Residence permit application for work in top or middle management
Apply for a residence permit with this application if you will work in the top or middle management of a company.
- Your work must consist of managerial duties.
- The company for which you will work must be large enough to have both top and middle management.
- You must have confirmed employment before you can apply for this permit.
When you apply for a residence permit for work in top or middle management, you can apply using the fast-track service and get the permit in two weeks. Read more on the page Fast track.
You can apply for a D visa at the same time as you apply for a residence permit. The D visa allows you to travel to Finland immediately after you have been issued with a residence permit and a D visa sticker has been attached to your passport. Read more on the page D visa.
This is what you should do
Prepare:
You have confirmed employment.
- Your employer must supplement your application by filling in your terms of employment either online in Enter Finland for Employers or by using a paper form.
Your employer is a large enterprise
- Your employer’s number of employees and turnover must be high enough so that it qualifies as a large enterprise. The company must have a clear division into top and middle management.
You will work in an executive position.
- You have subordinates and you belong to top or middle management.
You have sufficient financial resources for the entire validity period of your residence permit.
- You may work in paid employment or pursue a trade or business without establishing a company.
- Your main source of income must be the work for which you are applying for a residence permit.
- If your main source of income is paid employment, your salary must be at least the minimum specified in the relevant collective agreement.
- If there is no collective agreement in your sector or if you will be working part-time, your salary must be at least EUR 1,399 per month in 2024.
- If your main source of income is pursuing a trade or business, or if you are combining paid employment and pursuing a trade or business, you must make at least EUR 1,399 per month in 2024.
- Some of your salary may consist of fringe benefits, such as company car or employer-provided accommodation. The taxable value of your fringe benefits will be taken into account when your salary is assessed. For more information about the taxable values of fringe benefits, see the website of the Finnish Tax Administration (vero.fi) (Only in Finnish and Swedish).
- Read more on the page Income requirement.
- When you apply for an extended permit, the Finnish Immigration Service will assess whether your salary and income have been sufficient.
In addition, you must meet the general requirements for obtaining a residence permit. Read more on the page First residence permit.
Have the attachments translated and legalised if needed.
General attachments
- Valid passport accepted by Finland (um.fi). Present your passport when you submit your residence permit application
- A passport photo complying with the photo guidelines issued by the police (poliisi.fi) or a photograph retrieval code you received from a photo shop
- The passport photo must be no more than 6 months old.
- 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 (pdf) (if you already are in Finland and apply for your first residence permit)
If you pursue a trade or business, add to your application:
- your contracts with clients; or
- an explanation of how you will earn income from pursuing a trade or business if you have not signed any contracts with clients.
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.
After you have submitted your application in Enter Finland, your employer must add your terms of employment and other required documents to your application using Enter Finland for Employers. See the page Filling in the terms of employment to check what information your employer needs to fill in and which attachments are required.
An employer who is not able to use Enter Finland for Employers can fill in the ‘Terms of employment’ paper form (pdf). In that case, you need to attach the form to your application in Enter Finland.
If you are submitting your residence permit application on paper, have your employer fill in the form ‘Terms of employment’ and attach the form to your application.
If you pursue a trade or business and are not an employee, you do not need to fill in the terms of employment.
- 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 Enter Finland 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.
Read more on the page Processing of applications.
Right to work
- Your right to work gives you the right to perform the work for which you have been granted a residence permit.
- Your right to work begins when you are granted a residence permit. You cannot start working before you get a residence permit.
- Your right to work ends when your residence permit expires.
Prepare for your life in Finland
Among other things, the authorities may ask you for information about whether you have enough money to live in Finland.
If you were not issued a personal identity code together with your residence permit card, you must visit a service location of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency in person.
The Digital and Population Data Services Agency enters your personal details, information about your family relations and your address in the Population Information System. You can also apply for a municipality of residence at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.
For more information, visit the website of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (dvv.fi)