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Temporary protection
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Other residence permits 

What type of permit do you need?

If you are a Ukrainian citizen with a biometric passport, you may residence in Finland and elsewhere in the Schengen area (um.fi) without a visa for a maximum of 90 days. 

After the 90 days, you will need a residence permit. 

Options to continue your stay in Finland

You have several options for continuing your stay in Finland.

1. Temporary protection

You may apply for temporary protection if you are a Ukrainian citizen. If you are a citizen of some other country, read more about who can be granted temporary protection.

Take this into account when you apply for temporary protection:

  • You will have the right to work and study as soon as you have registered your application for temporary protection with the police or the border authorities.
    • The police or the border authorities will print out a certificate of a pending application (png) for you. With the certificate, you can prove that you have the right to work. Your right to work is unrestricted, meaning that you can find employment in any field. Keep the copy of the certificate you receive for yourself.
  • An application for temporary protection is free of charge. 
  • The Finnish Immigration Service usually decides the application within one week.
  • All residence permits that we grant on the basis of temporary protection will be valid until 4 March 2024.
  • You may also apply for asylum by visiting the police or a border authority in person. If you are granted temporary protection, the processing of your asylum application will be suspended for as long as your residence permit based on temporary protection is valid.

For more information, see:

2.    Other residence permits

You may apply for some other residence permit if you have grounds for the permit. Grounds for a residence permit can be, for instance, that you have family ties, a job or studies in Finland.

To find out which residence permit application suits your situation, use the Application Finder on our website. 

Take this into account when you apply for a residence permit:

  • You do not have the right to work before you receive a positive decision on residence permit, unless you already have obtained the right to work some other way, such as through a previous residence permit or by applying for temporary protection.
  • Residence permit applications are subject to a fee. 
  • A first residence permit is usually granted for one year at the most.
  • To find the expected processing time of your application, see the page that contains information about that application on our website.
  • When you submit a residence permit application in the online service Enter Finland, you are staying legally in Finland even if you do not immediately visit a service point to prove your identity. However, we recommend that you book an appointment for a visit at a service point as soon as you have submitted your application in Enter Finland.

If you already have a residence permit or a certificate for seasonal work 

See the instructions for different situations:

You live in Finland and have a valid residence permit

If you live in Finland and have a valid residence permit in Finland, you can continue living here as usual. 

Apply for an extended permit before your current residence permit expires. Then your application will be pending, which means that your stay in Finland is legal and your right to work will remain in accordance with your old permit. If you submit your application for an extended permit too late, you may still stay in Finland legally until you receive a decision to your application. Read more about applying for an extended permit.

If you no longer meet the requirements you met when your previous residence permit was granted to you, you can apply for temporary protection. Temporary protection can be granted to

  • Ukrainian citizens unable to return to Ukraine due to the Russian attack
  • citizens of countries outside the European Union, citizens of countries not party to the Schengen Agreement, and stateless persons who have resided in Ukraine legally and whose return to the relevant country of origin safely and permanently is not possible
  • the family members of Ukrainian citizens and of those granted international protection or equivalent national protection in Ukraine, if the family ties were established in Ukraine before 24 February 2022. 

Read the instructions on how to apply for temporary protection.

You will have the right to work and study as soon as you register your application for temporary protection with the police or a border control authority. 

  • During registration, the police or border control authority will provide you with a printed certificate proving your right to work. Your right to work is unrestricted, meaning that you can find employment in any field. Keep the copy of the certificate you receive for yourself.
  • If you have already applied for temporary protection but have not received a certificate from the police or border control authority, we can send you the certificate by email. Send your request for the certificate to migri@migri.fi. If you don't yet have employment and have no need for a certificate, you can simply wait for the decision on your application.

Your current residence permit is about to expire

If you still meet the same requirements you met when your previous residence permit was granted to you, apply for an extended permit. If you, for example, have the same job or the same family ties that served as the grounds for your previous residence permit, we recommend that you apply for an extended permit. Read more about applying for an extended permit.

Apply for an extended permit before your residence permit expires. Then your application will be pending, which means that your stay in Finland is legal and your right to work will remain. If you submit your application for an extended permit too late, you may still stay in Finland legally until you receive a decision on your application.

If you submit your application for an extended permit too late, after your previous permit has expired, your right to work according to the permit has also expired. Read more about the right to work while an application for an extended permit is being processed.

If you no longer meet the requirements you met when your previous residence permit was granted to you, you can apply for temporary protection. Temporary protection can be granted to:

  • Ukrainian citizens unable to return to Ukraine due to the Russian attack
  • citizens of countries outside the European Union, citizens of countries not party to the Schengen Agreement, and stateless persons who have resided in Ukraine legally and whose return to the relevant country of origin safely and permanently is not possible
  • the family members of Ukrainian citizens and of those granted international protection or equivalent national protection in Ukraine, if the family ties were established in Ukraine before 24 February 2022. 

Read the instructions on how to apply for temporary protection.

You will have the right to work and study as soon as you register your application for temporary protection with the police or a border control authority. 

  • During registration, the police or border control authority will provide you with a printed certificate proving your right to work. Your right to work is unrestricted, meaning that you can find employment in any field. Keep the copy of the certificate you receive for yourself.
  • If you have already applied for temporary protection but have not received a certificate from the police or border control authority, we can send you the certificate by email. Send your request for the certificate to migri@migri.fi.

You have submitted a residence permit application in Ukraine or in Finland

If you applied for a residence permit while you were in Ukraine or after you came to Finland, you can wait for the decision in Finland even if your visa-free residence period expires. 

The Finnish Immigration Service is processing the applications of Ukrainians as usual. Read more about processing times.

