Simple Immigration Solution

Located in Northern Europe, Finland is home to thousands of lakes and beautiful forests and hills. The beautiful Nordic country is one of the most developed and advanced countries in the world, ranking high in human rights, living environment, and gender equality.
The country is also known for its top-tier education and healthcare system, work-life balance, and high living standards. This has attracted millions of people from all over the world to move to Finland for the long term, especially individuals who want to grow personally and professionally.
1. Do I Need a Visa to Move to Finland?
Whether you need a visa to move to Finland or not heavily depends on you nationality as stated below:
• EU/EEA and Switzerland citizens can move to Finland with only their valid identity card or EU passport.
• Non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens will need an entry visa if they want to stay in Finland for more than three months.
2. How Can I Move to Finland as an EU Citizen?
If you are an EU/EEA and Switzerland citizen, you can move to Finland without a visa, however, you must apply for EU registration if you want to reside in Finland for longer than three months. After you submit your registration, you will receive a personal identity code, and your stay in Finland will be legal.
As an EU citizen who wishes to reside in Finland, you must be:
– An employed person.
– Self-employed person.
– A family member.
– A student.
EU citizens also have the right to start working immediately after entering Finland.
3. How Can I Move to Finland as a Non-EU Citizen?
To stay in Finland for longer than 3 months (90 days), you need to apply for a long-stay visa. Finland offers different types of long-stay visas that you can apply for depending on the purpose of your travel to Finland. Besides a visa to enter the country, you also need to get a residence permit after arriving in the country. The type of residence permit also depends on the type of visa you have obtained.
Moving to Finland to Work
If you have a job offer from an employer in Finland, you need to obtain a work visa. After getting a work visa, you need to apply for a residence permit. The type of residence permit you need to apply for depends on what type of work you will do during your stay in Finland.
If you move to Finland to work in a profession with an employer shortage, you need to get an Finish EU Blue Card. To qualify for an EU Blue Card, you need to check if you meet the professional qualifications and have the required work experience in the field you are going to work.
Moving to Finland to Study
If you are accepted for a study program at a Finnish educational institution, you need to get a student visa to enter the country. The educational institution you have been accepted to can be a university, a university of applied sciences, a general upper secondary school, or a vocational education institution.
After being granted a student visa, you can apply for a residence permit at the Finnish diplomatic missions. You can either apply for an A permit or a B permit.
A student visa is valid for a duration of two years and will allow you to work for a maximum of 30 hours per week. You are also allowed to bring your family members with you to Finland.
Moving to Finland for Family Reunification
Non-EU citizens with family members in Finland can join their relatives by applying for a family visa at the local Finnish diplomatic missions (embassy/consulate). A family visa is issued to the following family members:
– A spouse.
– A cohabiting partner.
– A legal guardian (when the applicant is under 18).
– A child.
However, you can get a residence permit for family reunification if you have a family member who lives in Finland with a residence permit. Therefore, the family member living in Finland, who at the same time will serve as your sponsor, must apply for their residence permit before or at the same time you apply for a family visa.
Once your family visa gets granted, you can travel to Finland and register at the local registration office.
This type of visa is valid for one year (12 months) and can be extended depending on the type of permit you have.
4. Does Finland Allow Dual Citizenship?
Finland accepts dual citizenship, which means that you can be a Finnish citizen and hold citizenship in another country. If you have another citizenship besides Finnish citizenship, the Finnish authorities will consider you to be a Finnish citizen in Finland and abroad.
However, other countries might not accept dual citizenship, and therefore, if the authorities of the country you are currently a citizen of do not accept dual citizenship, you will be required to renounce one of the citizenship. This means that you must choose between your current citizenship and Finnish citizenship.
5. Can I Bring My Personal Belongings to Finland?
You can bring your personal belongings to Finland free of customs duty and value-added tax, however, to do that, you must meet the following requirements:
– You have been a resident outside of the EU for at least 12 months.
– You have used your belongings for at least six months before your arrival to Finland.
– Your belongings will be used in the same way as it was used in your previous place of residence.
Items listed below are considered personal belongings:
– Households (clothing, furniture, books, appliances, etc.).
– Bicycles and motorcycles, motor vehicles and trailers meant for private use, caravans, leisure boats, and private aircraft
– Household pets and saddle horses.
– Portable instruments required by the person concerned for the practice of the applied or liberal arts.