a lack of appointments at the Finnish mission, you must use the first available appointment to submit your application.
• Your child is not married.
   

The documents must be legalised, unless they have been issued by authorities of the Nordic countries or by authorities of an EU Member State. See the page Interpretation, translation and legalisation for instructions on how to have your documents legalised.

If the child is your biological child

• Submit the child’s birth certificate. If the child’s parents are divorced or were not married to each other when the child was born, submit a certificate issued by authorities of the custody of your biological child.

If the child is adopted

• Present proof of adoption.

If the child is your foster child

• Submit reliable evidence that the persons who previously had custody of the child have died or are missing. In addition, submit evidence that you or your spouse had actual custody of the child before the child entered Finland.

‘Foster child’ means a child who:

• is under 18 years of age and unmarried
• is under actual care of the person who has custody of him or her on the day a decision is made on the residence permit application
• has no official statement on his or her dependency status.

• The income requirement does not need to be met if the child living in Finland is under 18 years of age. Read more about the income requirement on the page Income requirement for family members of a person who has been granted international or temporary protection. 

• Whether the child is required to be a minor may depend on whether the application was submitted within 3 months of the day when the child was served the decision that he or she has been granted asylum or refugee status. Send your application using the online service Enter Finland or submit a paper application at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) within 3 months of the date on which your child was served with the decision. 
  • If you are unable to submit your paper application within this time, for example due to a lack of appointments at the Finnish mission, you must use the first available appointment to submit your application.

Requirements if the child is a quota refugee

• The child is unmarried.
• The child is under 18 years of age when you apply for a residence permit as the child’s parent or guardian.
• The child has lived in Finland with a residence permit for at least 2 years. This is required only if your family was formed after the child was admitted to Finland under the refugee quota.
  • See the page Period of residence requirement for more information.

Requirements if the child has been granted asylum

• The child is unmarried and under 18 years of age.
  • If the child has arrived in Finland without a parent or guardian:
    • It is required that the child was under 18 years of age on the day he or she submitted the asylum application on the basis of which he or she was granted asylum.
    • If the child has turned 18 after submitting the asylum application, you must apply for a residence permit within 3 months of the date on which the child was served the decision that he or she has been granted asylum. In individual cases, derogations may be made if there are exceptionally serious grounds for such a derogation.
  • If the child has arrived in Finland or is in Finland with his or her other parent or guardian:
    • The child must be under 18 years of age when you apply for a residence permit as the child’s parent or guardian.
• Required period of residence in certain situations:
  • It is required that the child has lived in Finland for at least 2 years with a residence permit if:
    • your family was formed after the child arrived in Finland, or
    • your family was formed after the child was granted refugee status as a family member. 
  • See the page Period of residence requirement for more information.

Requirements if the child has subsidiary protection status in Finland 

• The child is unmarried.
• The child is under 18 years of age when you apply for a residence permit as the child’s parent or guardian.
• The child has lived in Finland with a residence permit for at least 2 years. 
  • See the page Period of residence requirement for more information.

Requirements if the child has a residence permit on the basis of temporary protection

• The child is unmarried.
• The child is under 18 years of age when you apply for a residence permit as the child’s parent or guardian.

The documents must be legalised, unless they have been issued by authorities of the Nordic countries or by authorities of an EU Member State. See the page Interpretation, translation and legalisation for instructions on how to have your documents legalised.

If the child is your biological child

• Submit the child’s birth certificate. If the child’s parents are divorced or were not married to each other when the child was born, submit a certificate issued by authorities of the custody of your biological child.

If the child is adopted

• Present proof of adoption.

If the child is your foster child

• Submit reliable evidence that the persons who previously had custody of the child have died or are missing. In addition, submit evidence that you or your spouse had actual custody of the child before the child entered Finland.

‘Foster child’ means a child who:

• is under 18 years of age and unmarried
• is under actual care of the person who has custody of him or her on the day a decision is made on the residence permit application
• has no official statement on his or her dependency status.

• The income requirement (requirement for sufficient financial resources) must be met if the child has been granted a residence permit on the basis of subsidiary protection or temporary protection. Read more about the income requirement on the page Income requirement for family members of a person who has been granted international or temporary protection.
• In certain cases, the income requirement must be met if the child has been granted refugee status. Check whether you must meet the income requirement on the page Income requirement for family members of a person who has been granted international or temporary protection.

If you apply for a residence permit online in Enter Finland, you need to pay the processing fee  

• with a credit card or with Finnish online banking credentials when you submit your application, or
• when you visit a Finnish embassy or consulate abroad to prove your identity.  

If you apply for a residence permit with a paper application, you need to pay the processing fee

• when you visit a Finnish embassy or consulate abroad to prove your identity.

Book an appointment to visit a Finnish mission (finlandabroad.fi) to prove your identity.

Applications for a first residence permit can be submitted in Finland only in certain exceptional situations.

For more information, see the page Proving your identity abroad.

Read what happens after you have applied. Check the estimated processing time of your application. In addition, you will usually receive automated messages at the different processing stages of your application.

Among other things, the authorities may ask you for information about whether you have enough money to live in Finland.

If you were not issued a personal identity code together with your residence permit card, you must visit a service location of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency in person.

The Digital and Population Data Services Agency enters your personal details, information about your family relations and your address in the Population Information System. You can also apply for a municipality of residence at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

For more information, visit the website of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (dvv.fi)