P-EU permit (long-term resident’s EU residence permit for third-country nationals)
You can apply for a P-EU residence permit (long-term resident’s EU residence permit) if you are a third-country national, in other words, a citizen of a country other than a Member State of the European Union, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland.
The P-EU residence permit is valid until further notice.
For more information on the P-EU permit application, the requirements for the permit and the necessary attachments to the application, see the page Application for a long-term resident's EU residence permit for third-country nationals.
The requirements for permanent residence permits have changed on 8 January 2026 when amendments to the Aliens Act entered into force.
You must have lived in Finland legally for at least five years by the time you submit your application
You must have lived in Finland legally for at least 5 years under one of the following:
- a continuous residence permit (A permit)
- a permanent residence permit (P permit)
- a residence card of a family member of an EU citizen
- right of residence under the withdrawal agreement (Brexit permit).
If you hold an EU Blue Card, your period of residence in Finland may in some cases also include residence in another EU Member State. For more information on continuous residence and calculation of periods of residence, see the page Period of residence requirement.
When you apply for a P-EU permit, the required period of residence (5 years) must be met when you submit the application. The time that it takes us to process your application will not be counted towards the required period of residence. The decision will be negative if you submit your application too early and do not meet the residence requirement.
If you cannot be granted a P-EU permit, we will, if necessary, consider whether you can be granted a new continuous residence permit (A permit). We will consider this, for example, if your current residence permit has already expired. In that case, we will examine the grounds for a continuous residence permit (A permit) that you have stated in the application.
Apply for an extended permit if the period of residence requirement is not yet met. For more information about applying for an extended permit, see the page Extended permit.
If you are a family member of an EU citizen, apply for a new residence card of a family member of an EU citizen. If you have lived legally in Finland together with an EU citizen for a continuous period of 5 years, you can apply for a permanent residence card of a family member. Read more on the pages Residence card of a family member of an EU citizen in Finland and Permanent residence card for a family member of an EU citizen.
If you are considering applying for a permanent residence permit, you can read about the requirements for the permit on the page Application for a permanent residence permit.
As from 8 January 2026, you must meet the language skills requirement to be granted a P-EU permit
If you apply for a P-EU permit on or after 8 January 2026, you must meet the requirement for Finnish or Swedish language skills in addition to the other requirements for obtaining a P-EU permit.
The level of your oral and written Finnish or Swedish language skills must be good. This skill level corresponds to level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. For further information on how to prove your language skills, see the page Language skills requirement.
You must have sufficient financial resources
Obtaining a P-EU residence permit always requires sufficient financial resources. You can prove that you have sufficient financial resources by presenting proof of being employed, having a business, receiving pension or benefits or having other funds or assets.
Your financial resources in Finland cannot be based on benefits paid by society, such as social assistance. See the application form for information on what documents you must provide on financial resources.
If you have committed offences, it may not be possible for you to get a P-EU permit
Even minor offences or suspected offences may prevent getting a P-EU permit. If you cannot be granted a P-EU permit due to offences, for example, we will consider whether you can be granted a new continuous residence permit (A permit) if necessary.
If you have been sentenced to unconditional imprisonment in Finland or outside Finland, your period of continuous residence has been interrupted. The calculation of your period of residence will then start from the beginning at the earliest when you have served your sentence in full.
For more information on the consequences of offences on getting a P-EU permit, see the page Impact of crimes on getting a permanent residence permit.
Apply for a P-EU permit in Finland
You cannot be granted a P-EU permit if you are not in Finland. If you submit your application outside Finland, your application will be processed as an application for a first residence permit. In this case, the processing fee for your application is the same as the processing fee for a first residence permit.
After applying
Wait for the decision. You may not be able to travel outside Finland if your current residence permit expires during the processing of your P-EU application. The estimated processing times can be found on the page Processing times.
New residence permit card
If you have a P-EU permit and your residence permit card is about to expire, you do not need to apply for a new P-EU permit. Apply for a new residence permit card instead. For more information, see the page Renewal of a residence permit card. A residence permit card must be renewed every 5 years.
