Right of residence for British citizen under the withdrawal agreement
The withdrawal agreement between the United Kingdom and the EU entered into force on 1 February 2020. The period of applications for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement ended on 30 September 2021
You can apply for a right of permanent residence after 30 September 2021, if you have reasonable grounds to submit your application late and you have been living in Finland based on the right granted to you by EU citizenship before the end of the transition period on 1 January 2021.
You can apply for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement even after 30 September 2021 if you have reasonable grounds to submit a late application and you have been residing in Finland before the end of the transition period (31 December 2020) based on the right granted to you under European Union law.
Complete the application form on this page in the following cases:
- You are a British citizen and you apply for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement for yourself or for your child, who is also a British citizen. You can apply for this right of residence even when you or your child do not yet meet the requirements for a right of permanent residence.
- You apply for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement for a child who is a British citizen and who is born in Finland or adopted to Finland after 31 December 2020.
If you have been granted a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement, your family members can still apply for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement if:
- they are only now moving to Finland, and
- your family was built before the end of the transition period (31 December 2020).
You can also apply for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement for your children who have been born in Finland or whom you have adopted to Finland after 31 December 2020. Family members must apply for the right of residence within 3 months of their move to Finland.
If you do not have reasonable grounds for a late application, you must apply for a residence permit. The Application Finder on our website will help you find the right application.
You cannot apply for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement if you are now coming to Finland for the first time after the end of the transition period (31 December 2020). You must apply for a residence permit in the same manner as other persons coming from non-EU countries. Please read more about applying for a residence permit on the page Residence permit.
Make sure you meet the following requirements when you apply for a right of residence on independent grounds:
Applying on independent grounds means that you apply for this right of residence based on work or studies, for example, and not as a family member.
Explain in the ‘Additional information’ field why you did not submit the application within the required time frame.
- You have arrived in Finland as an employed person or a self-employed person, or
- you have arrived in Finland as a student.
- If none of these grounds apply to you, you may still reside in Finland if you have sufficient financial resources for yourself and for your family members. However, there is no specific amount of money that would be required
- You must have enough funds to support yourself.
- As a rule, your principal means of support cannot be social assistance or other benefits comparable to social assistance.
- We will take your personal circumstances into account when assessing your income level.
You must have met, and must still meet, the requirements for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement without interruption since the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. The basis for your residence in Finland may have changed, or you may have had several grounds for residence simultaneously.
Make sure you meet the following requirements when you apply for a right of residence as a family member:
If you submit your application late, you must present a valid reason for the application being late.
You can apply for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement on the basis of family ties if your family member:
- is a British citizen
- meets the criteria for residence as laid down in the withdrawal agreement, and
- lives in Finland. tai
You must have been a family member of the British citizen before the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020.
In this context, family members are:
- spouses or cohabiting partners
- Persons living continuously in a marriage-like relationship in the same household regardless of their sex are equal to spouses if:
- they have lived in the same household for at least two years, or
- they have a child in their joint custody, or
- there are other weighty reasons.
- Persons living continuously in a marriage-like relationship in the same household regardless of their sex are equal to spouses if:
- children under the age of 21 or a dependent child
- The child must be under 21 years of age, or a direct descendant who is dependent on the British citizen or on their husband or wife (a child or a grandchild, for example).
- The child can be born or adopted to Finland even after the end of the transition period (31 December 2020).
- dependent parents
- A dependant relative of a British citizen or of their husband or wife who is their direct ascendant (a mother, father or grandparent, for example).
- The dependant relative must be dependent on the family without interruption when the application is submitted.
- persons who have custody of the child (the sponsor) if the child is underaged
Other relatives than the ones listed above cannot apply for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement after 31 December 2020.
Application process step by step
Submit your application in the online service Enter Finland or on paper. You must fill in a separate application form for each applicant.
You must submit the application yourself. Your employer or your family member, for example, cannot apply for your right of residence under the withdrawal agreement on your behalf. You can, however, submit an application on behalf of your underage child.
After completing the application, book an appointment at one of the service points of the Finnish Immigration Service. If you are temporarily abroad, book an appointment at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) or at an application centre of an external service provider. Instructions for visiting a Finnish mission or at an application centre of an external service provider can be found on the website finlandabroad.fi.
Depending on the method of your application, pay for your application in the online service Enter Finland, at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service, at a Finnish mission or at an application centre of an external service provider.
- If you applied online in Enter Finland, you must visit a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service, a Finnish mission or an application centre of an external service provider to prove your identity and present originals of the documents you attached to your application.
- If you are submitting a paper application, you must visit a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service, a Finnish mission or an application centre of an external service provider to prove your identity. Bring with you the application and originals of the attachments needed for the application.
- All applicants must be present when submitting the application. If the applicant is an underage child, the child’s parent or guardian must be present when submitting the application. If the other parent or guardian of a child applying for a right of residence is not present when the application is submitted, you must attach to the application the other parent’s or guardian’s written consent for the child to move to Finland.
- Your fingerprints will be taken during your visit to the Finnish Immigration Service, a Finnish mission or an application centre of an external service provider. All applicants over the age of six must give their fingerprints when submitting their application.
