Seasonal work

Seasonal work refers to work in agriculture and tourism that is done at certain times of the year. The types of seasonal work for which a permit is required include forestry, crop farming and festival work. A detailed list of seasonal jobs. Forest berry pickers do not need to apply for a permit if they will work for less than three months.

There are different types of permits for seasonal work.

• A person from a country whose citizens are required to have a visa who is coming to work for a maximum of 90 days needs a visa for seasonal work. Applications for a visa for seasonal work are processed and decided by the Finnish missions (embassies and consulates).
• A person from a country whose citizens are not required to have a visa who is coming to work for a maximum of 90 days needs a certificate for seasonal work. The Finnish Immigration Service grants the certificate.
• A person who will work in Finland for three to nine months needs a residence permit for seasonal work. Applications for a residence permit for seasonal work are submitted to the Finnish Immigration Service. If the seasonal work will last for six to nine months, an Employment and Economic Development Office will first make a partial decision.

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

Yes. Persons who will work on berry farms, for example, can sign employment contracts with several different companies already before they start working. In this case, the necessary details and attachment about every employer must be included in the application.

If the timing of the employments is clearly divided into separate time periods, for instance in May–June and then again in September–October, applications must be submitted for separate certificates for seasonal work for each employment period.

Yes. Seasonal workers coming to Finland must have secure means of support from the income they receive from their work. The salary must follow the appropriate collective agreement.

The employer must guarantee the employee so many hours of work that the employee’s total salary, calculated by multiplying the hourly wage laid down in the collective agreement and the number of working hours, is at least 1,252 euros per month.

The employer must always fill in the application form TY6_plus and the form must be attached to the application. The form contains basic information about the employer, the employee and the terms of employment.

The form can also be found in the e-service Enter Finland. We recommend that even the employer use Enter Finland.