Residence permit application for intra-corporate transferee (ICT residence permit)

1. You are being transferred internally within a company or group of companies to work as a specialist, manager or trainee employee in Finland.
   • The host entity, meaning the company for which you will work in Finland, can be, for instance, a subsidiary of a foreign company or a branch of a multinational company.
   • The group of companies may consist of two or more companies. One company in the group may have control over another company in the group by, for instance, holding majority shares.
   • Specialist means a person possessing specialised knowledge essential to the host entity's areas of activity, techniques or management.
   • Manager means a person holding a senior position, who primarily directs the management of the host entity, receiving general supervision or guidance principally from the board of directors or shareholders of the business or equivalent.
   • Trainee employee means a person who is transferred to the host entity for career development purposes or in order to obtain training in business techniques or methods. The trainee must be paid during the transfer.
2. You have sufficient financial resources for living in Finland.
   • You need to be able to support yourself in Finland with the salary you receive from gainful employment throughout the time your residence permit is valid. Your salary must at least correspond to the salary specified in the collective agreement that applies to your employment relationship. 
     • Before applying, ask the host company in Finland to specify which collective agreement will be applied to your employment relationship. You will need to know the name of the collective agreement when you fill in your residence permit application.
   • Taxable fringe benefits provided by the employer can usually be counted towards your salary (earned income). These fringe benefits may be, for instance, a company car or a housing benefit. Your secondment agreement must explicitly state the taxable value of your fringe benefits. Daily allowances or other similar compensations for travelling or for the costs caused by residing in Finland will not be counted towards your income.  

See the general requirements for granting a residence permit.

If necessary, have the attachments translated and legalised.

When you apply for an ICT residence permit, you need to submit the following general attachments:

• A 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 copy of the passport page containing your personal data.
• If applicable, a document showing that you are legally staying in the country where you submit your residence permit application to Finland (your visa or residence permit, for example).

If you are a specialist or a manager, you will need the following attachments in addition to the above-mentioned general attachments:

• Documents proving that you have professional qualifications for the job. Examples of documents that can be used to prove your qualifications: CV, certificates of employment, certificates of education and degree certificates.
• Document proving that the home and host entities are part of the same company or group of companies: an organisation chart or a free-form written explanation, for instance.
• Employment contract containing the following information and confirming the following facts:
  • You have a contract with the posting company on your secondment abroad.
  • The date on which your work begins and the duration of the contract.
  • You have been employed by the same company or group of companies for at least three months immediately preceding the transfer without interruption.
  • If the above-mentioned information is not included in your employment contract, submit a separate document from your employer abroad containing the required information.
• An assignment letter, or secondment contract, containing the following information and confirming the following facts:
  • You have a contract with the host entity on your secondment in Finland. 
  • The main terms and conditions of your employment relationship.
  • The location of the host entity.
  • Your salary, taxable fringe benefits and all other compensation, such as daily allowances. The different components of your salary must be explicitly listed in the contract.
  • The collective agreement applied to your employment relationship.
  • The total duration of your intra-corporate transfer. For specialists and managers, the maximum duration of the transfer is three years.
  • You can return to the home entity after the transfer.

If you are a trainee employee, you will need the following attachments in addition to the above-mentioned general attachments:

• Certificate of an academic degree.
• Document proving that the home and host entities are part of the same company or group of companies: an organisation chart or a free-form written explanation, for instance.
• Employment contract containing the following information and confirming the following facts:
  • You have a contract with the posting company on your secondment abroad.
  • The date on which your work begins and the duration of the contract.
  • You have been employed by the same company or group of companies for at least three months immediately preceding the transfer without interruption.
  • If the above-mentioned information is not included in your employment contract, submit a separate document from your employer abroad containing the required information.
• Traineeship contract containing the following information and confirming the following facts:
  • You have a contract with the host entity on your secondment in Finland. 
  • The main terms and conditions of your employment relationship.
  • The location of the host entity.
  • Your salary, taxable fringe benefits and all other compensation, such as daily allowances. The different components of your salary must be explicitly listed in the contract.
  • The collective agreement applied to your employment relationship.
  • The total duration of your intra-corporate transfer. For trainees, the maximum duration is one year.
  • You can return to the home entity after the transfer.

You can fill in the application in the online service 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 online via the online service Enter Finland, pay the processing fee: 

• with a credit card or with Finnish online banking credentials when you submit the application, or
• when you visit a Finnish mission abroad to prove your identity.

If you apply with a paper application, pay the processing fee:

• when you visit a Finnish mission abroad to prove your identity.

Book an appointment to visit a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) abroad to prove your identity.

For more information, see the page Proving your identity abroad.

• 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.

For more information, see: Processing of applications

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)