- You must attach to the application a passport photo of the applicant. The passport photo must comply with the photo guidelines issued by the police. The photo can be black and white or colour. The photo can be no more than six (6) months old. You will find detailed instructions on the website of the Finnish police.
If you have applied for a residence status online in Enter Finland, you can print out a certificate of a pending application from the online service.
If you are applying for a residence status with a paper application, you will receive a certificate of submitting an application for a residence status immediately after you have submitted your application.
If needed, the Finnish Immigration Service will contact you during the processing of your application. Make sure that your contact details are up to date.
If you have submitted your application online and need to supplement your application, you should do it in the online service Enter Finland. If you have submitted a paper application and need to supplement your application, you should do it by post or encrypted email. The postal address of the Finnish Immigration Service and instructions for sending encrypted email can be found on the page Contact information. Use the covering note for additional information.
You may cancel your application at any time during its processing. As a rule, the processing fee will not be returned to you. For more information, see the page Cancelling an application.
You will receive the decision by post or on Enter Finland.
If you have submitted an electronic application, you will receive a notification by email or text message when the decision has been made.
You will be granted a residence permit card to prove your right of residence by virtue of the withdrawal agreement.
The residence permit card will be valid for up to 5 years. Biometric identifiers, including a facial image and two fingerprints, will be recorded on the residence permit card chip. To guarantee the data security of the card chip, the residence permit card must be replaced every 5 years.
If you are not satisfied with your decision, Finnish law gives you the right to appeal against the decision to an administrative court. Instructions on how to appeal will be attached to the decision.
The majority of decisions made by administrative courts are subject to a fee. Contact the administrative court to find out more about court fees.
If you have received a negative decision on your application but now meet the requirements for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement, you can reapply for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement by submitting a new application by 30 September 2021.
This is what you should do:
1
Read the migri.fi website carefully.
- Please read the information on the website on applying for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement, as well as the detailed instructions for handling matters at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.
Read the migri.fi website carefully.
- Please read the information on the website on applying for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement, as well as the detailed instructions for handling matters at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.
2
Make sure that you meet the requirements for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement.
Make sure that you meet the requirements for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement.
3
Make sure you have all the attachments needed for the application and that they are up to date.
- If any attachments are missing, it will delay the processing of your application.
- The attachments you need are listed on this page and on the application form.
- If necessary, have the attachments translated and legalised.
Make sure you have all the attachments needed for the application and that they are up to date.
- If any attachments are missing, it will delay the processing of your application.
- The attachments you need are listed on this page and on the application form.
- If necessary, have the attachments translated and legalised.
4
Fill in the application carefully.
- Fill in the application in our online service Enter Finland. If you are unable to fill in the application online, use a paper application.
- If the Finnish Immigration Service needs to ask you to supplement your application, this will delay the processing of your application.
- Give the reasons why you did not submit your application within the given time limit in the field ‘Additional information’. Attach to your application also any documents on why you have reasonable grounds for late application. Such a document can be a doctor’s certificate, for example.
Fill in the application carefully.
- Fill in the application in our online service Enter Finland. If you are unable to fill in the application online, use a paper application.
- If the Finnish Immigration Service needs to ask you to supplement your application, this will delay the processing of your application.
- Give the reasons why you did not submit your application within the given time limit in the field ‘Additional information’. Attach to your application also any documents on why you have reasonable grounds for late application. Such a document can be a doctor’s certificate, for example.
5
Book an appointment at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service, a Finnish mission or an application centre of an external service provider.
- Book an appointment at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service online at migri.vihta.com. Select EU registration as the service category and Brexit as the service. You will find instructions on how to book an appointment on the page migri.fi/en/how-to-book-an-appointment.
- If you have applied for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement online in the e-service Enter Finland, you must visit a service point to prove your identity.
- If you are using a paper form to apply for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement, you must submit the application in person and pay the processing fee at one of our service points.
- If you are visiting a Finnish mission of an application centre of an external service provider, please read instructions and book an appointment on the website finlandabroad.fi.
- Bring with you all the attachments.
- All applicants must be present when submitting the application. If the applicant is an underage child, the child’s parent or guardian must be present when submitting the application. If the other parent or guardian of the child is not present when the application is submitted, you must submit the other parent’s or guardian’s written consent for the child to move to Finland. The written consent may be free-form.
- All applicants over the age of six have to give their fingerprints when visiting a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service, a Finnish mission or an application centre of an external service provider.
Book an appointment at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service, a Finnish mission or an application centre of an external service provider.
- Book an appointment at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service online at migri.vihta.com. Select EU registration as the service category and Brexit as the service. You will find instructions on how to book an appointment on the page migri.fi/en/how-to-book-an-appointment.
- If you have applied for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement online in the e-service Enter Finland, you must visit a service point to prove your identity.
- If you are using a paper form to apply for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement, you must submit the application in person and pay the processing fee at one of our service points.
- If you are visiting a Finnish mission of an application centre of an external service provider, please read instructions and book an appointment on the website finlandabroad.fi.
- Bring with you all the attachments.
