If you plan to work or be an entrepreneur in Finland, you will need a residence permit. The type of work-based residence permit depends on the type of work you do or the type of business you own. 

If you have received a diploma in Finland, you can use a special form to apply for a work-based residence permit.

You can work in Finland without a residence permit if you meet one of the following requirements. However, your residence in Finland must be legal. Living without a residence permit is legal in the following situations:

• You have a valid visa (you come from a country whose citizens need a visa to enter Finland).
• You have a Schengen residence permit issued by another country, which allows you to reside in Finland for a short period of time.
• You are a citizen of a visa-free country, in which case you can work in Finland during your visa-free stay.

You do not need a work permit or any other residence permit if you meet these conditions:

• you have been invited to work in Finland or you have signed a contract to work in Finland and will work for a maximum of 90 days;

And you should also work in one of these positions:

• an interpreter, teacher, specialist, or sports referee or referee; or
• a professional artist, coach, or athlete, or a member of such a person's support team.

You can also perform these tasks without a residence permit if your work lasts 90 days or less:

1. You show a product or work in a movie, and your employer does not have an office in Finland.

2. You are a sailor and work on a ship listed in the Register of merchant ships, or, if you are hired outside of Finland, on a ship that mainly runs between foreign ports.

3. You are a permanent employee of a company operating in another EU/EEA country, and you have arrived in Finland to perform temporary acquisition or subcontracting tasks as specified in the freedom of Service Regulations. You must also have a residence and work permit in the specified country, and these permits must be valid when you finish working in Finland. 

4. You are a member of the personnel of a vehicle owned or controlled by a foreign party, and

• you drive a vehicle whose task is to transport cargo across the border, which must be delivered to a certain destination or taken out of it, or
• your activities in Finland involve regular communication between municipalities, at least one of which is located abroad, and
• you don't live in Finland.

5. You are the leader of a travel group traveling to Finland from abroad, and your employer or contractor does not have an office in Finland. As a travel group leader, you arrive in Finland with the group and also leave the country with the group.

If you intend to continue working even after the end of the 90-day period, you will need to apply for a residence permit.

If you are an asylum seeker, you are eligible to work in Finland:

• if you have applied for international protection, you have a valid travel document that entitles you to cross the border, and you have lived in Finland for three months.
• if you have applied for international protection, but you do not have a valid travel document that entitles you to cross the border, and you have lived in Finland for six months.

Learn more about the right of an asylum seeker to work. 

Residence permit for seasonal work is to work as a seasonal employee for a period of 3-9 months. You cannot apply for a residence permit in such cases: 

• You come to Finland from a visa-free country to collect wild berries for a maximum of 90 days, and berry picking is not carried out in an employment relationship. If you collect wild berries under an employment contract, you need to apply for a residence permit for a employed person (TTOL).
• You are a citizen of an EU country or Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland. You can work in Finland without a residence permit. If you have been in Finland for more than three months, you must register your right of residence.

People who come to work for less than three months:

1. If you are coming from a country whose citizens must have a visa, apply for a seasonal work visa at the Finnish representative office (embassy or consulate).
2. If you come from a country whose citizens do not need to have a visa, apply for a seasonal work certificate from the Finnish Immigration Service. A seasonal work certificate confirms your right to work. In order for your stay in Finland to be legal, you also need to have visa-free travel days for the entire duration of your certificate. A seasonal work certificate does not extend your visa-free stay in Finland.

But if you come to work for three to six months:

Apply for a seasonal residence permit with the Finnish Immigration Service. In this case, your application will be reviewed in two stages. First, the Department of employment and economic development issues a partial solution. The Finnish Immigration Service then processes the application and decides on the permit.

The duration of the employment relationship determines the duration of the permit granted. You can apply and find more information here.

You need to apply for a residence permit. You can do this online via the service Enter Finland. First, you need to create a user account. You must apply to Enter Finland yourself. After that, your employer can supplement your application with Enter Finland for Employers. You must give your consent to this in your own application. In Enter Finland for Employers, your employer can add documents to your application, pay for the application before you leave and verify your identity, monitor the status of your application online, and see when a decision was made on your application. 

There are the following types of residence permits:

1. Residence permit for an employed person;
2. Residence permit for persons working in specialist positions;
3. Residence permit for internships or volunteer activities;
4. Residence permit for a researcher;
5. Residence permit for au pair status;
6. Residence permit for an entrepreneur;
7. Residence permit for an athlete or coach;
8. Residence permit for finding a job or starting a business;
9. Residence permit based on another job.

