Frequently asked questions: Seasonal work
Who needs a permit to do seasonal work?
When you are coming to Finland to do seasonal work, you must apply for the appropriate permit for it. The term 'seasonal work permit' refers to a seasonal work visa, a certificate for seasonal work or a residence permit for seasonal work. Which seasonal work permit you need to apply for depends on the duration of your employment.
To check if you need a visa, see the website of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (um.fi).
- You need a visa for seasonal work if you intend to work for a maximum of 90 days and come from a country whose citizens need a visa to Finland. Applications for a visa for seasonal work are processed and decided by the Finnish missions (embassies and consulates).
- You need a certificate for seasonal work if you are coming from a country whose citizens are not required to have a visa and will work for a maximum of 90 days. The Finnish Immigration Service grants the certificate.
- You need a residence permit for seasonal work if you will work in Finland for 3 to 9 months. Submit your residence permit application to the Finnish Immigration Service. If you will work for 6 to 9 months, an Employment and Economic Development Office will first make a partial decision.
- You can also apply for the addition of a new employer to your currently valid seasonal work permit.
How do I apply for a seasonal work permit?
Use the online service Enter Finland to apply for the following:
- certificate for seasonal work
- residence permit for seasonal work
- addition of a new employer.
The online service Enter Finland is the quickest and most affordable way to apply.
If you cannot use online services and the seasonal work lasts for a maximum of 90 days:
- You can send a request for a certificate for seasonal work and the necessary attachments by email or by post to the Finnish Immigration Service.
If you cannot use online services and the seasonal work lasts for 3 to 9 months:
- You can apply for a residence permit for seasonal work at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) abroad. You cannot send the application by email or by post.
- If you are renewing your seasonal work permit, you can also apply for the permit in Finland by submitting the application at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.
If you cannot use online services and you want to apply for the addition of a new employer:
- Send the application form and the form TY6_plus by email to the address migri@migri.fi.
You can only apply for a seasonal work visa at a Finnish mission abroad.
I want to come to Finland to pick wild berries in the summer of 2024, but I cannot get a visa. Which residence permit should I apply for?
Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs will not issue visas for wild-berry pickers from countries within the consular district of the Embassy of Finland in Bangkok for the summer 2024. You can read more about this in a press release issued by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (um.fi).
If you have an employment relationship in order to pick wild berries, you can apply for a residence permit for an employed person. Employment relationship means that you have an employer with whom you have a contract concerning your work and salary. Read more on the page Residence permit for an employed person.
You cannot get a seasonal work permit on the basis of wild-berry picking.
Can a seasonal worker have several employers?
Yes, it is possible to have more than one employer. Those who will work on berry farms, for example, can sign an employment contract with several companies already before they start working.
If you intend to work for several employers, provide the information and attachments on each employer at the application stage. You can supplement your application while it is still being processed by the Finnish Immigration Service.
If you get employed by a new employer who is not yet registered in your seasonal work permit, you can apply for the addition of the employer to your permit. You can work for the new employer for as long as your current seasonal work permit is valid. For more information, see: How to apply for the addition of a new employer.
If your employment with the new employer will last longer than your seasonal work permit is valid, you must apply for a new residence permit, not the addition of a new employer. Please use the Application Finder to check which permit you should apply for.
Does the employer have to pay the minimum wage according to the collective agreement?
A seasonal worker who comes to Finland must have sufficient financial resources secured by income from gainful employment, and your wage must be at minimum in accordance with the collective agreement that applies to your employment relationship.
What details does my employer need to provide for the application?
The employer must always fill in the terms of employment in an application concerning seasonal work. The fastest way to do this is to log in to Enter Finland for Employers and fill in the details under 'waiting for work conditions'.
If the employer cannot use Enter Finland for Employers, the employer must use the paper form TY6_plus to submit the terms of employment. The form covers basic information about the employer, the employee and the terms of employment.
"The applicant must have appropriate accommodation." What does this mean?
The living conditions must fulfil the generally recognised health and safety requirements for housing in Finland. The accommodation must be warm, fire safe and equipped with sufficient toilet and bathroom facilities. It must also have warm water for washing and enough room to sleep in.
How can I follow the processing of my application?
When you apply for a seasonal work permit online in Enter Finland, you can follow the processing of your application in the online service.
In high season, the processing situation of applications for a seasonal work permit is updated every week on the page Seasonal work.
We process applications for seasonal work in the order in which they have been submitted. However, we take into account the starting date of the employment in the processing.
We try to process applications submitted for the same employer at the same time.
The legal processing time for seasonal work applications is 90 days.
I am currently working in Finland with a residence permit for seasonal work. I would like to keep doing seasonal work in Finland. The work lasts for 2 months. Can I apply for a certificate for seasonal work?
No, you cannot. Applying for a certificate for seasonal work in order to continue your stay is not possible. Depending on the length of the employment relationship, you need to apply for either a residence permit for seasonal work or a residence permit for an employed person. If you have a residence permit in Finland granted on other grounds or if you have a pending residence permit application in Finland, you cannot apply for a seasonal work certificate, either.
How can I pay the processing fee?
There are different ways to pay the fee.
Certificate for seasonal work:
- You can pay online in Enter Finland with the most common credit cards or with Finnish online banking credentials.
- You can also pay by bank transfer directly to the bank account of the Finnish Immigration Service: FI59 8129 9710 0117 35 or FI86 1804 3000 0154 04. Write your name and the reference ‘Certificate for seasonal work’ in the message field. After making the payment, log in to Enter Finland and attach a receipt of the payment to your application. Attach to your application a copy of the receipt also when you are applying with a paper form.
Residence permit for seasonal work:
- You can pay online in Enter Finland. Finnish online banking credentials and all major credit cards are accepted.
- Alternatively, you can pay the processing fee when you visit a Finnish mission abroad or a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service in Finland to prove your identity. Before the visit, you must have filled in the application form or submitted an online application in Enter Finland.
I am going to return to the same employer for whom I worked 3 years ago. How do I apply for a seasonal work permit?
The application process is the same as when applying for a seasonal work permit to work for a new employer, but you do not need to fill in all the sections in the application.
For instructions on how to apply, see the page Seasonal workers returning to work for a previous employer.
I would like to know the rights that a picker of wild berries has in Finland. Whom can I ask about this?
You can contact the TE Office of Northern Ostrobothnia which supervises matters related to wild berry picking. The rights of pickers of wild berries are laid down in the Act on the legal status of foreigners picking natural products (finlex.fi). The Finnish Immigration Service does not apply or interpret this Act.