Residence permit application for Working Holiday
Apply for a residence permit with this application if you are a citizen of Australia, New Zealand, Japan or Canada and you are coming to Finland for a Working Holiday. Finland has a reciprocal agreement with Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Canada. Citizens of other countries cannot be granted a residence permit on these grounds.
This is what you should do
1
Make sure you meet the requirements for the residence permit you are applying for.
Make sure you meet the requirements for the residence permit you are applying for.
2
Make sure you have all the attachments needed. If necessary, have them translated and legalised. The processing time may be longer if you have not filled in your application sufficiently.
Make sure you have all the attachments needed. If necessary, have them translated and legalised. The processing time may be longer if you have not filled in your application sufficiently.
3
Fill in your application in the online service Enter Finland or use a paper application form.
Fill in your application in the online service Enter Finland or use a paper application form.
4
Pay for your application in the online service Enter Finland or at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate).
Pay for your application in the online service Enter Finland or at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate).
5
Book an appointment to visit a Finnish mission abroad to prove your identity.
Book an appointment to visit a Finnish mission abroad to prove your identity.
6
Wait for a decision abroad. The Finnish Immigration Service will contact you if necessary.
Wait for a decision abroad. The Finnish Immigration Service will contact you if necessary.
7
Read what happens after you have applied. Check the estimated processing time of your application. In addition, you will usually receive automated messages at the different processing stages of your application.
Read what happens after you have applied. Check the estimated processing time of your application. In addition, you will usually receive automated messages at the different processing stages of your application.
General requirements for entry into Finland
Make sure you meet the general requirements for entry into Finland before you submit an application.
You can only get a residence permit if you are able to travel to Finland and stay in the country legally. This means that you must have a valid passport. If your passport expires while the residence permit is valid, remember to renew it early enough.
Requirements
You must meet one of the following requirements:
- The primary purpose of your visit is a holiday, and work is only its secondary purpose.
- You are 18–30 years of age.
- You have not been granted a Working holiday permit in Finland before.
- Your spouse or child is not travelling with you.
- You have a return ticket or sufficient funds to purchase one.
- You have sufficient funds (about EUR 2,450 for the first three months).
- You have a valid passport.
- You are healthy and you have not committed any crimes.
- The primary purpose of your visit is a holiday, and work is only its secondary purpose.
- You are 18-35 years of age.
- You have not been granted a Working holiday permit in Finland before.
- Your dependant is not travelling with you.
- You have a ticket for departure from Finland or sufficient funds to purchase one.
- You have sufficient funds (about EUR 2,450 for the first three months).
- You have a valid New Zealand passport.
- You have insurance that covers illness and hospital care and that is valid for your entire stay in Finland.
- The primary purpose of your visit is a holiday, and work is only its secondary purpose.
- You are 18–30 years of age.
- You have not been granted a Working holiday permit in Finland before.
- Your dependant is not travelling with you.
- You have a ticket for departure from Finland or sufficient funds to purchase one.
- You have sufficient funds (about EUR 2,450 for the first three months).
- You have a valid passport.
- You have insurance that covers illness and hospital care and that is valid for your entire stay in Finland.
- You are healthy and you have not committed any crimes
- You are 18–35 years old.
- You hold a Canadian passport that is valid longer than your expected stay in Finland.
- The primary purpose of your visit is a holiday, and work is the secondary purpose of your visit.
- You have not been granted a Working Holiday permit in Finland before.
- You have a ticket for departure from Finland or sufficient funds to purchase one.
- You have sufficient funds for the first months of your stay in Finland (approximately EUR 2,450 for the first 3 months).
- You have insurance that covers hospital care and your return home and that is valid for your entire stay in Finland.
- Your family members are not coming to Finland with you (your family members cannot be granted a residence permit on the basis of family ties).
Right to work
- The agreement between Finland and Australia restricts the right to work. If you are an Australian citizen, you may work for a maximum of nine (9) months during a twelve-month (12) trip, but you may only work for three (3) months for a single employer. If you plan to work for the same employer for longer than three months, you must apply for and be granted a residence permit for an employed person. Read more on the page Coming to Finland for work.
- New Zealand citizens’ right to work is not restricted in the agreement between Finland and New Zealand.
- Japanese citizens’ right to work is not restricted in the agreement between Finland and Japan.
- Canadian citizens’ right to work is not restricted in the agreement between Finland and Canada.
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 copies of the passport page containing personal data and of all passport pages that contain notes
- Document showing that you are legally staying in the country where you submit the application
- Form MP_1 (pdf) (if you already are in Finland and apply for your first residence permit)
Application-specific attachments
- A return ticket or sufficient means to acquire a return ticket
- Documentation showing that you have sufficient funds to stay in Finland
- Health insurance for your entire stay (if you are a citizen of Canada, Japan or New Zealand)