Residence permit

Foreign nationals entering into Finland need a residence permit for a long term stay in the country. As a rule, a residence permit is applied for before entry into Finland, by submitting an application to a Finnish mission in the applicant's home country or the country where the applicant is residing legally. If there is no Finnish mission in the country in question, a residence permit may be applied at the nearest Finnish mission abroad.

In Australia and New Zealand, the application may be filled in person or sent to the Consulate of Finland in Sydney.

A residence permit may be granted on the basis of family ties, studies, gainful employment or pursuing a trade or profession. A processing fee is charged for each residence permit application. The fee is payable in advance or upon submission of the application. The fee is not refunded if the application is refused.

General requirements applying to all applicants

The application must be accompanied with the following documents:

• The appropriate Resicence permit form, completed carefully.
• Annex to the residence permit application; PASSPORT PHOTO (OLEL_PK).
• The applicant's valid passport.
• Ttwo  (2) passport photos meeting the requirements set by the Finnish police.
• The information forms listed in the application form, completed carefully.
• In the case of exchange students (Rotary International, STS High School Foundation, Lions Club, 4H) the confirmation letter from the student exchange organisationandconsent from the parents/persons having the care and custody of the student.
• The processing fee (a postal payment order or a bank cheque where the payee is theConsulate of Finland). The processing fee cannot be paid by a credit card.

If necessary, the mission may request further information.

All forms are available in Word and PDF formats. The form in Word format may be completed on the screen, saved on one's computer and processed further at a suitable time. The PDF form is meant to be printed and completed by hand. The forms cannot be sent on the Internet.

NOTE: The Consulatedoes not deal withissues related to entry into Australia. Information about these issues is available at www.immi.gov.au.