Researcher

Apply for a residence permit as a researcher in the following cases:

• if you are working professionally in the field of science
• if you work in Finland as a visiting teacher, lecturer, instructor, or research worker on the basis of an invitation or a contract, and the duration of your job is no longer than one year
• if you work on the basis of a hosting agreement between the research institute and you, and the Finnish Ministry of Education has accepted the research institute in question as a host in accordance with the Finnish Aliens Act and the European directive on a specific procedure for admitting third-country nationals for the purposes of scientific research

Your right to work begins only when the residence permit has been granted.

You do not need a residence permit if you come to Finland to work as a researcher and:

• you have a valid visa, you are from a country whose residents do not need a visa, or you have a residence permit granted by another Schengen country,

and

• you come to Finland on the basis of an invitation or a contract, for no longer than three months,

or

• you come to Finland to carry out a part of a research project for which you have a hosting agreement with a research institute in another EU state, provided that the duration of your stay does not exceed three months

Are you a student or a researcher?

If you pay for your living in Finland yourself, you are considered to be a post-graduate student. In this case, you must apply for a residence permit on the basis of your studies and not as a researcher.

If you have been granted a scholarship in your home country, for example by a university, or you receive a salary from your home country, you are considered to be a researcher.