Work in Finland
If you plan to work in Finland, you will usually need a residence permit that is granted by Finland. In most cases, you are not allowed to start working before you have a valid residence permit.
The right to work associated with a residence permit may be unrestricted, meaning that you are allowed to work in any field without restrictions. With some permits, the right to work may be restricted in some way.
Check your residence permit card and the residence permit decision given to you to find out whether you have the right to work in Finland.
Due to certain amendments to the Aliens Act made on 15 April 2022 and 23 February 2023, the legal provision printed on your residence permit card regarding the grounds for your right to work is not necessarily in accordance with current legislation on the right to work. You do not need to apply for a new residence permit card because of this. Instead, you can use the following table to check which new legal provisions correspond to the old provisions: Table of correspondence between old and new legal provisions on the right to work (pdf).
Restricted right to work
The grounds for your residence permit will determine the amount of work you are allowed to do, the professional field in which you may work or the employer for whom you may work, as well as the tasks that you are allowed to perform. In some of the roles listed below you can only work for a restricted period of time. If the duration of your work exceeds the time limit set for that particular type of work, you need to apply for a residence permit for an employed person.
For further information on your right to work, select the link that applies to you:
- Specialist
- Au pair
- Working holiday
- Seasonal work
- Employee of a religious community
- Internship through an exchange programme
- Internship
- Intra-corporate transfer (ICT)
- Intra-corporate transfer (mobile ICT)
- Work in the field of culture or arts
- Work in the field of mass media
- International organisations and cooperation between states
- Preparation of a company’s arrival in Finland and supervision of orders
- Delivery of a machine or a system
- Athlete, coach or trainer
- EU Blue Card
- Top and middle management
- Visiting consultant or instructor
The residence permit for studies allows you to work without restrictions if your work is related to your degree. This means practical training or diploma work as part of the degree. In addition, you may work in paid employment for a maximum of 30 hours per week. The number of working hours can be exceeded some weeks, as long as the average working hours are no more than 30 hours per week at the end of the year.
If you have completed a degree in Finland, you can apply for a residence permit to look for work.
If you already have a job or if you have set up a company, you can apply for one of these permits:
For further information on your right to work, select the link that applies to you:
- Established intimate relationship
Unrestricted right to work
- permanent residence permit
- a long-term resident’s EU residence permit issued to a third-country national by Finland
- continuous residence permit:
- residence permit for an entrepreneur
- residence permit for a start-up entrepreneur
- residence permit on the basis of a degree completed in Finland
- residence permit on the basis of research completed in Finland
- residence permit on the basis of remigration
- residence permit on compassionate grounds
- residence permit on the basis of family ties
- residence permit on the basis of temporary protection or other humanitarian immigration
- residence permit for a victim of human trafficking
- residence permit issued because you cannot be removed from Finland
- residence permit for a researcher (under national legislation or pursuant to EU Directive)
- residence permit to look for work.
To check which legal provision your right to work is based on, see this table: Table of correspondence between old and new legal provisions on the right to work (pdf).
EU citizens working in Finland
If you are a citizen of an EU Member State or Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you are allowed to start working immediately after arriving in Finland. You do not need a residence permit in Finland. However, if you are staying in Finland for over three months at a time, you need to register your right of residence.
Entrepreneurship
Read here what to do in different situations when you wish to engage in business activities:
You are an entrepreneur if you are
- a private trader (in Finnish: 'toiminimi', 'toiminimiyrittäjä')
- a partner in a general partnership
- a general partner in a limited partnership (not a silent partner)
- a member of a cooperative who has an unlimited liability for refinancing or
- an entrepreneur in a limited liability company; you need to own at least 30 per cent of the company’s shares and be a member of the Board of Directors or work as the company's managing director.
Residence permit for an entrepreneur
You can apply for a residence permit for an entrepreneur if that is the reason why you are residing in Finland. Your means of support must be secured by your income from your business. You can apply for that permit only if you have a Business ID. Read more about residence permit for an entrepreneur.
Entrepreneurship with some other residence permit
You can be an entrepreneur and pursue trade, if you hold a residence permit. However, the reason why you are residing in Finland must still remain the same as when the permit was granted.
If you do not have a residence permit in Finland, see the website Suomi.fi.
Freelance work and working through an invoicing service company (as a 'light entrepreneur', in Finnish: kevytyrittäjä) means that you are working independently without starting a business.
- Freelance work means that you are working independently, usually for several contractors, without having an employment relationship.
- You are considered a ‘light entrepreneur’ (in Finnish: kevytyrittäjä) if you employ yourself and perform entrepreneurial activities. You may, for instance, provide services or sell products to your own customers through a platform company (such as Foodora, Freska, Uber, Wolt) or work through an invoicing service company (such as Ukko, Free).
There is no own residence permit for freelancers or for working through an invoicing service company
You may, however, work as a freelancer or through an invoicing service company if you hold a residence permit in Finland. However, your grounds for residence in Finland must still remain the same as when the permit was granted.
If you do not have a residence permit in Finland, see the website Suomi.fi.
If you have studied and completed a degree or qualification in Finland or completed your research work in Finland and wish to work here as an entrepreneur or as a light entrepreneur or freelancer, you can apply for a residence permit on the basis of a degree completed in Finland or for a residence permit on the basis of research completed in Finland.
Working when you have a residence permit granted by a country other than Finland
In general, you are not allowed to work in Finland for long periods with a residence permit issued by some other country than Finland. You can read more on the page Right to work without a residence permit.
If you have a residence permit granted by an EU Member State other than Finland on the basis of intra-corporate transfer (ICT permit), you are allowed to work in Finland for a maximum of 90 days. In that case, the host entity in Finland must submit a mobility notification for short-term mobility. You can read more on the page Mobility notification for persons with ICT residence permit.
If you have either a residence permit, a right of residence or a D visa granted by an EU Member State other than Finland or by Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland for at least one year, you cannot be granted a permit for seasonal work in Finland.