Renewal of a residence permit card
A residence permit card is valid for up to five years. This is due to the fact that the card’s chip contains biometric identifiers.
To ensure the data security of the chip, the card has to be renewed every five years.
The period of validity of your right of residence, or your residence permit, is printed on the residence permit card. If your residence permit is about to expire, apply for an extended permit.
Only apply for a new card in the following situations:
- You have a permanent residence permit and the validity of your residence permit card is about to expire.
- You can check the validity on the back of the card.
- Your right to work will not end even if you submit your residence permit card application late.
- You have a valid residence permit and your residence permit card is lost or stolen.
- You have a valid residence permit and your residence permit card is so worn out that the information on it is unreadable.
- You have a valid residence permit and the personal data printed on your residence permit card has changed, for example after you have renewed your home country’s passport.
- You have a permanent residence permit sticker on your passport and the validity of your passport is about to expire.
Make an application personally at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service
Apply for a new card personally at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service. Book an appointment in our appointment system. You apply for a new residence permit card without an application form. You cannot apply for a card in the e-service.
Bring with you:
- a valid passport
- a passport photo that is no more than six months old or a photograph retrieval code you received from a photo shop
- a copy of your passport page containing personal data and copies of all your passport pages with notes
- a written consent of a guardian when you are applying for a residence permit card for a child and not all guardians are coming with the child to the service point
When applying for a residence permit card for a child, you have to bring the child with you to the service point.
Your fingerprints will be taken at the service point and you will have to pay a processing fee.
You can hand over your previous residence permit card when you submit your application or later after the validity of the card has expired. You will receive more detailed instructions when you submit your application at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.
You will receive your new residence permit card by post. If you have to collect your card from the post office, you must show your identity card there. A list of identity documents accepted by Posti can be found on Posti’s website.
If you do not have an identity document accepted by the post office, you can give a power of attorney to a person who has one.
More information on written authorisations can be found on Posti’s website The website also contains a template for a power of attorney.