About Finland

Whether you’re looking to visit, live or work in Finland—we can support your immigration needs at every stage of your journey.

​Finland is a member of the European Union and the Schengen Area. If you’re a foreign national looking to visit, live and/or work in Finland, several options are available.

• Business Visits: As a business visitor and depending on your citizenship, you'll generally enter Finland without a visa or you'll need to secure a Schengen C Visa from a Finnish consular post before your travel. For all visitors, the Schengen Area limits stays to 90 days in a 180-day period. If your overall stay will exceed 90 days or if you'll be paid in Finland for your business activities, you'll need to secure a Residence Permit.
• Work Authorization: The main work authorization category is the Residence Permit for a Specialist, suitable for highly skilled experts. The permit can be issued for two years initially and can be extended.
• Internships/Traineeships: If you're traveling to Finland to train at your employer's Finnish branch, the EU Intra-Company Transferee (ICT) Permit may be suitable. To be eligible, you'll need to hold a higher education degree, among other requirements. This permit allows for a traineeship of up to one year and cannot be extended.
• Self-employment: The two main work authorization programs for potential investors or entrepreneurs are (1) the Entrepreneur Permit, which requires a business plan and proof of the income rendered by the business, and (2) the Start-up permit, which requires pre-approval of the business plan by a public agency. Both applications pass through several government agencies, causing long processing times. Alternatively, you can apply for standard work authorization if your newly established Finnish company supplies the supporting corporate documents.

Fragomen can also consult on citizenship matters and, as permitted within the confines of local law, may be able to offer citizenship assistance.