Residence permit application for person with a degree completed in Finland

You have studied and completed a degree or qualification in Finland.

• Your degree can be, for instance, a higher education degree completed at a university or at a university of applied sciences. It can also be the Finnish matriculation examination, an initial vocational qualification, a further vocational qualification or a specialist vocational qualification. 
• Certificates of competence area are not degrees.

You have a job, pursue a trade or engage in business activities in Finland.

• If you have a job, your employer must supplement your application by filling in your terms of employment either online in Enter Finland for Employers or by using a paper form.

If you do not yet have a job, you do not pursue a trade or business or you are not an entrepreneur, you can apply for a residence permit to look for work or to start a business.

You need to have sufficient income in Finland during the entire time your residence permit is valid.

• In 2024, your net income must be at least EUR 1,210 / 1,090 / 1,030 per month, depending on where you live. See the table on the page Income requirement for persons who apply for a residence permit on the basis of work.
• You may combine different income sources: You can earn your living through employment in the service of an employer, through your company's business activities or by pursuing a trade, or you can use more than one of these income sources to meet the requirement. Other forms of income, such as your savings, may also be counted towards the required sum.
• Read more on the page Income requirement.

If you have a job but you do not earn enough or have enough savings to be granted a residence permit on the basis of work, you can apply for a residence permit to look for work or to start a business.

When you apply for an extended permit

• When you apply for an extended permit, the Finnish Immigration Service will check whether your salary and income have been sufficient.
• If you have completed your studies in full and are about to finish your degree, you can submit your application before getting a degree certificate. In that case, add to your application a certificate from your educational institution on your studies and mention when you will graduate. However, the permit can only be granted after you have graduated.

In addition, you must meet the general requirements for obtaining a residence permit. See also the general requirements for granting a residence permit.

If necessary, have the attachments translated and legalised.

General attachments

• A valid passport accepted by Finland (um.fi). Present your passport when you submit your residence permit application
• A passport photo complying with the photo guidelines issued by the police, or a photograph retrieval code you received from a photo shop
  • The passport photo must be no more than 6 months old.
• 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
  • This document is not needed if you apply for an extended permit. 
• Response to possible denial of admittance or stay and to entry ban (the form MP_1) 
  • This form is needed only if you, for some reason, submit your residence permit application in Finland. Please note that an application for a first residence permit must usually be submitted abroad.
  • This form is not needed when you apply for an extended permit.  

Application-specific attachments

• a degree certificate or
• a document on the degree or studies you have completed if you will receive your degree certificate within one month or have completed all of your studies.
  • Attach the degree certificate to your application as soon as you receive it. In that case, add to your application a document from your educational institution on your studies and mention when you will graduate. The permit can be granted after you have graduated.
  • If you have graduated for over a month ago, you do not need to attach a degree certificate to your application. We will obtain your degree certificate from the study register.
• If you pursue a trade or engage in business activities:
  • Contracts with clients, or an explanation of how you will earn income from pursuing a trade or a business if you have not signed any contracts with clients.

You can fill in the application online in Enter Finland. The fee for an online application is lower than for a paper application. If you apply for your first residence permit in Enter Finland, you might not need to visit a service point when you apply for an extended permit.

If you cannot use Enter Finland, fill in a paper application. You will find a link to the application at the bottom of the page.

If you apply online via the online service Enter Finland, pay the processing fee: 

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

If you apply with a paper application, pay the processing fee:

• when you visit a Finnish mission abroad to prove your identity.

After you have submitted your application in Enter Finland, your employer must add your terms of employment and other required documents to your application using Enter Finland for Employers. See the page Filling in the terms of employment to check what information your employer needs to fill in and which attachments are required.

An employer who is not able to use Enter Finland for Employers can fill in the ‘Terms of employment’ paper form (pdf). In that case, you need to attach the form to your application in Enter Finland.  

If you are submitting your residence permit application on paper, have your employer fill in the form ‘Terms of employment’ and attach the form to your application.   

If you pursue a trade or business and are not an employee, you do not need to fill in the terms of employment. 

Book an appointment to visit a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) abroad to prove your identity.

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

• If you applied online in Enter Finland, you will receive notifications of your application's progress and of possible requests for additional information by email and text message.
• If you applied on paper, you will receive notifications of your application's progress and of possible requests for additional information by email.

Read more on the page Processing of applications. 

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)