If you are applying for an extended permit or citizenship or renewing your residence permit card or residence card, it is possible that you do not need to visit a service point to prove your identity. For more information about when visiting a service point is not necessary, see the page Identification.
Residence permit for a child
Use this form if:
- the child is under 18 years of age and unmarried and
- you are the child's parent or guardian or other legal representative and the child's intention is to live in Finland together with his or her parent or guardian.
For more information, see the page My guardian is in Finland (migri.fi).
If you are adopting a child from abroad through international adoption, apply for a residence permit for your adopted child with the Adoption form instead of this form.
The parent or guardian or other legal representative submits the application on behalf of the child
The parent or guardian or other legal representative creates a user account for themselves in the Enter Finland online service. If two persons have custody of the child, choose which person’s account is used for submitting the child’s application.
Alternatively, the application can be submitted by a person authorised by the parent or guardian of a child under the age of 18 by a power of attorney to do so.
Children aged 15–17 can submit their applications themselves if they so wish. Consent by the parent or guardian or other legal representative of the child must be attached to the application.
You must bring the child with you when you visit a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) abroad or a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service in Finland to submit the application.
If possible, apply for a permanent residence permit for the child instead of a fixed-term residence permit
Due to an amendment to the Aliens Act that entered into force on 8 January 2026, a child under the age of 18 living in Finland may be granted a permanent residence permit without the period of residence requirement if the child's parent or guardian has one of the following:
- a permanent residence permit
- a P-EU permit
- Finnish citizenship.
For more information about applying for a permanent residence permit, see the page Permanent residence permit for a child (migri.fi).
Get ready
Check that you have all the necessary attachments and information before you begin. You must have, at least, the child's valid passport (or a passport that includes the child) and
- birth certificate with information on the child's parents (legalised)
- documentation on the guardianship of the child (legalised)
- consent given by the other parent to the child to move to Finland if the guardian does not move to Finland at the same time (notarised or legalised).
Official certificates, such as birth and marriage certificates, must be legalised if they are not issued by authorities in one of the Nordic countries or in an EU Member State. If the documents that are attached to the application are not in Finnish, Swedish or English, they must be accompanied by a translation into one of these languages by an authorised translator. The original documents and their translations must be presented when the applicant visits the service point to prove his or her identity.
The guardians must fill out and sign the Supplement form for a guardian. The supplement form is not needed if the child applies for the residence permit at the same time with his/her guardian or if the child is born in Finland and lives together with his/her parents in Finland.
You usually need to have sufficient financial resources. See the page Income requirement (migri.fi) to check if you must meet the income requirement.
You may secure your financial resources earned by you or your family member who lives in Finland through employment or income earned through business activities. Your income cannot be based on social assistance, labour market subsidy or basic unemployment allowance paid by Kela. Please see the required attachments on the application.
Granting an exemption from the income requirement is possible only if there are exceptionally serious grounds or if it is in the best interest of the child.
If the child was born in Finland and the parents live in Finland with a residence permit, you only need to attach a copy of the child's valid passport in order to submit the application. If the child does not yet have a passport, you can submit the application but must deliver a copy of the passport to the Finnish Immigration Service. The permit cannot be granted before you do so. In this case, attach a written document to the application explaining that you have applied for a passport.
If your child does not have a valid passport that is approved by the Finnish authorities and you cannot obtain one due to circumstances beyond your control, you can attach a written statement instead of a passport copy where you explain why your child cannot obtain a passport.
Fill in the application and pay the fee
Complete the application form and attach all the required documents. Select a service point. The service point is where your child proves his or her identity. You will find more information at migri.fi/en/identification. When you choose the service point, please remember that the child must reside legally in the country where he or she visits a service point to prove his or her identity.
If the child is applying for a residence permit abroad, he or she must visit a Finnish embassy or consulate. If the child is already in Finland, he or she must visit a Migri service point. Please take into account that the service points can be very busy. If you are in Finland, you can book an appointment before submitting an application in Migri's appointments system. If you are abroad, contact the embassy or consulate directly.
The guardian of the child does not need to accompany the child at the embassy, but if the person who accompanies the child is not the child’s guardian, he or she cannot represent the guardian without power of attorney from the guardian. The person who accompanies the child must also prove his or her identity.
Book an appointment to visit a service point
The processing of an application is subject to a fee. You can pay the processing fee with most credit cards, or use the online banking services provided by Finnish banks. You can also pay the processing fee at the embassy or at the Migri service point during your visit to prove your identity.
Visit the selected authority to prove your identity
When you have submitted your child’s application via the e-service, you and your child must visit the service point you selected in order to prove your and your child’s identity and to present the original copies of the attachments required for the application. If the child is six years old or older, his or her fingerprints are also taken. Remember to take your child’s passport photo with you. Passport photo guidelines can be found on the website of the Finnish police.
If you cannot visit the service point together with your child, the child can be accompanied by some other person, for example a relative.
Follow the processing
It is difficult to estimate the exact processing time of an individual application made on the basis of family ties. For example, if further clarifications are needed for the application and if the required information cannot be obtained from documents but an oral hearing must be arranged, this will affect the processing time. If the child is born in Finland, the aim is to process the application within four months. According to the Aliens Act, residence permit applications made on the basis of family ties are processed, as a rule, within nine months.
You can follow the processing of your application in the e-service. If further information or documents are required for your application, we will send you a request first and foremost through the e-service.
The authorities can also contact your family member who lives in Finland.
You will receive a notification when a decision has been made and can be read online.