Residence and Work Permits

• Residence Permit / Right to Reside in Finland
• Work Permit

Residence Permit / Right to Reside in Finland

EU Nationals

EU and EEA nationals must register their right to reside in Finland at the local police department if their stay exceeds three months. The local police handle the registration, except for Nordic nationals, who are registered at a Register Office under an Inter-Nordic Migration Form and need not register until their stay exceeds six months. A written certificate of registration is given to those who have been registered once the authorities have established whether the requirements for registration are met.

Tampere Police Department (Tampereen poliisilaitos),
Licences and Permits for foreigners:
Tel. 07187 40131 (switchboard)
Customer service is open:
Mon 8.00-16.45
Tue and Thu-Fri 9-16
Wednesdays and Saturdays closed (please check summer opening times)
Reserve appointment online

Non-EU/EEA Nationals

Foreign nationals need a visa for a stay of less than three months, or a residence permit for a stay of more than three months. Non-EU/EEA nationals apply for a residence permit at the Finnish Embassy/Consulate before arrival in Finland. Applications can be submitted electronically at the website of Finnish Immigration Service or they can be submitted to a Finnish embassy in the student’s home country or in a country he/she is legally residing. Please read also the information given on the website of Finnish Consulate in your country of residence.
> Finnish missions abroad by country (Website of Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland).

Due to biometric authentication, fingerprints are collected from all applicants. All students are required to visit a Finnish embassy in person to give their fingerprints, no exceptions are made. Applications will not be processed before the biometric details have been given at the embassy.

When applying for a residence permit, a financial statement is required. Students will be requested to show that they have sufficient funds to support themselves during their stay in Finland. At the moment of writing, the sums required for students for a secure income are estimated to be € 560/month or € 6720 for one year.

For up-to-date information on entry to Finland, please see the website of Finnish Immigration Service (Maahanmuuttovirasto) and their notices:

• Notice to degree students
• Notice to exchange students

Health Insurance

In addition to the financial statement, students must attach details of their comprehensive health insurance cover to the application. Comprehensive insurance cover means insurance which includes the types of treatment and costs that are covered by municipal services and the health insurance system. Hence, for studies of less than two years in duration, a student must have private insurance which primarily covers the costs of medical treatment up to 100,000 euros. Where the duration of the studies is two years or more, a student will usually have a home municipality in Finland and is therefore entitled to municipal health care services. In such cases, it is sufficient for the insurance to primarily cover the cost of medicines (in practice the cover extends to doctor’s fees and costs of treatment and examination), up to 30,000 euros.

Extension of Residence Permit

A residence permit for study purposes is usually granted for one year at a time. If your studies last for more than a year, you must apply for an extension. In order to be granted an extension, the student must still be registered at the educational institution as a full-time student and have completed the required courses in the institution's study programme. If the student's study performance is deemed poor, an extension of the residence permit may be denied. The application for an extension is submitted to the police.

Work Permit

EU/EEA Nationals

There are no limitations on how much EU and EEA nationals can work during their stay in Finland.

Non-EU/EEA Nationals

The residence permit (oleskelulupa) is valid for up to one year and it includes a student work permit (työlupa) allowing a stu­dent to work a maximum of 25 hours per week during term-time. During holiday periods (May 1 - September 30 and De­cember 15 - January 15), stu­­dents may work without restrictions. HOWEVER (and this cannot be stressed enough) there are certain variations depending upon the type of student status, e.g. scholarship, private arrangement etc.

For up-to-date information please contact the Tampere Police Department.

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