Family

A new fixed-term residence permit (extended permit) can be granted on the basis of family ties. The family member who lives in Finland, with whom you intend to lead a family life, is referred to as your sponsor. Before you can be granted a residence permit, your sponsor must have a residence permit in Finland or he or she must apply for a residence permit and be granted a residence permit.

If your previous residence permit has been granted on other grounds than your family ties to your current sponsor (you have, for example, previously had a residence permit for an employed person but you are now applying for a new residence permit on the basis of family ties), you must give more detailed information on your family life for the processing of the application.

All applicants who are 18 or older must have their own user account. All applications for children under 18 years of age must be sent from their guardian's user account. There can be only one application for each family member. If there are two guardians, you must choose the guardian whose account is used to submit the child's application. You can create your own user account even if you are not applying for a residence permit for yourself through the e-service.

If your sponsor's residence permit will expire within the next three months, it is recommended that your sponsor applies for an extended residence permit as soon as possible.

The sphere of family members is laid down by law and does not necessarily correspond to general views on what constitutes a family member. The Finnish concept of family is narrower than that of many other countries. The family members of Finnish citizens and of non-EU citizens and comparable persons are

• spouses
• registered partners
• cohabiting partners
• guardians of a child under 18 years of age
• children.

Answer the questions in order to choose the correct application form.