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If you are applying for an extended permit or renewing your residence permit card or residence card, it is possible for you to avoid visiting a service point to prove your identity. Read more about the requirements: migri.fi/en/identification. Watch our ”Proving your identity without visiting a service point” guide video.
Application for students and researchers: residence permit to look for work or to start a business
Apply for a residence permit with this application if you need a residence permit to look for work or to start a business and you do not yet have a job. The permit must be applied for within five years from the date when your residence permit for studies or research expired.
If you are abroad, apply for this permit as a first residence permit. If you wish to apply for an extended permit, submit the application before your current permit expires. Read more about extended permits.
- You may get the permit for two years at the most.
- If you wish, you can take the permit in three parts.
- The last part must end within three years from the date when the first part started and
- the duration of each part must be at least six months.
- If you have a residence permit for studies, you must have finished your studies and graduated.
- If you have a residence permit for research, you must have finished your research work or you must have completed a doctoral degree in Finland after finishing your research work.
You must also meet the following requirements:
- You have or have had a residence permit for studies or for research.
- You have
- studied and completed a degree in Finland, or
- finished your research work or
- completed a doctoral degree in Finland.
Get ready
Make sure you have all the necessary attachments and information before you begin. If necessary, have the attachments translated and legalised. The processing of your application may take longer if any attachments are missing from your application.
Complete the application
Fill in the application form and add the necessary attachments.
Choose your service point.
- If you are abroad, you must prove your identity at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate).
- Contact a Finnish mission.
- If you are in Finland, you must prove your identity at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.
- Book an appointment beforehand by using the appointment system of the Finnish Immigration Service.
Finnish missions and the service points of the Finnish Immigration Service may be busy. Therefore, you should book an appointment as soon as possible after submitting your application. For more information, see migri.fi/identification.
Pay and submit the application
The processing of an application is subject to a fee. We recommend paying the processing fee as soon as possible with the most common credit cards or with Finnish online banking credentials. You can also pay the processing fee when you visit a Finnish mission or the Finnish Immigration Service to prove your identity.
Visit the selected authority to prove your identity
After submitting your application, visit a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) or a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service
- to prove your identity
- to present the original copies of the documents that you attached to your application, and
- to have your fingerprints taken.
Remember to bring your passport photo with you. Passport photo guidelines can be found on the website of the Finnish Police.
Submit the application
You can follow the status of your application on your Enter Finland account, ask chatbot Kamu to find out where your application stands in the processing queue, or use the Processing Time Checker.
If any additional information is needed for your application, you will be sent a request for it through Enter Finland. When a decision has been made, you will receive a notification that you can read the decision in Enter Finland.