Family members seeking asylum in Europe

It may be possible for your family member to come to Finland if he or she is an asylum seeker in another EU Member State or in Norway, Iceland, Switzerland or Liechtenstein.

Your family member might be allowed to come to Finland through the Dublin procedure or after having been granted a residence permit in Finland. ‘Family member’ means your spouse or your underage child, for example.

Dublin procedure

The European countries have agreed that an asylum application is only examined by one country. This is called the Dublin procedure, which means determining the state responsible for examining an asylum application.

The country where your family member first sought asylum will determine the state responsible for processing your family member’s asylum application. If the authorities in that country decide that Finland is responsible for examining the application, your family member will be transferred to Finland.

Your family member will not be issued with a residence permit automatically. His or her asylum application will be processed and decided in Finland. The Finnish Immigration Service cannot influence the other state’s decision to start the Dublin procedure or the procedure itself.

If your family member applies for a residence permit in Finland, it will not affect the Dublin procedure.

Applying for a residence permit on the basis of family ties

Your family member can apply for a residence permit on the basis of family ties. Your family member can submit his or her residence permit application to a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate), even when the authorities in the country where he or she resides are still considering the Dublin procedure.

Your family member has to reside legally in the country where he or she submits the residence permit application. At the Finnish mission, your family member must show a certificate issued by the authorities of the country where he or she is residing, proving that he or she has sought asylum and resides legally in that country.

If your family member is granted a residence permit on the basis of family ties, he or she, or you as a sponsor, must pay for the costs of his or her travel to Finland.

The application form can be found on our website: migri.fi/en/i-want-to-come-to-finland.

More information about the Dublin procedure: migri.fi/esitteet-ja-julkaisut#turvapaikka.