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 application for a spouse

This form is for you if you are applying for your first Finnish residence permit on the basis of family ties. Your spouse has a Finnish residence permit, or is applying for a Finnish residence permit at the same time as you, and you intend to move to Finland and to lead a family life with him or her. Your spouse is your husband or wife, your registered partner of the same gender or a cohabitee with whom you have lived in a marriage-like relationship for at least two years, or with whom you have joint care of a child.

Issuing a residence permit requires that your means of support are secured in Finland by some other way than benefits paid by the state. Your means of support must be secured, for example, by income earned by your sponsor who lives in Finland or by pursuit of a trade. Secured means of support are not required in some exceptional circumstances.

1

Get ready

Check that you have all the necessary attachments and information before you begin. If your application doesn't have the necessary documents, it will take longer to make a decision. You must have a valid passport and documentation on your family ties:

  • marriage certificate or certificate of registered partnership (legalised)
  • copy of the passport page containing personal data and copies of all pages with notes in your passport and in your spouse’s passport
  • proof of living together if you are applying on the basis of cohabitation, for example a tenancy agreement or an extract from a register of occupants, or alternatively a birth certificate with information on the child’s parents (legalised) and a certificate of joint custody of the child (legalised)
  • divorce certificate or a certificate of dissolution of registered partnership if you have or your spouse has previously been married or in a registered partnership and separated (legalised)
  • death certificate if you or your spouse is a widower or a widow (legalised)


Official certificates, such as birth and marriage certificates, must be legalised if they are not issued by an authority in a Nordic country 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. You must present the original documents and their translations when you visit your service point to prove your identity.

You must also attach the form for clarification of family ties (PK1_plus) to your application. The form must be filled in and signed by your spouse.

If you do 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 you cannot obtain a passport.

You must also attach documents on your means of support to your application:

  • Your spouse’s bank statements from the past six months for all Finnish bank accounts the spouse can use
  • Copy of your spouse’s latest tax card, tax decision and tax return
  • Copy of your spouse’s employment contract
  • Documents concerning your spouse’s/your business, if you have a business
  • Copy of your own employment contract, if you will be working in Finland
  • Document concerning your spouse’s/your pension, if you receive pension
  • Report on other income or assets that you can transfer to Finland

If your spouse is applying at the same time on the basis of employment, a copy of their employment contract or offer is sufficient.

2

Fill in the application and pay the fee

Complete the application form and attach all the required documents. Select your service point. The service point is where you prove your identity. You will find more information at migri.fi/en/identification. If you are applying for a permit abroad, visit a Finnish embassy or consulate. If you are applying in Finland, 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.

3

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.

4

Visit the selected authority to prove your identity

When you have submitted your application via the e-service, you must visit the service point you selected in order to prove your identity, to present the original copies of the attachments required for your application and to have your fingerprints taken. Remember to take a passport photo with you. Passport photo guidelines can be found on the website of the Finnish police. You have three months to visit your service point, or your application will be rejected.

5

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. 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.

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