P-EU permit (long-term resident's EU residence permit for third-country nationals)

Third-country nationals who have lived in Finland for a sufficient time can apply for a P-EU permit (a long-term resident’s EU residence permit). There are also other permit requirements that must be met.

You are a third-country national if you are a citizen of a country that is not an EU Member State and not Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.

The P-EU residence permit is valid until further notice. Even though the period of validity of the permit itself is not limited, you must still renew your residence permit card every 5 years.

You can apply for a P-EU permit when you meet the requirements

You are staying in Finland legally. You must hold one of the following permits and the permit must be valid:
- 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).
You have lived legally in Finland for a continuous period of 5 with a continuous residence permit (an A permit) years immediately before submitting the application.
You hold a valid passport issued by your country of nationality.
- You do not need a passport issued by your country of nationality if you have refugee status or subsidiary protection status in Finland, in another EU Member State or in a country comparable to EU Member States (Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland).

You have enough money to live in Finland.
- You can prove that you have sufficient financial resources by presenting proof of being employed, of having a business, of receiving pension or certain benefits, or of having other funds or assets. Read more on the page Income requirement.

If you have committed crimes or are suspected of a crime, granting a P-EU permit is not necessarily possible.

Calculating your period of residence for the P-EU permit

When you hold a continuous (A) or permanent (P) residence permit:

If you live in Finland with a continuous residence permit (an A permit) or with a permanent residence permit (a P permit), the required period of residence is calculated from the first day of validity of your first continuous residence permit (the first A permit).
If you held a continuous residence permit (an A permit) already when you arrived in Finland, the required period of residence is calculated from the day when you arrived in Finland.

When you hold a residence permit on the basis of international protection:

If you have been granted a residence permit on the basis of international protection, the required period of residence is calculated from the day when you lodged your application for international protection.

When you hold a residence card of a family member of an EU citizen:

If you reside in Finland with a residence card of a family member of an EU citizen, the required period of residence is calculated from the day when your legal and continuous residence in Finland began. This is usually the day when you moved to Finland.

When you hold a Brexit permit:

If you reside in Finland with a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement (that is, with a Brexit permit), the required period of residence is calculated from the day when your legal and continuous residence in Finland began. This is usually the day when you moved to Finland.

If you have previously held a temporary residence permit (a B permit), the time that you have lived in Finland with a B permit will not be counted towards the required 5 years.

When you hold an EU Blue Card:

Legal residence in another EU Member State may be counted towards your period of residence if:

you have lived in Finland with an EU Blue Card for at least 2 years immediately before you apply for the P-EU permit and
before that, you have lived in another EU Member State for at least 12 months with an EU Blue Card issued by the other EU Member State and
you have lived within the EU for a continuous period of 5 years or more and have held one of the following permits:
- EU Blue Card
- residence permit for a specialist
- residence permit for a researcher
- a continuous residence permit (an A permit) on the basis of studies
- a residence permit on the basis of international protection.

When you hold a residence permit for studies:

Usually, you cannot get a P-EU permit if you currently hold a residence permit for studies.

If you have earlier held a continuous residence permit (an A permit) on the basis of studies, up to half of the time that you have lived in Finland legally with a residence permit for studies may be counted towards the required period of residence.

If you have earlier held a temporary residence permit (a B permit), the time that you have spent in Finland with a B permit is not counted towards the required 5 years.

How does time spent outside Finland affect the period of residence?

You must have lived in Finland for a continuous period. There must not be interruptions in your residence in Finland. Travelling outside Finland may interrupt your continuous residence.

The following types of absence from Finland do not interrupt your continuous residence:

if you spend less than 6 consecutive months outside Finland and
if the total time you have been away from Finland does not exceed 10 months during the 5 years.
- You may be granted an exemption from these time limits for certain reasons, such as because of studies, work outside Finland, or because of a serious illness of a close relative. The reason for your absence from Finland and the duration of your absence will be assessed when we make a decision on your application.