- All applicants must be present when submitting the application. If the applicant is an underage child, the child’s parent or guardian must be present when submitting the application. If the other parent or guardian of the child is not present when the application is submitted, you must submit the other parent’s or guardian’s written consent for the child to move to Finland. The written consent may be free-form.
- All applicants over the age of six have to give their fingerprints when visiting a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service, a Finnish mission or an application centre of an external service provider.
6
We will inform you when we have made a decision on your matter.
- You do not need to contact the Finnish Immigration Service while your application is being processed.
- If we need further information, we will contact you.
We will inform you when we have made a decision on your matter.
- You do not need to contact the Finnish Immigration Service while your application is being processed.
- If we need further information, we will contact you.
Attachments
You must present your attachments in original when you submit the application. If they are not in Finnish, Swedish or English, they must be accompanied by a translation into one of these languages by an authorised translator.
However, a document that has been issued by an authority of an EU Member State concerning birth, marriage, registered partnership or death does not need to be translated if you attach to the document a multilingual standard form issued by the authority.
If necessary, have the attachments legalised.
- When you submit the application late, use the ‘Additional information’ field of the application form to explain all the reasons and circumstances due to which you did not submit the application within the required time frame.
- Attach documents to your application as proof of why you have reasonable grounds for a late application.
- Such a document can be a doctor’s certificate, for example.
You must have met, and must still meet, the requirements for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement without interruption since the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. The basis for your residence in Finland may have changed, or you may have had several grounds for residence simultaneously. You can submit proof of several grounds.
- Employee
- Copy of your passport or identity card (you must also present the document in original)
- A passport photo of the child, complying with the photo guidelines issued by the police, or a photograph retrieval code you received from a photo shop
- The passport photo must be no more than 6 months old
- Certificate of employment
- This can be your employment contract, for example.
- Self-employed person
- Copy of your passport or identity card (you must also present the document in original)
- A passport photo of the child, complying with the photo guidelines issued by the police, or a photograph retrieval code you received from a photo shop
- The passport photo must be no more than 6 months old
- Documentation on self-employment
- The documentation can consist of, for example, the following attachments:
- The company’s Trade Register extract
- The company’s completed financial statements
- Your personal tax decisions
- The company’s client contracts or commission invoices
- Certificate of a valid YEL insurance (self-employed persons' pension insurance)
- Bank statements
- The documentation can consist of, for example, the following attachments:
- Unemployed person
- If your employment relationship or your self-employment has ended or you have become incapable for work, attach to your application documentation on this.
- Documentation from your employer on the reason why the employment ended
- If you are unemployed, a certificate of unemployment from employment services
- If you have been self-employed, documentation on the reason why your self-employment ended
- Documentation on vocational education and training
- Doctor’s certificate on incapacity for work (the certificate cannot be more than six months old)
- If your employment relationship or your self-employment has ended or you have become incapable for work, attach to your application documentation on this.
- Student
- Copy of your passport or identity card (you must also present the document in original)
- A passport photo of the child, complying with the photo guidelines issued by the police, or a photograph retrieval code you received from a photo shop
- The passport photo must be no more than 6 months old
- Certificate of attendance from your educational institution
- Proof of having sufficient financial resources for yourself and for the family Finland or are moving to Finland members who live in
- Documentation on comprehensive health insurance coverage
- Person who has sufficient financial resources
- Copy of your passport or identity card (you must also present the document in original)
- A passport photo of the child, complying with the photo guidelines issued by the police, or a photograph retrieval code you received from a photo shop
- The passport photo must be no more than 6 months old
- Proof of having sufficient financial resources for yourself and for the family members who live in Finland or are moving to Finland
- Documentation on comprehensive health insurance coverage
- Spouse/cohabiting partner/child
- Copy of your passport or identity card (you must also present the document in original)
- A passport photo of the child, complying with the photo guidelines issued by the police, or a photograph retrieval code you received from a photo shop
- The passport photo must be no more than 6 months old
- Documentation on family ties, for example a marriage certificate, birth certificate or other similar document showing the family tie
- The document must be legalised if it has been issued by a country that is not a Nordic country or an EU Member State.
- Documents issued by UK authorities do not need to be legalised if they have been issued before the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020.
- If the child’s other parent or guardian does not reside in Finland, attach to the application a written consent given by the other parent or guardian for the child to move to Finland, confirmed by a notary public.
- Regarding spouses or registered partners, submit a document proving that the family relationship or the registered partnership existed before the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020.
- Documentation on cohabitation, for example a tenancy agreement, an extract from a register of occupants or other similar document(s) showing that you have lived together for at least two years
- Dependent parents and children over 21 years of age
- Copy of your passport or identity card (you must also present the document in original)
- A passport photo of the child, complying with the photo guidelines issued by the police, or a photograph retrieval code you received from a photo shop
- The passport photo must be no more than 6 months old
- Proof of dependency (the proof can be, for example, documentation on financial dependence)
- Document showing family ties
- The document must be legalised if it has been issued by a country that is not a Nordic country or an EU Member State.
- Documents issued by UK authorities do not need to be legalised if they have been issued before the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020.