My guardian is in Finland

These pages contain information about how to obtain a residence permit for a child. 

• Residence permit application for a child whose parent or guardian has a fixed-term residence permit
• Residence permit application for a child whose parent or guardian has been granted international or temporary protection
• Residence permit application for a child whose parent or guardian is a Finnish citizen or married to a Finnish citizen

Following the legislative amendments that entered into force on 8 January 2026, a child under 18 years of age living in Finland may be granted a permanent residence permit without having to meet the period of residence requirement if the child’s parent of guardian has one of the following:

• a permanent residence permit
• a P-EU permit
• Finnish citizenship.

For more information about applying for a permanent residence permit, see the page Permanent residence permit for a child. 

You can watch our webinar about residence permits for family members. The topics covered in the webinar include residence permit applications, income requirement and extended permits.

• Please note that the requirements for family reunification have changed on 16 June 2025 and some of the information on the video is outdated. See the page Amendments to Aliens Act in June 2025 for more information on what has changed.