Expanding your company's operations into Finland is an exciting opportunity for growth. Whether you're bringing employees from your parent company, hiring new candidates from other countries, or building a talented team with...
Read MoreExpanding your company's operations into Finland is an exciting opportunity for growth. Whether you're bringing employees from your parent company, hiring new candidates from other countries, or building a talented team with a combination of both, most of your employees will need to obtain a Finland work visa.
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Expanding your company’s operations into Finland is an exciting opportunity for growth. Whether you’re bringing employees from your parent company, hiring new candidates from other countries, or building a talented team with a combination of both, most of your employees will need to obtain a Finland work visa.
Citizens of countries outside of the European Union (EU), Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein will need to apply for a residence permit before working in Finland. The type of permit your employees will need depends on the nature of the work they’ll be doing for your company. The following three categories of Finnish work visas will be relevant for most companies:
In June 2022, Finland also introduced a fast-tracked D Visa for specialists, start-up entrepreneurs, and their family members.
To obtain a working visa in Finland, each employee will need:
The process begins when the employee is offered a position with a company in Finland. An employment contract is necessary to live and work in Finland legally.
Before coming to Finland, the employee will need to apply for a residence permit, which can be done online through the Enter Finland service. Within three months of submitting the application, the employee must visit a Finnish diplomatic mission or embassy and present original copies of the application appendices, including fingerprints and supporting documents. If an employee is unable to apply online, they can print the application form from the Finnish Immigration Service website and bring it to the nearest Finnish diplomatic mission along with its appendices.
The merits of the application will be decided by the Employment and Economic Development Office. Finnish Immigration Service, or Migri, will make the final decision after making sure the employee meets all requirements for a residence permit. Both the employee and the employer will be notified of the decision through the 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 renewed at a local police station in Finland.
While employees who are citizens of EU member states and Switzerland do not need to apply for a residence permit to work in Finland, they do need to register their right to reside in the country. This process can be completed through the Enter Finland system. Citizens of Iceland, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, the Nordic countries, do not need to register. However, they must notify their Local Register Office that they’re living in Finland.
Employees with a residence permit should be aware that they’re entitled to apply for permanent residence after five years of legally living and working in Finland.
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At this moment, Globalization Partners does not offer support processing work visas or permits in this particular location.
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