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. The studies must lead to a degree or vocational qualification. Applicable educational institutions are higher education institutions such as universities and universities of applied sciences, upper secondary schools and vocational education institutions. Your studies can also be exchange studies at any of these educational institutions.

Expected processing time for electronic application

First permit 1-3 months
Expected processing time for paper application

First permit 4–5 months
Electronic application fee

First permit 350 €
Paper application fee

First permit 450 €

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. If necessary, have them translated and legalised. The processing time may be longer if you have not filled in your application sufficiently.

3

Fill in your application.

4

Pay for your application in the online service Enter Finland, at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) or at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.

5

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

6

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

7

Read what happens after you have applied. Check the estimated processing time of your application here.

8

You should wait for the residence permit in the same country or locality where you submitted your application and proved your identity.

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 meet the following requirements:

It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the necessary funds for living in Finland. Before you arrive in Finland, make sure that you have enough funds for the entire time your studies will take. You must have at least EUR 560 at your disposal every month to be able to pay for your accommodation, food and other needs. For a two-year stay, you must have EUR 13,440 at your disposal. Read more on the page Means of support.

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.

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. Read more about the insurance you need, and about accepted insurance companies, on the page Insurance.

General attachments

Valid passport (you must present it when you submit the residence permit application)
Passport photo complying with the photo guidelines issued by the police or a photograph retrieval code you received from a photo shop, OLEL_PK
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 (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
Clarification of income
Health insurance
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)