PERMITS FOR ENTERING FINLAND
Different permits may be needed for entering Finland and staying in the country, depending on the nationality of the individual and the reasons for entering the country. All foreigners except citizens of the Nordic countries need a valid passport.
EU citizens
Degree students and Exchange students
Citizens of the Nordic countries may arrive, reside, study and work in Finland without limitations. They do not need visas, residence or work permits. Students from the EU countries and a number of other countries do not need a visa to enter the country.
EU citizens and citizens of Liechtenstein and Switzerland must register their right to reside in Finland at a police department, if their stay lasts for longer than three months. Citizens of the Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland) are registered at a
Local Register Office (Maistraatti in Finnish) if they stay in Finland longer than six (6) months.
Exchange or visiting students usually stay in Finland for less than a year, and, therefore, they do not need to report to the Local Register Office. However, you can request registration to get a
personal identity code if you need one, for example for taxation reasons.
Further information:
Finnish Immigration Service.
Non-EU citizens
Degree Students
Residence permit
If you are a non-EU citizen you will need to apply for a residence permit for studies at the Finnish Embassy or consulate in the country of permanent residence. The Finnish Immigration Service will process the application. The admission letter will include instructions from the Finnish Immigration Service. For the residence permit application you need to enclose
- the Decision on student admission (document from the university of applied sciences)
- an account of your income in Finland and
- an account of sufficient health insurance coverage (for example MARSH SIP).
Further information: Finnish Immigration Service
Registration at a Local Register Office
After you have moved to Finland, you need to report to the Local Register Office (Maistraatti in Finnish) for a registration of a foreigner. As you reside in Finland for a period of at least one year, you can be registered with a municipality of residence. When you visit the office, please remember to take along your passport, residence permit and Student Certificate issued by Seinäjoki UAS. On the basis of registration, you are given a Finnish personal identity code (henkilötunnus). It is needed in a variety of situations, for example for the payment of wages, salaries and fees and when using health care services. The code is also essential in bank transactions, and your bank will require it when you are opening an account.
Exchange Students
A residence permit may be granted for exchange students who are temporarily supplementing their studies with at most one academic year at a Finnish institution of education. A residence permit may be granted for exchange students who are participating in an approved exchange programme. For more information, please contact your own educational institution or the Finnish Immigration Service.
Work Permit
An EU citizen or a thus comparable person can work while studying in Finland and does not need to acquire a special work permit to do so.
Students from non-EU countries may work within certain limits with a residence permit granted for study purposes:
- part-time work: average of 25 hours per week at most
- full-time work: if the work in question is practical training included in the studies or final project work OR
- full-time work during holidays when the educational institution does not arrange teaching as such (during summer and Christmas vacations).
- Further information: Finnish Immigration Service