If you hold an EU Blue Card, your continuous residence is not interrupted if you have resided outside the EU for less than 12 consecutive months and if your periods of absence, when added together, do not exceed 18 months.

Wait until the required period of residence is complete before you apply

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 investigate whether you could instead be granted a permanent residence permit (a P permit) or a continuous residence permit (an A permit).

You can apply for a permanent residence permit if you have resided in Finland for 4 years with a continuous (A) residence permit. Apply for an extended permit if you do not yet meet the period of residence requirement of 5 years for a P-EU permit or 4 years for a permanent residence permit.

If you are a family member of an EU citizen and do not yet meet the residence requirement of 5 years, apply for a new residence card for a family member of an EU citizen or for a permanent residence card for a family member.

Application process when you are applying for an P-EU residence permit

Submit the application in the e-service Enter Finland or on paper.

After you have filled in the application, you must visit a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.

If you have applied through the e-service, visit the Finnish Immigration Service to prove your identity, have your fingerprints taken and show the originals of the documents that you have attached to your application. If you submit your application through the e-service, pay for it there or when you visit a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.
If you have filled in a paper application, bring the filled-in application with you. Have your fingerprints taken, prove your identity and show the originals of the documents that you have attached to your application. Pay for your application at the service point.

You can find the expected processing times on the page Processing times. You may also use the Processing Time Checker to get an estimate on the remaining processing time of your application.

If we notice that something is missing from your application or if we need additional information from you, we will contact you.

You may legally reside in Finland during the processing of your application and the possible appeal process.

If you need to supplement your application, you can do so in one of the following ways:

Electronic application
- Send the additional information in the e-service through the page "Send additional information". This is the only way you can supplement an electronic application.
If you submitted a paper application:
- by post
- by email
- by bringing your additional documents to a service point or an office of the Finnish Immigration Service during their opening hours. There is a postbox meant for additional documents in all of our service points. Put your documents in the box.

Read more on the page Notify us of changes.

You may cancel your application at any time during its processing. Read more on the page Cancelling an application.

If you have applied for a residence permit through the e-service Enter Finland, you will get an e-mail or a text message when a decision has been made. You will also see it in your user account in the e-service.

If you applied for a residence permit by submitting a paper application, you will be informed about the decision by the police, or the Finnish Immigration Service will inform you about it by post.

Some decisions will be sent by post with an advice of delivery. Read more about collecting your letter on the Advice of delivery page.

If you are granted a residence permit, you will receive a residence permit card.

If you get a negative decision, you may be deported.

If you are not satisfied with the decision, you have the right to appeal against the decision to an Administrative Court. Instructions on how to appeal will be attached to the decision.

The majority of decisions made by the Administrative Courts are subject to a fee. Contact an Administrative Court to find out more about court fees.

P-EU permit (long-term resident's EU residence permit for third-country nationals)

You can apply for a P-EU permit when you meet the requirements

Calculating your period of residence for the P-EU permit

When you hold a continuous (A) or permanent (P) residence permit:

When you hold a residence permit on the basis of international protection:

When you hold a Brexit permit:

When you hold an EU Blue Card:

When you hold a residence permit for studies:

How does time spent outside Finland affect the period of residence?

Wait until the required period of residence is complete before you apply

Application process when you are applying for an P-EU residence permit

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Permits and citizenship

Services

Finnish Immigration Service

P-EU permit (long-term resident's EU residence permit for third-country nationals)

You can apply for a P-EU permit when you meet the requirements

Calculating your period of residence for the P-EU permit

When you hold a continuous (A) or permanent (P) residence permit:

When you hold a residence permit on the basis of international protection:

When you hold a Brexit permit:

When you hold an EU Blue Card:

When you hold a residence permit for studies:

How does time spent outside Finland affect the period of residence?

Wait until the required period of residence is complete before you apply

Application process when you are applying for an P-EU residence permit

1 Submitting an application

2 Processing of the application

3 Supplementing or cancelling your application

4 Decision and notification of the decision

5 Appealing a decision

Are you looking for these?

Permits and citizenship

Services

Finnish Immigration Service