Family member in Finland

If you come to Finland from outside the European Union for more than 90 days, you must apply for a residence permit. The first residence permit usually has to be applied for abroad.

Not all of your family members can be granted a residence permit. Normally, a residence permit can be granted to the husband or wife, registered partner, cohabiting partner or minor unmarried children of a person residing in Finland, and the guardians of a minor child residing in Finland.

If a member of your family lives in Finland and you want to move to live with him/her, you need a residence permit based on family ties. Often, you or the family reunification sponsor in living in Finland are also required to have sufficient funds to support you and your family. Those funds may be, for example, wages or salary, business income, assets or pension.

You may apply for a residence permit based on family ties if your spouse resides in Finland or is moving to Finland. Your husband or wife, your registered same-sex partner or your cohabiting partner whom you have lived with for at least two years in a marriage-like relationship or with whom you have joint custody of a child is considered a spouse. In addition, adequate means of support are often required.

You can find more information on how a spouse can receive a residence permit in Finland on the InfoFinland page Residence permit for a spouse.

Child of a Finnish citizen

A child may be eligible for a residence permit based on family ties if his or her guardian is a Finnish citizen or married to a Finnish citizen and resides in Finland. The child must be under 18 years of age and unmarried both at the time the permit is issued and throughout its validity.

If both parents are the child’s guardians, the other parent must also give his or her consent for the child to move to Finland. An official, for example a notary public, must confirm this agreement.

The family relationship between the child and the guardian must be proven, for example by a birth certificate or other legal document.

The child’s guardian will apply for a residence permit on behalf of the minor. The child must be present when the permit application is filed.

Child of a foreign citizen

A child may apply for a residence permit based on family ties if his or her parent has a residence permit in Finland and he or she resides in Finland. The child must be under 18 years of age and unmarried both at the time the permit is issued and throughout its validity.

A child born in Finland also needs a residence permit in Finland. The permit must be applied for within three months of the birth.

The parent residing in Finland must have guardianship over that child for the child to be eligible for a residence permit. If both parents are the child’s guardians, the other parent must also give his or her consent for the child to move to Finland. An official, for example a notary public, must confirm this agreement.

The family relationship between the child and the guardian must be proven, for example by a birth certificate or other legal document.

If the guardian holds refugee status in Finland or has been granted subsidiary protection, a period of two years’ residence in Finland is generally required. Read more on the Finnish Immigration Service website. 

Livelihood

In order for a child to receive a residence permit, his or her livelihood in Finland must be secure, for example through a parent’s earnings.

The livelihood, or means of support, must also be secure if the parent has been granted subsidiary protection or temporary protection. Only in certain situations are secure means of support not required, for example in the case of the child of a quota refugee. Read more on the Finnish Immigration Service website.

The child’s guardian will apply for a residence permit on behalf of the minor. The child must be present when the permit application is filed.

You may be eligible for a residence permit based on family ties if your child resides in Finland. If the child is not a Finnish citizen, he or she must have a residence permit in Finland. Your child must be under 18 years of age and unmarried both at the time you apply for a residence permit and throughout its validity. 

In order for you to receive a residence permit based on family ties, you must be your child’s guardian. In most cases, a child’s mother and father are his or her guardians. The guardian can, however, also be someone else, a grandparent for example.

The family tie between the parent and the child must be established, for example by presenting a birth certificate listing the names of the child’s parents. If the child’s guardian is someone other than his or her mother or father, and this person is applying for a residence permit, he or she will have to prove his or her guardianship, for example by presenting a court’s decision on the matter. Such documents must be legalised if they are not issued by an authority in a Nordic or EU country.

Livelihood

Please note that you must have sufficient income or funds to live in Finland.

However, you are not required to have sufficient funds if your child is a Finnish citizen. Read more on the Finnish Immigration Service website.

In some cases, a Finnish citizen’s family members other than husband or wife, cohabiting partner, minor children or parents of minor children may also be eligible for a residence permit in Finland based on family ties.

In certain circumstances, the permit can also be granted to other family members of a person who has a residence permit based on international protection. If a person residing in Finland holds a residence permit on grounds other than international protection, their other family members are not eligible for a residence permit.

Other family members may be eligible for a residence permit if they are entirely dependent on the family member residing in Finland. On this basis, a permit can be granted, for example, to the parents of a person who has reached the age of majority (18 years). Financial dependency or poor health alone, however, are not considered sufficient grounds for granting a residence permit.

Other family members can also obtain a residence permit if they lived together with a relative living in Finland for at least two years before the relative came to Finland and continue to live together as a family in Finland. Another requirement is that their family life must have been interrupted for a serious reason, such as seeking refuge. They must also have secure means of support.

Usually, you must apply for the first residence permit before you come to Finland. Apply for the permit in your home country or another country where you are residing legally. 

You can apply for a permit online through the Enter Finland service. After applying, you must visit a Finnish diplomatic mission abroad or a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service in Finland to prove your identity, and present original copies of the application appendices. You must visit a Finnish diplomatic mission or service point within three months of submitting the application online. The application cannot be processed until you have visited the Finnish diplomatic mission or service point. You should make an appointment to visit a diplomatic mission or service point.

Remember to check your Enter Finland account regularly. If further clarifications are needed, you will be informed through your Enter Finland account.

If you are unable to apply online, you can bring a paper application form and its appendices to the closest Finnish diplomatic mission or, in Finland, to a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service. You can print out the application form from the Finnish Immigration Service website.

A residence permit is subject to a fee. You must pay the fee when applying for the permit.

IIf you are granted a residence permit for Finland, you will be automatically registered in the Finnish Population Information System. You will receive a Finnish personal identity code at the same time.

If you move to Finland permanently for at least one year and want a municipality of residence, notify the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of the move. If you have a municipality of residence in Finland, you are usually entitled to use the services of that municipality.

If you want information about your marital status and family relationships to be registered in the Finnish Population Information System, you must submit the relevant documents and their appendices to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. The document must be original or reliably certified and, if necessary, legalised and translated.

Read more on the InfoFinland page Registering as a resident.

If you have applied for a first residence permit in Finland, you do not have a right to work until the permit is granted. Once you have received a residence permit based on family ties, you have a right to work and study in Finland. You can search for jobs on employment service websites, in newspapers or social media services. Read more on looking for work on the InfoFinland page: Find a job in Finland.

You may also have the right to integration services and to study Finnish or Swedish. You can find more information about Finnish working life and integration on the pages: Work and Enterprise and Settling in Finland.