Residence permit application on the basis of family ties when your spouse is a Finnish citizen

Apply with this application for a residence permit if your spouse is a Finnish citizen. Your husband or wife, your registered same-sex partner or your cohabiting partner who you have lived with for at least two years in a marriage-like relationship or with whom you have joint custody of a child is considered a spouse.

Expected processing times:

Processing times
Electronic application fee

530 €
Paper application fee

580 €

Spouse is a Finnish citizen

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 in the online service Enter Finland or use a paper application form.

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 missionLink to an external website (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. In addition, you will usually receive automated messages at the different processing stages of your application.

General requirements for entry into Finland

Make sure you meet the general requirements for entry into Finland before you submit an application.

Requirements

Make sure you also meet the following requirements:

Income requirement

You do not need to have sufficient financial resources.

Right to work

You have an unrestricted right to work. You cannot start working before you get a residence permit.

General attachments

Valid passport accepted by Finland (um.fi)Link to an external website, Opens in a new tab. Present your passport when you submit your residence permit application
A passport photo complying with the photo guidelines issued by the police (poliisi.fi)Link to an external website, Opens in a new tab, or a photograph retrieval code you received from a photo shop
- The passport photo must be no more than 6 months old.
Colour copy of the passport page containing your personal data and copies of all passport pages with notes
Colour copy of your spouse’s passport page containing personal data and copies of all passport pages with notes
Marriage certificate if the marriage was contracted in another country than Finland (must be legalised if not issued in the Nordic countries or in an EU Member State)
Certificate of registered partnership if the partnership was registered in another country than Finland (must be legalised if not issued in the Nordic countries or in an EU Member State)
Form for clarification of family ties PK2_plusFile opens in a new tab (to be filled in and signed by your spouse living in Finland)
Document showing that you are legally staying in the country where you submit the application
Form MP_1File opens in a new tab (if you already are in Finland and apply for your first residence permit)

Application-specific attachments

Divorce certificate (if you or your spouse has previously been married and have divorced) (must be legalised if not issued in the Nordic countries or in an EU Member State)
Certificate of dissolution of registered partnership (if you or your spouse has previously been in a registered partnership that has been dissolved) (must be legalised if not issued in the Nordic countries or in an EU Member State)
Death certificate (if you or your spouse has previously been married/in a registered partnership and the former spouse has died) (must be legalised if not issued in the Nordic countries or in an EU Member State)