Documents to prepare for a Finnish Residence Permit Application

A practical guide for applicants and their families.

Applying for a Finnish residence permit is much smoother when your documents are prepared correctly from the start. To make things easier, the Nerdsbay team has put together a short overview of the documents you’ll want to prepare in advance.

1. Valid Passport and Identity Documents

Migri requires applicants to present a valid passport to verify identity when applying for a residence permit.

Please note: while Migri requires the passport to be valid at the time of application, in practice the residence permit is usually granted only up to the passport’s expiry date. It is therefore strongly advisable to ensure that your passport is valid for the entire intended period of stay in Finland.

You will typically need:

✏︎ A valid passport

✏︎ Copies of the passport

✏︎ Completed residence permit application

Migri requires applicants to present a valid passport to verify identity when applying for a residence permit.

2. Documents related to the grounds for your permit

In addition to identity documents, you must provide documents that support the specific reason for your residence permit.

Examples include:

✏︎ Employment contract (for work-based permits)

✏︎ Admission letter (for students)

✏︎ Business documents (for entrepreneurs)

✏︎ Proof of sufficient funds (when applicable)

For work-based residence permits, the employer usually submits part of the application (the terms of employment form), so this should also be taken into account when preparing your documents.

The exact requirements depend on the permit type.

3. Legalisation (apostille) of foreign documents

If your official documents were issued outside Finland, they usually must be legalised so that Finnish authorities can recognise them.

In most cases this means:

✏︎ an apostille under the Hague Convention, or

✏︎ legalisation through a Finnish mission (if apostille is not available)

This commonly applies to civil status and official authority documents issued abroad.

4. Translation requirements

Documents must be submitted in Finnish, Swedish or English.

If the original document is in another language, you must include an authorised translation. This requirement commonly applies to diplomas, civil status documents, court decisions and other official certificates.

Migri requires translations to be made by an authorised translator. In Finland, this means a translator who is officially authorised in accordance with Finnish legislation. If the translation is done abroad, the translator must be officially recognised or certified in that country.

Always ensure that the translation includes the translator’s signature, stamp and contact details, as required by the authority.

5. Requirements for Family Members (spouse and children)

If your family members apply with you or join you later, you must provide official proof of the family relationship.

✏︎ For spouses: marriage certificate

✏︎ For children: birth certificate showing the parents’ names

Migri requires reliable documentation to confirm family ties.

❗ Important: Apostille and translation for Family Documents

Core family documents typically must be:

✏︎ apostilled (or otherwise legalised), and

✏︎ translated into Finnish, Swedish or English if originally issued in another language.

This usually applies to marriage certificates, birth certificates, and divorce documents.

6. Divorce documents (if applicable)

If you or your spouse were previously married, you must prove that the earlier marriage has legally ended.

Depending on the situation, Migri may request:

✏︎ Divorce certificate

✏︎ Court decision on divorce

✏︎ Death certificate of a former spouse

Foreign-issued documents must follow the same legalisation and translation requirements

7. Additional documents for children

For minor children, additional documents may be required in some cases, such as:

✏︎ Consent from the other guardian

✏︎ Custody decisions

✏︎ Adoption documents

Requirements depend on the child’s specific situation.

8. Practical note

From our experience, delays most often happen when:

✏︎ documents are not apostilled

✏︎ translations are missing or not authorised

✏︎ names differ across documents

✏︎ previous marriages are not properly documented

Preparing these documents carefully in advance can significantly speed up the process.

If you’d like to learn more about working and relocating to Finland, we regularly share practical updates and guidance.

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