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Residence permit card

If you are granted a residence permit, you will receive a residence permit card. The residence permit card is proof of your right of residence in Finland. However, residence permit cards are not official identity documents. This means that you cannot use your card to prove your identity.

Residence permit cards have a chip that contains biometric identifiers, including a facial image and two fingerprints.

The period of validity of your residence permit is printed on the residence permit card. If your permit expires, you cannot apply for an extension by applying for a new residence permit card. You need to apply for an extended permit instead.

If you have a permanent residence permit and your card is about to expire, you do not need to apply for a new permanent residence permit. You only need to apply for a new residence permit card. A permanent residence permit card must be renewed every 5 years.

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Renewal of residence permit card

Renew your residence permit card in Enter Finland

Extended residence permit

Frequently asked questions

Delivery of residence permit cards

Application submitted in Finland

The card will be sent to a collection point near you within two weeks of when the decision has been made. You will receive a notification of arrival by email and text message, containing the consignment number, the address of the collection point and the last day when the card is still available for collection. If you do not have a phone number or an email address, the notification of arrival will be sent to you by post.

Once you have received the notification of arrival regarding your residence permit card, you can no longer change the collection point. You must collect the card from the collection point indicated in the notification.

It is important that you collect your card by the stated deadline. If you cannot collect the card yourself, another person may collect it for you. He or she must have your notification of arrival and PIN code.

Collecting your residence permit card in Finland

  • the notification of arrival indicating the item ID, and

  • your PIN code, which is the same as your customer number at the Finnish Immigration Service. You can find your PIN code in the certificate of a pending application provided by the Finnish Immigration Service or your old residence permit card.
    • If you applied for a residence permit or a card in Enter Finland, you will find the certificate of a pending application in Enter Finland. Before collecting your card, take a screenshot of the certificate or print it out.
    • If you applied on paper, you can pick up a certificate of a pending application from a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.

If you are picking up a card on behalf of another person, you will not need a power of attorney. Bring the notice of arrival and the PIN code of the person whose card you are picking up.

In certain cases, the delivery process of your card will be different

If you are granted an alien’s passport or refugee travel document with your residence permit, they will be sent together as a registered letter. A notification of arrival will be sent to your home when the letter is ready for collection from a Posti service point. In order to collect the letter from the service point, you or another person you have authorised to pick it up will be required to provide a signature as confirmation of receipt. See the Posti website for more information about authorising someone else to pick up an item. 

If you live in Åland or if a non-disclosure for personal safety reasons has been registered for you, the letter containing your card will be sent to your home. 

If you have applied for a permanent residence permit using a paper application and received a negative decision, but you have been granted a fixed-term extended permit, your card will be sent to you together with the decision in a letter with advice of delivery.

Application submitted outside Finland 

If you have applied for a residence permit outside Finland, you will receive your card via the Finnish mission (embassy or consulate). The mission will let you know where you can collect your card. 

If you have not received your residence permit card within six weeks of when the decision was made, please notify us of the delay by sending an email to migri@migri.fi. When contacting the Finnish Immigration Service by email, please make sure to use our Securemail service (securemail.migri.fi). 

Residence permit application submitted using the fast-track service

When applying for a residence permit via the fast-track service, you can use the Enter Finland online service to choose whether you want to receive your residence permit card in Finland or abroad. You can receive the card in Finland, if you come from a visa-free country or apply for a D visa when submitting your fast-track application.

If you wish to receive your residence permit card in Finland, it will be sent to a collection point near the Finnish address indicated in your application within two weeks of when the decision has been made. You will be notified of the arrival of the card by email and text message. The notice of arrival will include the consignment number, the address of the collection point, and the last date when the card is still available for collection. See Collecting your card in Finland.

If you wish to receive your residence permit card abroad and proved your identity 

  • at a VFS Global application centre, the card will be delivered to the nearest Finnish mission (embassy or consulate). 
  • at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate), the card will be delivered to the mission that you visited to prove your identity.

You have been granted a D visa

You can enter Finland without a residence permit card as soon as you have been issued with a residence permit and D visa. 

Your residence permit card will be sent to a collection point near the Finnish address indicated in your application within two weeks of when the decision has been made. The notice of arrival will include the consignment number, the address of the collection point, and the last date when the card is still available for collection.

It is important that you collect your card by the stated deadline. If you cannot collect the card yourself, another person may collect it for you. He or she must have your notification of arrival and PIN code.

You are an asylum seeker

You will get your residence permit card when you receive a positive decision on your application.  There are two ways for us to deliver the decision and the residence permit card:

  • If the Finnish Immigration Service invites you to come and hear the decision in person at the Finnish Immigration Service, you will receive the residence permit card at the same time as you are served with the decision.
  • If the Finnish Immigration Service sends the decision to you in a letter with advice of delivery, the residence permit card comes with the letter. For more information on advice of delivery, see the page Advice of delivery.

A letter with advice of delivery means that a notification of arrival will be posted to your home address stating that there is a letter for you at a Posti service point and that you should go and collect it. The letter contains your decision and your residence permit card. In order to collect the letter from the Posti service point, you or another person you have authorised to collect it will be required to provide a signature as confirmation of receipt. For further information, see the page Authorise someone else to pickup (posti.fi). 

