Residence permit application for a child whose parent or guardian has a fixed-term residence permit
Use this application to apply for a fixed-term residence permit for a child if:
the child is under 18 years of age and unmarried and
the child’s parent or guardian holds a fixed-term residence permit in Finland (A permit or B permit) and
the child and parent or guardian intend to live together in Finland.
Following the legislative amendments that entered into force on 8 January 2026, a child under 18 years of age living in Finland may be granted a permanent residence permit without having to meet the period of residence requirement if the child’s parent or guardian has one of the following:
If your child is born in Finland, apply for a residence permit for the child within 3 months of the child’s birth. Apply for a residence permit for the child even if you are applying for Finnish citizenship for the child.
Permit requirements
Make sure that the following requirements and the general requirements for entry into Finland are met. See the general requirements for entry into the country on the page First residence permit.
Whether the child is required to be a minor may depend on whether the application was submitted within 3 months of the day when the child was served the decision that he or she has been granted asylum or refugee status. Send your application using the online service Enter Finland or submit a paper application at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) abroad within 3 months of the date on which your child was served with the decision.
If you are unable to submit a paper application within this time, for example due to a lack of appointments at the Finnish mission, you must use the first available appointment to submit the application.
If the child’s parents or guardians have joint custody of the child and the other parent or guardian lives abroad, he or she must give his or her consent for the child to move to Finland. The consent must be given as a written document that is confirmed by a notary public or another authority.
If the child’s parents or guardians are divorced and the child is moving to Finland to live with the parent or guardian who is living in Finland, attach a document on the custody of the child to the application.
The documents must be legalised, unless they have been issued by authorities of the Nordic countries or by authorities of an EU Member State. See the page Interpretation, translation and legalisation for instructions on how to have your documents legalised.
If the child is your biological child
Submit the child’s birth certificate. If the child’s parents are divorced or were not married to each other when the child was born, submit a certificate issued by authorities of the custody of your biological child.
If the child is adopted
Present proof of adoption.
If the child is your foster child
Submit evidence that the persons who previously had custody of the child have died or are missing. In addition, submit evidence that you or your spouse had actual custody of the child before you entered Finland.
‘Foster child’ means a child who:
is under 18 years of age and unmarried
is under actual care of the person who has custody of him or her on the day a decision is made on the residence permit application
has no official statement on his or her dependency status.
The income requirement (requirement for sufficient financial resources) must be met. You can prove that the income requirement is met by submitting evidence of, for example, salary or income from business activities that the parent or guardian living in Finland receives. Income cannot be based on social assistance, labour market subsidy or basic unemployment allowance.
The child’s valid passport. Present your passport when you submit your residence permit application. For more information, see the page Passports and other travel documents.
A passport photo of the child, 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.
Evidence of income or financial resources. The application form contains further details on what documents you must submit as proof of your income and financial resources. What documents you must provide depends on how you will secure sufficient financial resources for yourself in Finland.
Examples of acceptable income sources for parents and guardians:
gainful employment or business activities
pension, assets or other income (such as rental income or income from dividends).
The documents must be legalised, unless they have been issued by authorities of the Nordic countries or by authorities of an EU Member State. See the page Interpretation, translation and legalisation for instructions on how to have your documents legalised.
The child’s valid passport. Present your passport when you submit your residence permit application. For more information, see the page Passports and other travel documents.
A passport photo of the child, 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.
Supplement form for parent or guardian, LIITE_LAPSI_EN (pdf) (attach the form only if the child's parents or guardians do not apply for a residence permit at the same time as the child or if one of the parents or guardians does not move to live in Finland).
Document showing that you are legally staying in the country where you submit the application.
Form MP_1 (pdf) (if the child is already in Finland and applies for his or her first residence permit).
Birth certificate with information on the child's parents.
Document on the custody of the child.
Consent given by the other guardian (pdf) for the child to move to Finland (if the guardian will not move to Finland at the same time) (the document must be confirmed by a notary public or another authority).
Consent from the guardian’s spouse who lives in Finland for the child to move to the same household with the guardian and the spouse (if the guardian lives in Finland with a spouse who is not the child’s parent).
Certificate of establishment of paternity (if the child is born out of wedlock).
Decision on adoption (if the child is adopted).
Evidence of income or financial resources. The application form contains further details on what documents you must submit as proof of your income and financial resources. What documents you must provide depends on how you will secure sufficient financial resources for yourself in Finland.
Examples of acceptable income sources for parents and guardians:
gainful employment or business activities
pension, assets or other income (such as rental income or income from dividends).
Divorce certificate (if the parents of the child are divorced).
Death certificate (if one or both of the child’s parents have died).
The documents must be legalised, unless they have been issued by authorities of the Nordic countries or by authorities of an EU Member State. See the page Interpretation, translation and legalisation for instructions on how to have your documents legalised.
The child’s valid passport. Present your passport when you submit your residence permit application. For more information, see the page Passports and other travel documents.
A passport photo of the child, 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 child’s passport page containing personal data and of all pages with notes in the passport.
Colour copies of the passport page containing personal data and of all pages with notes in the passport of the guardian living in Finland.
Document showing that you are legally staying in the country where you submit the application.
Form MP_1 (pdf) (if the child is already in Finland and applies for his or her first residence permit).
Birth certificate with information on the child's parents.
Document on the custody of the child.
Consent given by the other guardian (pdf) for the child to move to Finland (if the guardian will not move to Finland at the same time) (the document must be confirmed by a notary public or another authority).
Consent from the guardian’s spouse who lives in Finland for the child to move to the same household with the guardian and the spouse (if the guardian lives in Finland with a spouse who is not the child’s parent).
Evidence of income or financial resources. The application form contains further details on what documents you must submit as proof of your income and financial resources. What documents you must provide depends on how you will secure sufficient financial resources for yourself in Finland.
Examples of acceptable income sources for parents and guardians:
gainful employment or business activities
pension, assets or other income (such as rental income or income from dividends).
Certificate of establishment of paternity (if the child is born out of wedlock).
Decision on adoption (if the child is adopted).
Divorce certificate (if the parents of the child are divorced).
Death certificate (if one or both of the child’s parents have died).
Fill in the application:
If you apply for a residence permit online in Enter Finland, you need to pay the processing fee
with a credit card or with Finnish online banking credentials when you submit your application, or
when you visit a Finnish embassy or consulate abroad to prove your identity.
If you apply for a residence permit with a paper application, you need to pay the processing fee
when you visit a Finnish embassy or consulate abroad to prove your identity.
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.
