Apply for a certificate for seasonal work if you are a citizen of a visa-free country and going to arrive in Finland for seasonal work for a maximum of 90 days. If you are a citizen of a visa-free country, you are allowed to stay in Finland for up to 90 days within a period of 180 days. Make sure that you have visa-free days at your disposal for the whole period of validity of your certificate for seasonal work. A certificate for seasonal work does not extend your visa-free stay in Finland. You must apply for a certificate for seasonal work before you arrive in Finland.
If you need a visa to enter Finland, apply for a seasonal work visa at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate). If your seasonal work will last more than 90 days, apply for a residence permit for seasonal work. Apply for a certificate or residence permit for seasonal work according to the actual length of your employment relationship. If the total length of your seasonal work in Finland exceeds 90 days, do not request a certificate for seasonal work. Instead, apply for a residence permit.
You cannot get a certificate for seasonal work when you are residing in Finland with a residence permit or have a pending application for a residence permit in Finland. The certificate for seasonal work is only intended for situations where you are arriving in Finland visa-free to do seasonal work for a maximum of 90 days.
The certificate for seasonal work is always bound to a specific employer. This means that you are only allowed to work for the employer whose name is marked on your certificate for seasonal work. If you want to add a new employer of seasonal workers to your valid certificate for seasonal work, you can apply for the addition of a new employer.
You will receive a decision on the certificate for seasonal work within 90 days of submitting a correctly filled-in application, together with all the documents that are required under the Seasonal Workers Act, to the Finnish Immigration Service.
This is what you should do:
Make sure you meet the requirements for a certificate for seasonal work.
Requirements for a certificate for seasonal work:
The types of seasonal work to which the Seasonal Workers Act is applied include, for instance, agricultural and garden work, forestry and work in the tourism sector. For more information, see the page What counts as seasonal work?
You must have confirmed employment before you may apply for a certificate. If you have been offered work by an employer, the employer needs to confirm that you will really be hired. This is usually done in the form of an employment contract.
If you wish to apply for a certificate for seasonal work to work for more than one employer, you must fill in the necessary information and submit attachments about all the employers.
If you are requesting for a certificate for seasonal work, you need to be able to earn your living in Finland through gainful employment throughout the time your certificate for seasonal work is valid.
Your wages must meet at least the minimum set in accordance with the collective agreement applicable to your employment contract.
If there is no collective agreement for the job, your gross wages must be at least 1,430 euros per month in 2025. This sum meets the condition regarding previous employment (in Finnish: ‘työssäoloehto’) under the Unemployment Security Act (1290/2002).
Your living conditions must meet the generally recognised health and safety requirements applied to housing in Finland. The apartment must be warm, and it must have good fire safety and adequate sanitary facilities. There must also be warm water for washing and a sufficient sleeping area. Read more on the page Accommodation for seasonal workers.
You cannot get a certificate for seasonal work if you live permanently in another EU Member State or in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. Instead, apply for a residence permit for an employed person.
Your passport must still be valid for 3 months after your residence permit for seasonal work has ended.
Make sure you have all the necessary attachments.
Attachments:
Information about the terms of employment
Your employer must supplement your application with information about your terms of employment.
If you apply for a certificate in Enter Finland, you can give your employer permission to supplement your application in Enter Finland for Employers. This will speed up the processing of your application.
If it is not possible to use Enter Finland, submit the supplement form TY6_plus, filled in and signed by your employer, together with your application.
Processing fee
If you apply for a certificate for seasonal work in Enter Finland, you can pay for your application in Enter Finland. Your employer can also pay for your application in Enter Finland for Employers.
If you apply with a paper application or it is not possible to pay in Enter Finland, attach a copy of the payment receipt to your application. Pay the processing fee into the bank account of the Finnish Immigration Service before you submit the certificate request:
DanskeBank FI59 8129 9710 0117 35 or
Nordea FI86 1804 3000 0154 04.
Write your name and the reference ‘Certificate for seasonal work’ in the message field.
Valid passport accepted by Finland (um.fi): your passport must still be valid for 3 months after your certificate for seasonal work has ended.
A copy of the passport page containing personal data and of all passport pages containing markings (such as stamps, visas or residence permits).
Fill in the application and add attachments:
1
You can fill in the application in the online service Enter Finland. The processing fee for an online application is lower than for a paper application.
If you cannot use Enter Finland, fill in a paper application. You will find a link to the application at the bottom of this page.
2
Either you or your employer can pay the processing fee. For further instructions, see the section ‘Attachments’.
3
Submit the application in Enter Finland. If you have filled in a paper application, follow the instructions on the paper form to send it to the Finnish Immigration Service.
4
Wait for a decision. The Finnish Immigration Service will contact you if necessary.
Right to work
You cannot start working before you get a certificate for seasonal work.
The certificate for seasonal work is always bound to a certain employer. In other words, you may only work for those employers whose names have been marked on your certificate for seasonal work. If you want to add a new employer of seasonal workers to your valid certificate for seasonal work, you can apply for the addition of a new employer.
If you are applying for a residence permit while your certificate for seasonal work is still valid and you wish to continue working in Finland after the expiry of the certificate, you need to check whether you have the right to work while your application is being processed. You can do this on the page Right to work while an application for an extended permit is being processed.
Request for a certificate for seasonal work, TOD_P_KAUSI
