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 include universities and universities of applied sciences, vocational education institutions and, in the case of exchange students, any of the above and upper secondary schools.

Expected processing time for electronic application

First permit 1–2 month
Expected processing time for paper application

First permit 2–4 month
Electronic application fee

First permit 300 €
Paper application fee

First permit 360 €

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.

3

Fill in your application.

4

Pay for your application in the e-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.

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 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. In other words, you must have EUR 6,720 to be able to study in Finland for a year. Read more on the page Means of support.

You may get a residence permit if you have been accepted to study in a Finnish educational institution. Your studies must lead to a vocational qualification or a degree. Accepted educational institutions include institutions that provide education after basic education, for example universities, universities of applied sciences and vocational education institutions. Read more on the page Study place.

You may also get a residence permit for other kinds of studies if you have a well-founded reason for it. 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 drug 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)

Right to work

If you get a residence permit, you may work without restrictions if your work is related to your degree. This means practical training and thesis work.

Your right to do other kinds of work is restricted.

You may only work for an average of 25 hours per week during the academic terms.
- The number of working hours is not restricted on a weekly level. This means that you can adjust your weekly working hours to suit your situation during the academic year, as long as you do not work for more than 25 hours a week on average.
You can work without restrictions at the times when your educational institution offers no instruction, that is, during summer and Christmas holidays.