Applying for a residence permit as an employee

Initiation of an application

Only you, as an employee, can only initiate an application for an employee’s residence permit. You can apply for the residence permit electronically via the Enter Finland online service or by submitting a paper application to a Finnish diplomatic mission abroad. If you are in Finland, you can submit a paper application at the Finnish Immigration Service’s service point.

If you apply through Enter Finland, you must visit a Finnish diplomatic mission or the Finnish Immigration Service's service point to prove your identity and present the original copies of the appendices to the application.

The application for a residence permit must be accompanied by the Terms of Employment form and the appendices requested on the form.

If you are applying for an extension permit to an employee’s  residence permit in the Enter Finland service, and you have used strong identification to log in, you do not need to prove your identity.

Partial decision of the TE Office

An employee's residence permit application is processed in two stages. The TE Office will first make a partial decision, after which the final decision will be made by the Finnish Immigration Service.

The TE Office’s partial decision is based on overall consideration, which includes the availability of labour, the terms of employment relationship and the assessment of the employer’s and employee’s qualifications. The TE Office will also ensure your livelihood. The TE Offices have an income register available.

Decision and notification of the Finnish Immigration Service

The Finnish Immigration Service will notify you of the decision. You will receive both the residence permit decision and the TE Office's partial decision.

Right of appeal

If you wish to appeal against a decision by the Finnish Immigration Service, you can lodge an appeal with an administrative court. Appeal instructions are attached to the decision. They will tell you which administrative court you need to appeal to, the deadline for doing so, the appendices you need and how to submit it.