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 the parent or guardian has Finnish citizenship, find out whether the child can obtain Finnish citizenship instead of a residence permit. For more information, see the page Finnish citizenship for a child.
Requirements
Make sure 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.
The spouse may be a wife or husband or a cohabiting partner.
If your parents have joint custody and one of your parents lives abroad, this parent must also give his/her consent for you 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 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.
Attachments
Submit the documents that your situation requires. 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.
The passport photo must be no more than 6 months old.
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).
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).
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.
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).
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.