The first option is that you can fill out an application for a residence permit as an employed person. To do this, you must have signed a contract with a Finnish employer. Please note that the application for a residence permit for an employed person is considered in two stages. First, the employment and Economic Development Bureau (TE Office) will assess whether you have sufficient support facilities, whether your work will be temporary or continuous, and whether there is a workforce within Finland or within the EU/EEA for the relevant work. Secondly, after that, the Finnish Immigration Service makes a decision. You must have sufficient financial resources. You can read about it here.

To apply for a residence permit, you will need: 

• A valid passport (you must present it when applying for a residence permit);
• Color copies of the passport page and copies of all passport pages containing labels;
• Photo with the size of the passport and code for obtaining the photo according to the instructions issued by the police. Learn more about this on the website;
• A document confirming that you are legally located in the country where you are applying;
• MP_1File Form. You should only add this form if you are already in Finland and are applying for your first residence permit.

You can apply online here 

The second option is to apply for a residence permit if you have signed an employment contract with a company operating in Finland or accepted a mandatory job offer to work as a specialist or in the company's middle or senior management. A specialist is a person who comes to Finland to work with expert duties that require special knowledge (highly qualified worker). Specialists are also usually required to have a higher education.

List of required documents for completing the application:

• A valid passport (you must present it when you are applying for a residence permit);
• Color copies of the passport page and copies of all passport pages containing labels;
• A photo with the size of the passport and code to get the photo;
• A document that is confirmed that you are legally located in the country;
• MP_1File Form. You should only add this form if you are already in Finland and are applying for your first residence permit.

Additional documents:

• Information about the main working conditions; or
• Consultation Agreement;
• Certificate of additional benefits from the employer / client;
• Commission agreement with a Finnish client (must be included if the employer is a foreign company that does not have an office in Finland);
• Job description;
• Higher education certificate;
• Your last payment certificate (only if you apply for an extended permission).

You can apply for a residence permit as a specialist by following the link. 

The third option is to get a residence permit if you are coming to Finland for an internship of up to 18 months, and

• you are between 18 and 30 years old, you are studying at a university abroad and an internship takes place in a field that corresponds to your studies or qualifications, or
• you are between 18 and 30 years old and studying Finnish or Swedish at a university abroad, or
• you have completed a higher education within two years or are currently studying in a higher education program.

This residence permit application form is also suitable for you if you are coming to Finland for a job or internship that:

• included in an exchange program conducted by a non-governmental organization;
• this is volunteer work in an official volunteer program of the European Union or a public organization;
• based on an intergovernmental agreement (for example, working leave for citizens of Australia and New Zealand).

You can get more information about this type of residence permit and apply here.

The fourth option is to work as a researcher. This residence permit application form is intended for you if you are applying for a residence permit to conduct research or participate in a research project, or to complete a postgraduate course that includes research in the same field. 

The fifth option is to apply for a residence permit if you are coming to Finland as an au pair - a person living with a family abroad is interested in learning Finnish or Swedish and getting acquainted with Finnish culture. You must be between 17 and 30 years old to apply. The maximum length of stay in the country is one year.

The sixth option  is that you can apply for a residence permit for an entrepreneur, or for a startup permit in Finland. To obtain a residence permit in Finland, you must have sufficient financial resources.

You can apply if you are:

• private entrepreneur who has an individual business (toiminimi);
• member of the full partnership (avoid yhtiö);
• general partner in a limited liability company (kommandiittiyhtiö);
• a cooperative member (osuuskunta) who has unlimited responsibility for refinancing. The unlimited obligation to make contributions must be registered in the Commercial Register;
• a shareholder in a management position in a limited liability company (managing director or board member) or a person working in a different type of company in a management position if you personally own at least 30 percent of the company's share capital or personally own at least 30 percent of the votes received from the company's shares, or if you hold a management position in a different type of company with similar powers in the company in question.

You can't get a residence permit just because you have a company. To get a residence permit, you must work for a company, and the work must be done in Finland.

The seventh option - this residence permit application form is intended for you if you are an athlete or sports coach and will be engaged in this activity in Finland professionally and full-time. You must also sign a player's agreement or employment agreement with a sports club or similar organization.

Eighth option is to apply for a residence permit if you are looking for a job or starting a business in Finland, but you don't have a job yet. You can get a permit for a maximum of two years.

The ninth option is to get a residence permit based on another job.

This application form is for you if you:

1. Work in the service of a registered company;
2. You are transferred to Finland within a company or group of companies to work as a specialist, manager or trainee employee, and you have the competence and education necessary for the relevant job;
3. You will work professionally in the field of art;
4. You have a diploma from a finish educational institution;
5. You are a journalist, and your employer or contractor does not have an office in Finland;
6. Come to Finland for market research, preparation for starting a company in Finland, or other similar tasks, and your employer or contractor does not have an office in Finland;
7. Is a guest instructor or consultant.

