- Residence permit
- EU citizen
- Finnish citizenship
- Asylum in Finland
- Travel documents
- Income requirement
- Processing of applications
- Notify us of changes
- Requests and certificates
- Legislation
- Informing of the decision
- Appealing a decision
- Cancellation of a permit
- Refusal of entry and deportation
- Right to work
- For employers
- Travelling
- Visiting Finland
How to calculate the period of residence
Start date of period of residence
The start date of your period of residence depends on the permit you had when you moved to Finland.
- If you were granted a permit to move permanently to Finland (an A permit) before you moved to Finland, your period of residence is calculated from the date you moved.
- If you move permanently away from Finland, your period of residence will be interrupted.
- If you move back to Finland, your continuous period of residence will be calculated from the date you move back. You must have a valid residence permit.
- If you did not have a continuous residence permit (an A permit) when you arrived in Finland, your period of residence is calculated from the date when you received your first continuous residence permit.
If you had a temporary residence permit (a B permit) before you got a continuous residence permit, a half of the time you lived in Finland with a temporary residence permit is included in your period of residence. In such a case, you need to have had a continuous residence permit (an A permit) for at least one year immediately before the Finnish Immigration Service makes a decision on your citizenship application. The time you have lived in Finland with a temporary residence permit (the B permit) can only be included in your continuous period of residence.
If you have applied for asylum in Finland and you have been granted asylum or a residence permit on the basis of subsidiary protection or humanitarian protection, your period of residence is calculated from the date you submitted an asylum application or a residence permit application in Finland.
- If you are a Nordic citizen, your period of residence begins on the date you move to Finland or your notification of move is registered, depending on which of these takes place later.
-
If you are an EU citizen, your period of residence begins on the date you move to Finland or your notification of move is registered, depending on which of these takes place later.
Your period of residence will always begin on the later of these two dates. If you are an EU citizen, you have the right to stay in Finland for three months without getting registered at the Finnish Immigration Service. If you are an EU citizen and you stay in Finland for over three months, you must apply for registration of your right of residence at the Finnish Immigration Service.
-
If you are a family member of an EU citizen, your period of residence begins on the date you move to Finland or your notification of move is registered, depending on which of these takes place later.
Your period of residence will always begin on the later of these two dates. If you are a family member of an EU citizen, you must apply for a residence card for a family member of an EU citizen within three months of arriving in Finland.
Interruption in the period of residence
As a general rule, only the time you have lived in Finland with a residence permit counts towards your period of residence. If your residence permit expires before you get the next one, your continuous period of residence is usually interrupted.
Your period of residence is interrupted if you permanently move away from Finland. If you move back, the previous period(s) you lived in Finland will count towards your accumulated period of residence.
Effect of absence on continuous residence
Your continuous period of residence is interrupted if you leave Finland regularly for such long periods of time that you can be considered to reside the most of your time outside Finland.
The following periods of absence from Finland will not interrupt your continuous period of residence, and their time will be calculated as continuous residence time:
- absences of a maximum of one month
- a maximum of six periods of absence that last 1–2 months each
- a maximum of two periods of absence that last 2–6 months each
The following period of absence from Finland will not interrupt your continuous period of residence but it will not be calculated as continuous residence time:
- a period of absence that lasts longer than six months but one year at maximum
If you are absent from Finland for longer than a year, your continuous period of residence is interrupted. The periods you have lived in Finland before your absence will be counted towards your accumulated period of residence.
Your period of residence will not be interrupted if your absence is caused by a well-founded personal reason. The reason must be exceptional and unexpected, for example a sudden illness that begins abroad and prevents you from returning to Finland. Taking care of your ill parents or grandparents abroad or in your former home country has not usually been considered to be a well-founded personal reason.
Accumulated period of residence
If your continuous residence time is interrupted, the periods you have lived in Finland will nonetheless be counted towards your accumulated period of residence.
Your accumulated period of residence may consist of several periods of residence in Finland. In this case, the total time you have lived in Finland must be at least seven years, with the last two years without interruption. Normal holiday trips are, however, allowed during the two years before your application is decided. In this case, normal holiday trips mean that you may travel for four months in total during the whole two-year period.
The time you have lived in Finland with a temporary residence permit (the B permit) cannot be included in your accumulated period of residence.