Registering an EU citizen's right of residence

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Registration of the right of residence of a citizen of the European Union

Apply for the registration of your right of residence with this application if you are a citizen of the European Union, Liechtenstein or Switzerland and you will be staying in Finland for over three months. Please observe that citizens of a Nordic country register their right of residence at the Local Register Office.

Expected processing time
A decision will be made immediately
Electronic application fee
54 €
Paper application fee
54 €

Make sure you meet the following requirements:

You have arrived in Finland as an employed person or a self-employed person.
You have arrived in Finland as a family member.
You have arrived in Finland as a student.
If none of these grounds apply to you, you may still stay in Finland as long as you have sufficient funds to support yourself.

Process of registering the right of residence

Submit the registration request online in the e-service Enter Finland or with a paper application.

You need to submit the application yourself. Your employer or family member, for example, cannot apply for registration on your behalf.

After you have filled in an application, visit a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service in Finland:

If you have applied through the e-service, visit the Finnish Immigration Service to prove your identity 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.
If you have filled in a paper application, bring it with you. Prove your identity and show the originals of the documents that you have attached to your application.

The processing times for the registration of the right of residence of EU citizens and for residence cards for family members of an EU citizen are laid down in the Aliens Act.

The registration certificate shall be issued immediately after the EU citizen has provided a document showing that he or she fulfils the requirements for registration. A decision on a residence card application for a family member of an EU citizen will be made within six months of the application’s submission date. You may also use the Processing Time Checker to get an estimate on the remaining processing time of your application.

If you have submitted your application through the e-service, you may also supplement it there. If you have submitted a paper application, you may supplement it by post or by bringing additional documents to an office or a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service during opening hours. Fill in a covering note and attach it to your additional documents. Read more on the page "Supplementing your application".

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

If you meet the requirements for registration, the Finnish Immigration Service will issue you a registration certificate. It will be given to you when you visit the Finnish Immigration Service. The certificate includes your name and address as well as the date of registration. If we are unable to give you a decision on your visit because some documents are missing, you will receive it later by post or in the e-service Enter Finland.

If you have applied for registration online, you will receive an email or a text message notification when a decision has been made.

The registration of your right of residence is valid until further notice. In other words, you do not have to extend the validity of the registration. When you have resided legally in Finland for a continuous period of five years, you have the right to permanent residence.

You will receive the registration certificate on paper. If you wish to have a Finnish identity card, you may apply for one from the police after the Finnish Immigration Service has registered your right of residence. Further information about applying for an identity card is available on the website of the Finnish police. Please notice that it is not obligatory to apply for an identity card. You may apply for one if you wish.

If you are not satisfied with the decision, the Finnish law gives you 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.

This is what you should do:

1

Read the migri.fi website carefully.

Read the website to find out about the registration of the right of residence, the residence card of a family member of an EU citizen, and detailed instructions on how to use the services of the Finnish Immigration Service.

2

Make sure you meet the requirements for registration.

3

Make sure you have all the necessary attachments.

If any attachments are missing, it will delay the processing of your application.

The attachments you need are listed on this site and on the application.

If necessary, you should have your attachments translated and legalised.

4

Fill in the application carefully.

Fill in your application online in our e-service Enter Finland. If you cannot fill in an application online, please use a paper application.

If the Finnish Immigration Service has to ask you to supplement your application, this will delay the processing of your application.

5

Book an appointment at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.

Book an appointment in our appointment system online: migri.vihta.com

If you have applied for registration online in the e-service Enter Finland, you must later visit a service point to prove your identity.

If you have used a paper form to apply for registration, you must submit the application to us personally and pay a processing fee at one of our service points.

Bring all your attachments with you.

6

We will inform you when we have made a decision on your matter.

The Finnish Immigration Service will contact you if necessary.

You do not need to contact the Finnish Immigration Service while your application is being processed.

If we need further information from you, we will contact you.