You did not have time to prove your identity in Ukraine

If you submitted a residence permit application in Ukraine but did not have time to prove your identity in Kyiv before travelling to Finland, you can prove your identity at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service. Book an appointment for your visit or go to the service point and queue with a waiting number. Read more about visiting a service point.

You have submitted a residence permit application in Ukraine and receive a positive decision

If you submitted your application in Enter Finland,

  • you can read the decision in Enter Finland after the decision has been made.
    • You will receive your residence permit card at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service. We will send you instructions by email on how to collect your card.

If you submitted a paper application at a mission in Ukraine, 

  • you will be informed of the decision and receive a residence permit card at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.
    • We will send you instructions by email on how to collect your decision and your card.

You have submitted a residence permit application in Finland and receive a positive decision

Read more about the service of the decision.

You have applied for a residence permit and receive a negative decision

If the decision on your residence permit application is negative but you cannot return to Ukraine, you can apply for temporary protection

We have temporarily suspended issuing negative decisions that would involve removal from the country to Ukraine. In Finland, the enforcement of decisions regarding removal from the country is the responsibility of the police. The police operate in accordance with the principle of non-refoulement. The police have announced that they have suspended returns to Ukraine.

You have a valid certificate for seasonal work

If you came to Finland without a visa, you may stay in Finland for as long as you have visa-free residence time left, that is, up to 90 days

As a holder of a certificate for seasonal work, your right to work is valid 

  • for as long as you have visa-free residence time left, or
  • until your certificate for seasonal work expires. 

Your certificate for seasonal work is about to expire

If your certificate for seasonal work or your visa-free residence time is about to expire but you cannot return to Ukraine, you can apply for temporary protection. 

  • Temporary protection involves an unrestricted right to work, meaning that you can find employment in any field of your choice. If you apply for temporary protection while your certificate for seasonal work is valid, your right to work will become unrestricted immediately after you submit your application for temporary protection to the police or a border control authority.
    • The police or the border control authority will print out a certificate which you can use to prove your right to work. Read more about who can be granted temporary protection.
    • If you have already applied for temporary protection but have not received a certificate from the police or border control authority, we can send you the certificate by email. Send your request for the certificate to migri@migri.fi.

Read more about applying for temporary protection.

You want to do seasonal work in Finland but have not applied for a residence permit for seasonal work

Applications for a residence permit for seasonal work can only be submitted abroad. While in Finland, you can apply for a certificate for seasonal work if you have not already applied for temporary protection, asylum or other residence permit. If you receive a positive decision on your application for a certificate for seasonal work, you can apply for a residence permit for seasonal work before the certificate expires. Read more about how to apply for a residence permit for seasonal work

You can apply for temporary protection. Read the instructions on the page Temporary protection.

You will have the right to work and study as soon as you register your application for temporary protection with the police or a border control authority. 

  • During registration, the police or border control authority will provide you with a printed certificate proving your right to work. Your right to work is unrestricted, meaning that you can find employment in any field. Keep the copy of the certificate you receive for yourself.
  • If you have already applied for temporary protection but have not received a certificate from the police or border control authority, we can send you the certificate by email. Send your request for the certificate to migri@migri.fi.

Temporary protection residence permit granted by another EU country

Can I apply for temporary protection in Finland if I already have a temporary protection residence permit which has been granted by another EU country?

You can apply, but you cannot be granted temporary protection in more than one EU country at a time. If you are granted a residence permit in Finland on the basis of temporary protection, your temporary protection residence permit in another EU country will be cancelled.

Can I work in Finland with a temporary protection residence permit which has been granted by another EU country?

No, you cannot. A temporary protection residence permit issued by another EU country does not entitle you to work in Finland. If you apply for temporary protection in Finland, you have the right to work as soon as you register your application for temporary protection with the police or border control authorities. 

Can I get reception allowance in Finland if I have a temporary protection residence permit granted by another EU country?

No, you cannot. You can apply for reception allowance in Finland only if you also apply for temporary protection in Finland. Please note that you cannot be granted temporary protection in more than one EU country at a time. If you are granted a residence permit in Finland on the basis of temporary protection, your temporary protection residence permit in another EU country will be cancelled.

What happens if you are granted temporary protection but have also applied for asylum?

If you have applied for asylum and are granted temporary protection, the Finnish Immigration Service will suspend the processing of your asylum application for as long as the residence permit you have been issued on the basis of temporary protection is valid.

When will the Finnish Immigration Service resume the processing of your asylum application?

When your residence permit issued on the basis of temporary protection expires, you will receive a letter from the Finnish Immigration Service asking if you wish for the processing of your asylum application to resume. 

  • If you want the Finnish Immigration Service to resume the processing of your asylum application, inform the agency of this by the specified deadline. The Finnish Immigration Service will then process your application in accordance with the normal asylum examination process. Learn more about applying for asylum
  • If you don't want the processing of your asylum application to resume or if you don't reply to the letter by the set deadline, the Finnish Immigration Service will issue a decision on the expiry of your asylum application. You cannot appeal against the expiry decision. This will be stated in the decision.
  • A decision on the expiry of your asylum application will also be made if you cancel your asylum application or leave Finland.

Other situations in which your asylum application will be processed

  • Your asylum application will be processed while you are receiving temporary protection if reasonable grounds for it emerge.
  • The Finnish Immigration Service will also process your asylum application if a procedure for removing you from the country is initiated.

If you have already applied for asylum,

you should also submit an application for temporary protection. Applications for temporary protection are processed at a considerably faster rate than asylum applications. 

You must apply for temporary protection separately by visiting the police or a border control authority. For more detailed instructions, see the section on applying for temporary protection

If you are granted temporary protection, the processing of your asylum application is suspended.