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Frequently asked questions: Family

Residence permit for a spouse

I have a residence permit granted by the state of Finland. My spouse also wishes to move to Finland. She is not an EU citizen or equivalent. How should we proceed?

Your spouse may apply for a Finnish residence permit on the basis of family ties.

May I complete a residence permit application in Finland on behalf of my spouse?

You may not apply for a residence permit on your spouse’s behalf. Only the applicant may initiate a residence permit application.

Do the same instructions and practices apply to people in a registered relationship as to married couples?

Yes. Two people of the same sex who have registered their relationship are also considered as spouses.

May my cohabiting partner, who is not an EU citizen or equivalent, be granted a Finnish residence permit on the basis of family ties?

A cohabiting partner may apply for a residence permit on the basis of family ties on certain conditions. If you are not sure what application form you should use, use the Application Finder to find out.

I am in an established intimate relationship with a foreigner who is not an EU citizen or equivalent. We plan to marry. May my partner be granted a Finnish residence permit for the purpose of marrying?

In accordance with the Finnish Aliens Act, a partner is not considered a family member and therefore a residence permit is generally not granted on this basis.

However, in special cases a partner may be granted a residence permit. This requires a special reason. In some cases a residence permit may be granted on the basis of, for example, cohabitation, if the foreigner is coming to Finland to marry.

I’m in an established relationship with a foreign national who is not an EU citizen or a similar person. Can she/he enter Finland with a visa and apply for a residence permit after we get married?

Your partner may visit Finland with a visa if the conditions for granting a visa are met, or without a visa if she/he is exempt from the visa requirement. A Finnish mission (um.fi) abroad decides whether a visa is granted.

If your partner intends to move to Finland, she must apply for her first residence permit outside Finland. She must also wait for the decision outside Finland.

Your spouse may submit an application for a first residence permit in Finland if one of the following applies:

  • You are a Finnish citizen.
  • You have a residence permit for studies.
  • You have a residence permit for a researcher.

‘Spouse’ refers to your wife or husband, your registered same-sex partner or your cohabiting partner who you have lived with for at least 2 years in a marriage-like relationship or with whom you have joint custody of a child.

My spouse is about to apply for a residence permit on the basis of work. I’m going to apply for a residence permit on the basis of family ties. Can we submit our applications at the same time? Will we also get our decisions at the same time?

You can submit your applications at the same time. However, it is possible that you will receive your decision later than your spouse. There are many reasons for this: 

  • The processing time requirement for applications submitted on the basis of work or studies is stricter than for applications submitted by family members.
  • It takes a longer time to process family members’ applications, as their processing includes more stages that require manual work.
  • Due to the large number of applications, there are currently backlogs in the processing of applications submitted by family members.

When an application has been submitted on the basis of family ties, the processing time provided by law is nine months. You can speed up the processing of your application by making sure that you have filled in your application completely and added the necessary attachments and can present legalised documents concerning your family ties.

I have heard that you cannot be granted a residence permit if you are suspected of entering a sham marriage. What does this mean?

A sham marriage is a marriage that has been entered into solely for the purpose of obtaining a residence permit for the spouse, without an intention of leading a family life together. In such cases, we may consider that the marriage has been entered into with an intention of evading the provisions on entry into or residence in the country and will issue a negative decision on the application. The residence permit on the basis of family ties is intended for leading a family life together.

Residence permit for other relative

May my parents be granted a Finnish residence permit?

Relatives other than members of the nuclear family may in some cases be granted a residence permit on the basis of family ties. The permit may be granted only to other relatives of a Finnish citizen or a person who has received international protection.

If the close family life of the applicant and of the relative living in Finland has previously been discontinued for normal family reasons – for example, when an adult child has begun family life with his or her spouse – the residence permit may not be granted on the grounds of resuming close family life.

Residence permits are primarily intended to be granted on the above grounds if an elderly parent moves to Finland at the same time as his or her adult child. If the application for a residence permit is submitted after the adult child has moved to Finland, the discontinuation of family life must have taken place for compelling reasons, such as for living in exile as a refugee. Even in such cases the efforts to resume the close family life must begin immediately after the adult child has arrived in Finland and established contact with the relative.

A permit may also be granted if the close relative is fully dependent on the person residing in Finland. Dependence on a person (sponsor) residing in Finland refers to both physical and mental dependence; financial dependence alone does not constitute full dependence.

Those falling within this group generally include the elderly parents of adults residing in Finland as well as adult children and unmarried siblings. Residence permits are not generally granted on the basis of poor health and need for treatment if the applicant has the opportunity to receive treatment for his or her condition in the home country.

If the applicant’s poor health is stated as a reason for the application, relevant medical certificates must be appended to the application.

Residence permit for a child

Must a child born in Finland, also a baby, hold a passport issued by his or her country of nationality before one can apply for a first residence permit for the child?

The time limit for applying for a residence permit for a child is 3 months of the child being born. If the child’s country of nationality has an embassy or a consulate in Finland, the child must obtain a passport issued by his or her country of nationality. If the child is born in Finland and it is not possible to get a passport from the child’s country of nationality in Finland, the child can be exempted from the passport requirement. The child can be issued with an alien’s passport so that he or she can obtain a passport issued by his or her country of nationality. The child must have a passport issued by his or her country of nationality at the latest when an application for an extended permit for the child is submitted.

How soon after the birth of a child in Finland does the residence permit application have to be submitted?

The application must be submitted within three months of the child’s birth.

Does the child, even a baby, have to be present in person when the application is submitted?

Usually, the child must be present when the application is submitted at a mission or at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service. However, the child does not have to be personally present, if there is a weighty medical reason why the child cannot be present.

Can anyone else besides the child’s parent or guardian or other legal representative fill in and submit the residence permit application if given power of attorney?

Yes, provided that the child’s parent or guardian or other legal representative of the child has given a power of attorney to the person. In such a case, a power of attorney with signature must be attached to the application.

Please note that the child must be present when the application is submitted at a Finnish mission abroad or at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service in Finland. This requirement applies to all children under the age of 18, including babies.

Rights

I have a residence permit for Finland on the basis of family ties. May I work and study in Finland?

If you have a residence permit granted on the basis of family ties, you have the right to gainful employment and study without restrictions in Finland.

Family member of a recipient of international protection

When will the sponsor have been granted a residence permit on the basis of international protection?

A sponsor residing in Finland will have been issued with a residence permit on the basis of international protection when he or she has been

  • granted asylum in Finland either on the basis of an asylum application or as a quota refugee
  • granted a residence permit on the basis of subsidiary protection, or
  • granted a residence permit prior to 1 June 2009 on the basis of the need for protection.