Residence permit application for studies

Apply for a residence permit with this application if you are moving to Finland to study and you have been accepted as a student at an educational institution in Finland. The educational institution can be a university, a university of applied sciences, a general upper secondary school or a vocational education institution. You may apply for a residence permit for studies, if

your studies lead to a degree or a vocational qualification, or
you are coming to Finland as an exchange student.

You cannot be granted a residence permit for studies, if your studies mainly consist of distance learning online and do not require you to stay in Finland. If you wish to visit Finland for a shorter period of time, find out whether you can get a visa. For information on extended permits, see the page Extended permit for studies.

Before applying, watch our video about students’ residence permits. The video will show you how to apply for a student’s residence permit in Finland.

Expected processing time for electronic application

First permit 1-2 months
Expected processing time for paper application

First permit 2-3 months
Electronic application fee

First permit 350 €
Electronic application fee, minor holder

First permit 240 €
Paper application fee

First permit 450 €
Paper application fee, minor holder

First permit 270 €

Are you applying for a first residence permit for studies? Check out our new guide for students! When you answer the questions in the guide, you can easily find exactly the information you need. The guide also enables you to compile a checklist of the attachments required for your application. Check out our guide for students!

This is what you should do

Prepare:

1. You need to be able to support yourself in Finland for the entire duration of your studies. You must have at least EUR 560 at your disposal every month to be able to pay for your accommodation, food and other needs.

Add to your application proof of how you will finance your stay in Finland during the first year of studies.
- you must have 6,720 euros in your bank account when you submit the application.
If your studies will take less than one year, you must have 560 euros per month at your disposal.

If your educational institution supports your living in Finland, you do not necessarily need to have 560 euros per month at your disposal. Attach to your application documentation of the support your educational institution provides. Read more about income requirements.

2. You have a study place

You can get a residence permit if you have been accepted to study at an educational institution in Finland. Your studies must lead to a vocational qualification or a degree. You may also get a residence permit for other types of studies if you have a well-founded reason for it. You cannot get a residence permit for studies to complete basic education.Read more on the page Study place.

3. You have insurance

As a student, you must personally cover the costs if you become ill in Finland. In order to get a residence permit, you must take out private insurance that will cover your medical and pharmaceutical expenses.

Attach a certificate of insurance to your application.
Your insurance must be valid when you arrive in Finland.

If you have a Kela card, a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or a UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) you do not need to take out other insurance. Read more about the insurance you need, and about accepted insurance companies, on the page Insurance.

If necessary, have the attachments translated and legalised.

General attachments

A valid passport. You need to present it at the embassy, consulate or service point where you prove your identity
Passport photo (OLEL_PK) complying with the photo guidelines issued by the police, or a photograph retrieval code you received from a photo shop
Colour copy of the passport page containing your personal data
If applicable, a document showing that you are legally staying in the country where you submit your residence permit application to Finland (your visa or residence permit, for example)
Form MP_1 (if you already are in Finland and apply for your first residence permit)

Application-specific attachments

Certificate of acceptance/attendance from your educational institution in Finland
Documentation of sufficient financial resources. For example a bank statement covering the past three months
Certificate of insuranc e
Documentation of paid tuition fee or documentation of scholarship.
Earlier degree certificates (not required of degree students and exchange students)
Potential certificates of employment (not required of degree students and exchange students)

If you are under 18 years of age, you should also attach to your application

a legalised birth certificate
your parent’s or guardian’s consent for you to move to Finland (the document must be confirmed by a notary public or other comparable authority).

Fill in the application:

You can fill in the application online in Enter Finland. The fee for an online application is lower than for a paper application. If you apply for your first residence permit in Enter Finland, you might not need to visit a service point when you apply for an extended permit.

If you cannot use Enter Finland, fill in a paper application. You will find a link to the application at the bottom of the page.

If you apply for a residence permit online in Enter Finland, you need to pay the processing fee

with a credit card or with Finnish online banking credentials when you submit your application, or
when you visit a Finnish embassy or consulate abroad or a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service in Finland to prove your identity.

If you apply for a residence permit with a paper application, you need to pay the processing fee

when you visit a Finnish embassy or consulate abroad or a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service in Finland to prove your identity.

If you are abroad, book an appointment at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate).
If you are in Finland, book an appointment at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.

When you apply for an extended permit, you may avoid the need to visit a service point to prove your identity if you log in to your existing Enter Finland account using Finnish online banking credentials. Read more on the page Identification.

For more information, see:

If you applied online in Enter Finland, you will receive notifications of your application's progress and of possible requests for additional information by email and text message.
If you applied on paper, you will receive notifications of your application's progress and of possible requests for additional information by email.

For more information, see: Processing of applications

You can follow the processing of your application with the help of our chatbot, Kamu, by giving Kamu the diary number of your application. Kamu will also tell you the expected processing time of your application.

For more information, see: What affects the processing time of your application

You may work in paid employment for a maximum of 30 hours per week on average

If you have been granted a residence permit for studies, you are allowed to work in paid employment in any field for an average of 30 hours per week. The number of working hours can be exceeded some weeks, as long as the average working hours are no more than 30 hours per week at the end of the year.

During holidays, for example, you may work full-time in any field, provided that your average working hours are no more than 30 hours per week at the end of the year.

In other words, you may work for an average of 120 hours per month or a total of 1,560 hours per year.

If your degree requires completing paid internships or a diploma work, the working time restrictions do not apply to them. In other words, this work is not counted towards the weekly 30-hour limit.

Your employer checks how many hours your residence permit allows you to work. Both you and your employer are responsible for ensuring that the maximum number of hours is not exceeded. The authority responsible for overseeing working times is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (tyosuojelu.fi).

If your residence permit was granted before the legislative amendments that entered into force on 15 April 2022, you have the same right to work as those who have a new residence permit. In other words, you may work for 30 hours per week on average.

Your residence permit can be either an A permit or a B permit

If you are coming to Finland to pursue

a higher education degree, you will be granted an A permit, that is, a continuous residence permit.
a degree other than a higher education degree, you will be granted a B permit, that is, a temporary residence permit. B permits are also granted to exchange students.

you can be assigned a municipality of residence if you apply for it from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. Read more about who can get a municipality of residence (dvv.fi).
you can apply for a permanent residence permit when you have graduated and lived in Finland with an A permit for four years.
your family members can be granted an A permit. The duration of a family member’s first A permit is one year at the most. The duration of a family member’s extended permit is four years at the most.
you can complete some of your studies in another EU Member State. Check with the country where you intend to study whether you need to submit a mobility notification there.

you can be assigned a municipality of residence but there are more conditions you need to meet than with an A permit. You can apply for a municipality of residence from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. Read more about who can get a municipality of residence (dvv.fi).
your family members can be granted a B permit.
your permit does not give you the right to study in any other EU Member State.

You can change your B permit to an A permit if

you study for a degree at a higher education institution in Finland
you meet the other conditions for the residence permit, and
you submit a new residence permit application.

If your studies do not lead to a higher education degree, you cannot get an A permit.