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Residence permit application for former Finnish citizens

Apply for a residence permit with this application if you have been a Finnish citizen.

  • Expected processing time

    8–11 months

  • Paper application fee

    520 €

General requirements for entry into Finland

Make sure you meet the general requirements for entry into Finland before you submit an application.

Requirements

You must also meet the following requirements:

  • You are a former Finnish citizen.

You do not need to have secure means of support.

This is what you should do

1

Make sure you meet the requirements for the residence permit you are applying for.

2

Make sure you have all the attachments needed for the application and that they are up to date. If necessary, have them translated and legalised.

3

Fill in your application.

4

Pay for your application at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate).

5

Book an appointment to visit a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) to prove your identity.

For more information, see the page Proving your identity abroad.

6

Wait for a decision abroad. The Finnish Immigration Service will contact you if necessary.

7

Read what happens after you have applied.

Right to work

You have an unrestricted right to work. You cannot start working before you get a residence permit.

General attachments

  • A valid passport accepted by Finland (um.fi). Present your passport when you submit your residence permit application
  • A passport photo complying with the photo guidelines issued by the police (poliisi.fi), or a photograph retrieval code you received from a photo shop
    • The passport photo must be no more than 6 months old.
  • Colour copies of the passport page containing personal data and of all passport pages that contain notes
  • Document showing that you are legally staying in the country where you submit the application
  • Form MP_1 (pdf) (if you already are in Finland and apply for your first residence permit)

Application-specific attachments

  • Birth certificate (must be legalised if not issued in the Nordic countries or in an EU Member State)
  • Birth certificate(s) of your parent(s) (must be legalised if not issued in the Nordic countries or in an EU Member State)
  • Certificates from Finnish archives verifying Finnish citizenship (e.g. official certificates from parishes, certificates from the Finnish National Archives)
  • Certificates of changes of name

Residence permit application for former Finnish citizens, OLE_EN

Fill in a paper application
You cannot apply for this permit in the e-service