RESIDENCE PERMIT
Students from the EU and EEA countries do not need a visa to enter the country. Neither do they need a residence permit, if the duration of the stay is less than three months. For longer stays the residence permit must be applied for , but it does not have to be obtained in the home country before leaving for Finland. You can apply for it from the local police authorities (District Register Office), and it will be issued authomatically if you have been accepted as a student in a Finnish institute of education and if you are able to finance your studies in Finland. Citizens of the Nordic countries do not need a residence permit. Persons who move from one of the other Nordic countries to Finland must report to the district register office their place of residence and submit a Joint Nordic Document of Moving.For a residence permit you need: a passport, two photographs, a certificate of your registration at a Finnish university, proof of your funds (about FIM 3000 a month) or scholarship to cover your expenses in Finland. Citizens of Great Britain may have a British visitoržs passport instead of a regular one. Citizens from the following countries may have an official identification card issued by authorities in the home country instead of a passport: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, San Marino or Switzerland. The residence permit costs FIM 130 for citizens of the EU and EEA countries. Citizens of these countries do not need a work permit.
Foreigners from outside the EU who intend to stay in Finland for more than three months have to obtain a residence permit, which must be applied for at the nearest Finnish embassy or consulate in advance. The reason for the entry must be stated clearly enough, since foreigners who have arrived in the country as tourists cannot generally be granted a residence permit in Finland.
Foreigners coming from outside the EU must report to the District Register Office for their place of residence to be entered in the population and domiciliary registers.
When they report to the district register office, foreigners must present a notice of moving and a passport which contains their residence permit. In addition, foreigners should be prepared to present other possible documents indicating their identity, family relations and the studies they are pursuing in Finland. After about four weeks, a Finnish social security number will be issued, after which application for a National Sickness Insurance (NSI) card should be made.
Every person residing in Finland must submit a Notification of Change of Residence and Departure within three days of moving. The completed notification form is submitted to the superintendent of the building, the owner of the house, or the caretaker, who will also provide the necessary papers. It is not necessary to notify the authorities of a change of address where residence at a new address lasts no longer than two weeks.
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