Skip to content
Perheenjäsen Suomessa

Family member in Finland

Published31.01.2024
If you want to move in with your family member living in Finland and you are a citizen of a country that is not an EU member state or one of the Nordic countries, you need a residence permit.

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 children of a person residing in Finland, and to the parents 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 can visit Finland for up to 90 days without a residence permit. However, for a visit you usually need a visa. You can find more information about travelling to Finland and applying for a visa on the InfoFinland page A short stay in Finland.

 

Residence permit for a spouse

You may receive 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.

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.

Residence permit for a child

Child of a Finnish citizen

A child may be eligible for a residence permit based on family ties, if his or her parent is a Finnish citizen or married to a Finnish citizen and resides in Finland. The child must be under 18 years old and unmarried at the time when the residence permit is applied for.

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 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.

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.

Link redirects to another websiteFinnish Immigration Service

Child of a Finnish citizen

Child of a foreign citizen

A child may be eligible 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 old and unmarried at the time when the residence permit is applied for.

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 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.

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.

However, the parent is not required to have sufficient income if the child was born before the parent’s arrival in Finland and the parent holds refugee status in Finland. If the parent has received refugee status on 1 July 2016 or later, the child’s residence permit must be applied for within three months of the parent receiving refugee status. The application can also be filed later, but in that case the requirement for sufficient income applies.

If the child’s parent holds a residence permit based on international protection but does not hold refugee status, he or she is required to have sufficient income for the child to receive a residence permit.

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.

Residence permit for a parent or guardian

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 old and unmarried at the time when you apply for the residence permit.

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.

Livelihood

In order to be eligible for a residence permit, you must have sufficient funds to live in Finland.

However, you are not required to have sufficient funds if your child is a Finnish citizen. Sufficient funds are also not required if you have been the child’s guardian before his or her arrival in Finland and the child holds refugee status in Finland. If the child has received refugee status on 1 July 2016 or later, you must apply for a residence permit within three months of your child receiving refugee status. The application can also be filed later, but in that case the requirement for sufficient income applies.

Residence permit for other family member

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.

The permit can also be granted to other family members of a person who has a residence permit based on international protection. If the basis of your residence permit is something other than international protection, your 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.

Another family member may also be granted a residence permit if he or she has led a close family life with a family member residing in Finland before the family member arrived in Finland. Another requirement is that this family life was interrupted for a serious reason, such as taking refuge.

Applying for a residence permit

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 also apply for the first residence permit in Finland if your family member is a Finnish citizen and you are a citizen of a visa-free country, i.e. if you do not need a visa to come to Finland.

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.

Finnish personal identity code

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.

Work and studies in Finland

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.