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

4 months / extended permit 3 months
Expected processing time for paper application

4 months / extended permit 3 months
Electronic application fee

240 €
Paper application fee

270 €

Guardian ia a Finnish citizen

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 in the online service Enter Finland or use a paper application form.

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. In addition, you will usually receive automated messages at the different processing stages of your application.

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.

Income requirement

You do not need to have sufficient financial resources.

Right to work

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

Attachments when a child is applying for a residence permit at the same time with his or her guardian

The child’s valid passport accepted by Finland (um.fi). Present your passport when you submit your residence permit application
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 (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)
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)

Attachments when the child is applying for a residence permit alone in order to move in with his or her guardian who is living in Finland

The child’s valid passport accepted by Finland (um.fi). Present your passport when you submit your residence permit application
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
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 (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 (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)