Within three months of submitting the application, the employee must visit the diplomatic mission or Embassy of Finland and present the original documents to the application, including fingerprints and supporting documents. If the employee is unable to apply online, they can print out the application form from the Finnish Immigration Service website and bring it to the nearest Finnish diplomatic mission along with the appendices.

The validity of the application will be decided by the Department of employment and economic development. The Finnish Immigration Service, or Migri, will make a final decision after making sure that the employee meets all the requirements for obtaining a residence permit. Both the employee and the employer will be notified of the decision by mail.

Once approved, the employee will receive a residence permit card from the Finnish Embassy. The first permit is valid for one year and can be extended at a local police station in Finland.

When starting a business, you need to choose an organizational and legal form, a company name, and a field of activity. Factors affecting the choice of company form include the number of founders, capital requirements, distribution of responsibilities and decision-making, financing and taxation.

General partnership (toiminimi)

Limited liability company (osakeyhtiö)

Partnership (avoin yhtiö)

Limited partnership (kommandiittiyhtiö)

Cooperative association (osuuskunta)

Property (toiminimi)

The easiest and most popular way to start a business is to work as a sole proprietor using a company name. The decision-making and responsibility in the company belongs to the entrepreneur, and the company can hire employees, just like in other forms of business. For part-time businesses, it is often advantageous to start as a sole proprietorship. Starting a business this way is quick and easy.

Limited liability company (osakeyhtiö)

A limited liability company is the most common form of company in Finland. A limited liability company is suitable for all types of business activities. You can establish a limited liability company on your own or together with other shareholders. The voting rights, profits and liability of a shareholder depend on the number of shares he or she owns.

Partnership (avoin yhtiö)

A partnership is formed when two or more persons agree to do so by signing a partnership agreement. The partners have equal status in all of the company's operations and are personally liable for the company's decisions, obligations and debts.

Limited partnership (kommandiittiyhtiö)

A limited partnership differs from a general partnership in that, in addition to one or more responsible partners, there is at least one sleeper partner, i.e. a member of the partnership who usually acts as an investor.

Cooperative association (osuuskunta)

A cooperative association is an enterprise owned by its members. There can be one or more members. Each member has one vote at the meeting of the cooperative association. The liability of members for the obligations of the cooperative association (e.g. for debts) is limited to their share capital.

Finland has very high business taxes. In general, entrepreneurs have to pay the following taxes: 

1. VAT if the annual turnover exceeds 10,000 euros: 

• 24% for most goods and services;
• 14% - for food and catering;
• 10% - for medicines, printed materials, passenger transportation and some others.

2. corporate income tax:

• 20% - for joint stock companies and cooperatives;
• 30% - for individual entrepreneurs and partnerships;
• 34% - for individual entrepreneurs and companies, if the income exceeds EUR 30,000.

3. employer's insurance contributions (social and pension insurance, unemployment insurance) - depending on the type of activity and other features, from 18 to 21% of the payroll.  

But there may be other peculiarities. For example, in some municipalities, companies pay corporate property tax.

Open a company in Finland

A foreigner can open a company in Finland by registering it in the Trade Register of the Finnish Patent and Registration Office, having at least three members of the Board of Directors. In addition to the main foreign founder of the Finnish company, in order to obtain an entrepreneur's residence permit, the Board of Directors must include a Finnish (or European) resident who is a resident of Finland. An applicant for an entrepreneur's residence permit must have a business identifier.

If a foreigner plans to work as a private entrepreneur, he/she must be a resident of the EEA region. The process of obtaining an entrepreneur's residence permit consists of two stages. First, the company's profitability is assessed by the ELY Center (Center for Economic Development, Transport and Environment). Then the Finnish Immigration Service makes its decision.

The process of registering a company in Finland

1. Draw up a detailed business plan that includes the business idea, competencies, products/services, customers, partners and sources of business financing.
2. Choose the most appropriate form of business entity for your business activities in Finland.
3. Register the company with the Finnish Chamber of Commerce PRH and the three tax registers.
4. The entrepreneur must take out pension insurance or employee pension insurance.

More information is available here.

Another type of business activity in Finland is the opportunity to become a startup entrepreneur. In order to become a startup entrepreneur, you also need a residence permit.

You must receive a positive eligibility statement from Business Finland before you can apply for a residence permit. We recommend that you check the Business Finland website for information on what type of newly established company can obtain a positive declaration of eligibility.

Apply for a statement of eligibility from Business Finland online at Enter Finland. Only one person in your startup team needs to apply for the application and share it with the rest of the team.