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 times:

Processing times
Electronic application fee

270 €
Paper application fee

300 €

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.

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.
A passport photo of the child, complying with the photo guidelines issued by the police (poliisi.fi), or a photograph retrieval code you received from a photo shop
- 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.
A passport photo of the child, complying with the photo guidelines issued by the police (poliisi.fi), 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.
Supplement form for parent or guardian, LIITE_LAPSI (pdf) (to be filled in and signed by the guardian living in Finland).
Supplement form for parent or guardian, LIITE_LAPSI (pdf) (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 (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.

Book an appointment to visit a Finnish mission (finlandabroad.fi) to prove your identity.

Applications for a first residence permit can be submitted in Finland only in certain exceptional situations.

For more information, see the page Proving your identity abroad.