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Applying for a residence permit on the basis of family ties

How to apply for a residence permit?

The application must be made on a form which can be printed out from the section application forms. The application includes instructions on how to fill it in and a list of required enclosures. The application includes instructions on how to fill it in and a list of required attachments.

Where to apply for the permit?

Family members of a Finnish citizen   

Family members and minor, unmarried children of a Finnish citizen may come to Finland without having acquired a residence permit in advance and apply for the permit in Finland. They may stay in Finland while waiting for the decision on the permit application. If they need a visa in order to be able to travel to Finland they must file an applicaton for a visa with a Finnish mission. The mission then decides whether the conditions for issuing a visa are fulfilled.

People other than family members must stay abroad during the processing of the permit application.

In Finland, a permit application is submitted to the police. If abroad, the application is submitted to a Finnish diplomatic mission.

Family members of an alien living in Finland

Family members of an alien living in Finland must apply for a residence permit while abroad, prior to coming to Finland. The permit application should be submitted to the Finnish diplomatic mission of the country of residence. Alternatively, the sponsor living in Finland can submit the application to the police in Finland.

The applicant must remain abroad while waiting for the decision on the permit application.

However, a family member may come to Finland without having acquired a residence permit in advance and apply for the permit when in Finland if the family members intend to continue their family life previously begun abroad.

The permit is granted in Finland if

• the applicant could also have received the permit if applying for it abroad, and
• prior to arriving in Finland, has lived abroad for at least two years with the spouse or cohabitant now residing in Finland, or
• rejecting the application is clearly unreasonable. 

The applicant can reside in Finland during the entire application processing period even if his or her visa expires during this period.

Is there an application fee?

Usually a fee is charged to cover the costs of processing the residence permit application. The fee must be paid when submitting the application for processing.

How long is the application processing time?

Please see the average processing times.

The applications are usually processed in the order in which they were submitted. If there are compelling reasons, an application may jump the queue. If the applicant wishes to expedite the procedure, a request, including reasons, must be submitted in writing.

Interviewing an applicant and a family member

To establish the requirements for granting a residence permit, the sponsor and the applicant are interviewed. The interview is usually conducted in writing using a form. The interview may also be conducted orally. In addition to the family-tie declaration form, other proof of family ties or cohabitation may be enclosed with the application, for example a copy of a marriage certificate or lease/rental agreement. The necessary appendices to the application are explained in Section E of either form.

The interview is usually conducted by the police or an official at a Finnish diplomatic mission. Sometimes the interview is conducted by the Finnish Immigration Service.

Who makes the decision to issue the permit?

The police make the decision concerning the residence permit application of family members and minor, unmarried children of a Finnish citizen, if the applicant is in Finland.

If the residence permit application is submitted to a Finnish diplomatic mission abroad, the Finnish Immigration Service issues the decision on applications concerning a family member of a Finnish citizen and of an alien living in Finland.

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