Seasonal work

Seasonal work is work in agriculture, forestry and tourism that is tied to a certain time of the year. The maximum duration of seasonal work is 9 months within a 12-month period. 

Under the Seasonal Workers Act, seasonal work may be agricultural and garden work, forestry and work in the tourism sector, for example. Picking of wild berries is also counted as seasonal work.

Read more about seasonal work in Finland.

Foreign nationals who arrive in Finland to do seasonal work need a permit. Which permit they must apply for depends on how long the seasonal work lasts. A 'seasonal work permit’ can be a seasonal work visa, a certificate for seasonal work or a residence permit for seasonal work.  

• Visa for seasonal work: A person from a country whose citizens need a visa to Finland and who arrives in Finland to do seasonal work for up to 90 days must apply for a visa for seasonal work (um.fi). Applications for visas for seasonal work are processed and decided on by the Finnish missions (embassies and consulates). Read more about visas (um.fi). 
• Certificate for seasonal work: Seasonal workers from a country whose citizens do not need a visa to Finland must apply for a certificate for seasonal work if their seasonal work lasts for a maximum of 90 days. The Finnish Immigration Service grants the certificate. 
• Residence permit for seasonal work: A foreign national who will work in Finland for 3 to 9 months needs a residence permit for seasonal work. The Finnish Immigration Service decides the residence permit application. If the seasonal work lasts for 6–9 months, the processing of the application involves a labour market test, which means assessing the availability of labour already in the labour market.

Yes, it is possible to have more than one employer. Seasonal workers at berry farms, for example, may sign employment contracts with several companies already before they start working. In such cases, the necessary details and documents on each employer must be attached to the application. 

A seasonal worker who finds a new employer that is not yet registered in the seasonal work permit can apply for the addition of the employer to the permit.

Yes, seasonal workers' wages must follow the relevant collective agreement. Seasonal workers who come to Finland must earn enough money in their employment relationship so that they meet the income requirement. Seasonal workers' salary must at least correspond to the salary specified in the collective agreement that is applicable to the employment relationship.

Read more about the income requirement.

The employer must always complete the seasonal worker’s application with information about the employer and the employee and about the terms of employment. Employers should preferably use the online service Enter Finland for Employers to provide the required information.

Using Enter Finland for Employers to supplement the application will shorten the processing time of the application, and the employee will get the decision sooner. Employers who cannot use the online service for some reason can fill in and submit a supplement form on paper.

Statistics on permits for seasonal work can be found in our statistical service. During the season, we update the situation on our seasonal work page, too.