Residence permit application on the basis of family ties for a child whose guardian lives in Finland

Apply with this application for a residence permit for an unmarried child under 18 years of age. The purpose of applying for the residence permit is that the child will move to Finland to lead a family life with his or her guardian.

Expected processing time for electronic application

First permit 9 months / extended permit 4–6 months
Expected processing time for paper application

First permit 9 months / extended permit 4–6 months
Electronic application fee

240 €
Paper application fee

270 €

Guardian in Finland with a residence permit

If your child is born in Finland, you must apply for a residence permit for the baby within three months of the birth. You must apply for a residence permit for your child even if you have applied for Finnish citizenship for him or her, because the child needs to have the right to stay in Finland.

This is what you should do

1

Make sure you meet the requirements for the residence permit you are applying for.

2

Make sure you have all the attachments needed. If necessary, have them translated and legalised. The processing time may be longer if you have not filled in your application sufficiently.

3

Fill in your application.

4

Pay for your application in the online service Enter Finland, at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) or at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.

5

If you are abroad, visit a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate). If you are already in Finland, book an appointment at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.

6

Wait for a decision. The Finnish Immigration Service will contact you if necessary.

7

Read what happens after you have applied. Check the estimated processing time of your application here.

8

You should wait for the residence permit in the same country or locality where you submitted your application and proved your identity.

General requirements for entry into Finland

Make sure you meet the general requirements for entry into Finland before you submit an application.

Requirements

Make sure you also meet the following requirements:

If the guardian is your biological parent, demonstrate your family ties by presenting a birth certificate.The certificate must be legalised, unless it has been issued in the Nordic countries or in an EU Member State.
If he/she is not your biological parent but other guardian, present a document given to you by an authority as proof that he/she is your guardian. The document must be legalised, unless it has been issued in the Nordic countries.
Documents issued by other than Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or Icelandic authorities must be legalised.

Income requirement

You have secure means of support.

You cannot secure your means of support with benefits paid by the society.
Your means of support may for example be secured by the income from employment or business activities of a sponsor living in Finland.

Right to work

You have an unrestricted right to work. You cannot start working before you get a residence permit.

If the holder of a residence permit card is under 18 years of age, his or her right to work will be printed on the card only if he or she has turned or will turn 15 during the card’s period of validity. Finnish labour legislation sets restrictions on the work of persons who are under 18 years of age.

Attachments

The child’s valid passport (you must present it when you submit the residence permit application)
Passport photo of the child, complying with the photo guidelines issued by the police
Document showing that you are legally staying in the country where you submit the application
Form MP_1 (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 (must be legalised if not issued in the Nordic countries or in an EU Member State)
Document on the custody of the child (must be legalised if not issued in the Nordic countries)
Consent given by the other guardian 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) (must be legalised if not issued in the Nordic countries or in an EU Member State)
Decision on adoption (if the child is adopted) (must be legalised if not issued in the Nordic countries or in an EU Member State)
Divorce certificate (if the parents of the child are divorced) (must be legalised if not issued in the Nordic countries or in an EU Member State)
Death certificate (if one or both of the child’s parents have died) (must be legalised if not issued in the Nordic countries or in an EU Member State)

The child’s valid passport (you must present it when you submit the residence permit application)
Passport photo of the child, complying with the photo guidelines issued by the police
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
Form for clarification of family ties PK4_plus (to be filled in and signed by the guardian living in Finland)
Form for clarification of family ties PH4_plus (to be filled in and signed by the guardian living in the child’s home country)
Document showing that you are legally staying in the country where you submit the application
Form MP_1 (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 (must be legalised if not issued in the Nordic countries or in an EU Member State)
Document on the custody of the child (must be legalised if not issued in the Nordic countries)
Consent given by the other guardian 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)
Statement on income in Finland:
- The pay slips and bank statements of the guardian living in Finland from the past six months, for all Finnish bank accounts the guardian can use
- Copy of the latest tax card, tax decision and tax return of the guardian living in Finland
- Copy of the employment contract of the guardian living in Finland
- Documents concerning the business of the guardian living in Finland (income statement, balance sheet, audit report, number of employees and salaries paid to them, private withdrawals and deposits, bank statements, contact information of the accountant, trade register extract, bill of sale, tenancy agreement for the premises)
- Report on other income or assets that can be transferred to the guardian living in Finland (for example, pensions, dividends, rents)
Certificate of establishment of paternity (if the child is born out of wedlock) (must be legalised if not issued in the Nordic countries or in an EU Member State)
Decision on adoption (if the child is adopted) (must be legalised if not issued in the Nordic countries or in an EU Member State)
Divorce certificate (if the parents of the child are divorced) (must be legalised if not issued in the Nordic countries or in an EU Member State)
Death certificate (if one or both of the child’s parents have died) (must be legalised if not issued in the Nordic countries or in an EU Member State)