 

Contents of a residence permit card

Residence permit card on the basis of temporary protection for people fleeing Ukraine

For information about residence permit cards granted on the basis of temporary protection, including instructions on how to collect your card, see our residence permit card on the basis of temporary protection page.

The legal provision on which the holder's right to work is based is printed on the residence permit card. Residence permit cards issued to beneficiaries of temporary protection can be distinguished from other cards by looking at the legal provision regarding the right to work. Residence permit card holders who have been granted temporary protection have either ‘UlkL 78 § 3 mom. 3 k.’ or ‘UlkL 81 a § 1 mom. 3 k.’ printed on their card. These provisions only apply to holders of a residence permit issued on the basis of temporary protection.

Brexit residence permit card

1. Permit type, or the grounds for issuing the permit:

  • SEU-sopimuksen 50 artikla = Right of residence under the withdrawal agreement
  • P SEU-sopimuksen 50 artikla = Right of permanent residence under the withdrawal agreement

2. The expiry date of the card, before which the residence permit or card must be renewed.

3. Finnish Immigration Service customer number and personal identity code..

The field “HUOMAUTUKSIA/ANMÄRKNINGAR” (remarks) on the back side of the card:

4. Any relevant information concerning the permit can be entered in this field, such as the extent of the card holder’s right to work and if the card holder is a frontier worker. The front side of a Brexit residence permit card issued by Finland (a specimen). On the left, there is a black-and-white passport photo of the card holder. Printed on the right-hand side of the card are the personal details of the card holder. The rest of the information printed on the card is described in the paragraphs above.

The reverse side of a Brexit residence permit card. Printed on the reverse side of the card are the date of issue and the issuing authority, which is the Finnish Immigration Service. The rest of the information printed on the card is described in the paragraphs above.

Contents of a residence permit card

Card issued after September 2020: 

1. Permit type, or the grounds for issuing the permit:

  • A = continuous residence permit
  • B = temporary residence permit
  • P = permanent residence permit
  • P-EU or P-EY = a long-term resident’s EU residence permit issued to a third-country national.

2. The expiry date of the card, before which the residence permit or card must be renewed.

The field “HUOMAUTUKSIA/ANMÄRKNINGAR” (remarks) on the front side of the card: 

3. Finnish Immigration Service customer number and personal identity code, if you have one. The personal identity code is not an obligatory piece of information on a residence permit card.

4. Right to work: the section of the Aliens Act printed on the card reveals the extent of the card holder’s right to work. 

  • In a residence permit for an employed person (TTOL), the right to work and its extent is only printed on the back side of the card. In a residence permit for an employed person, the extent of the right to work is always case-specific, and the right to work can be described in enough detail on the back side of the card.

The field “HUOMAUTUKSIA/ANMÄRKNINGAR” (remarks) on the back side of the card:

5. Any relevant information concerning the permit can be entered in this field, such as additional details on the right to work. In a residence permit for an employed person (TTOL), the details on the right to work that is included in the permit are described in this field. These can be, for example, details on the employer and on the industries where the permit holder may work.

The front side of a residence permit card issued by Finland (a specimen). On the left, there is a black-and-white passport photo of the card holder. Printed on the right-hand side of the card are the personal details of the card holder. The rest of the information printed on the card is described in the paragraphs above.

The reverse side of a residence permit card. Printed on the reverse side of the card are the date of issue and the issuing authority, which is the Finnish Immigration Service. The rest of the information printed on the card is described in the paragraphs above.

Card issued before September 2020:

The Finnish Immigration Service started issuing new residence permit cards in the end of September 2020. Your current card is valid until its expiry date. You do not need to replace your current card with a new one. If you have, for example, recently been granted a permanent residence permit, your residence permit card will be valid for the following 5 years. After this, your card can be replaced with a new card. If you want your card to be replaced earlier, you must pay the processing fee for renewal of a residence permit card.

1. The period of validity of the residence permit is printed on the card. If the residence permit is permanent, the card bears the words PYSYVÄ/PERMANENT.

2. Permit type, or the grounds for issuing the permit:

  • A = continuous residence permit
  • B = temporary residence permit
  • P = permanent residence permit
  • P-EU or P-EY = a long-term resident’s EU residence permit issued to a third-country national

3. The section of the Aliens Act printed on the card reveals the extent of the card holder’s right to work. TTOL means a residence permit for an employed person. This is followed by a list of industries where the permit holder may work.

4. Finnish Immigration Service customer number and personal identity code, if you have one. The personal identity code is not an obligatory piece of information on a residence permit card.

5. The expiry date of the card, before which the residence permit or card must be renewed.

The front side of a residence permit card issued by Finland before September 2020 (a specimen). On the left, there is a black-and-white passport photo of the card holder. The rest of the information printed on the card is described in the paragraphs above.

The reverse side of a residence permit card issued by Finland before September 2020. Printed at the top are the card holder’s date of birth, place of birth, gender and citizenship. The rest of the information is described in the paragraphs above.