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Extended permit on the basis of employment

A residence permit on the basis of work is usually granted for the duration of the applicant’s employment relationship, but for a maximum of four years. If your work continues but your residence permit is going to expire, apply for an extended permit.

You must apply for an extended permit also in the following situations:

  • You change jobs while your residence permit is still valid. Your new job is in a different field of work than the previous job that served as the grounds for your previous residence permit.
  • You have received another job in addition to your first job that served as the grounds for your residence permit, and your residence permit is still valid.

Apply for an extended permit about 2 months before your residence permit expires

You should not apply for an extended permit earlier than 2 months before your current residence permit expires. If you apply earlier, we will not be able to assess whether or not you meet the requirements for an extended permit.

Apply for an extended permit online in Enter Finland

When you apply for an extended permit, it is recommended that you apply online in Enter Finland. If you are unable to use Enter Finland, you can fill in the same paper form as you did when you applied for a first permit. To check what is required for an extended permit, see the application page of the permit you are applying for.

If you apply for an extended permit on the basis of your new job, it is possible that you need to use a different application form than before. If you are not sure what application form you should use, use the Application Finder to find out.

If you apply for an extended permit online in Enter Finland and use your online banking credentials to log in, you may not need to visit a service point to prove your identity and have your fingerprints taken. The online service will tell you whether you have to visit a service point or whether the electronic identification is enough.

Right to work while an application for an extended permit is being processed:

  • If your new job is in a different field of work, you are usually not allowed to continue working while your application is being processed.
  • If your employer does not change, you may continue working as usual, as long as you have applied for an extended permit before your previous permit expires.
  • If you only apply for an extended permit after your residence permit has expired, you are not allowed to continue working.

Read more about the right to work while an application for an extended permit is being processed.

Some residence permits cannot be extended

Note that you cannot get an extended permit if your first permit is one of the following permits and has been issued for the longest validity period allowed:

To check the maximum duration of a permit, see the page concerning the residence permit application in question. You may however apply for an extended permit if you have some other reason for staying in Finland.

Application process when you are applying for an extended permit on the basis of employment

General attachments

  • 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.
  • Color copies of the passport page containing personal data and all pages that contain notes