Staying in Finland: EU registration with Migri, and what you have to show

Yes, as a Dutch citizen you can live in Finland without a permit. If you stay for more than three months in a row, you register your right of residence with the immigration service Migri: € 53 per application, a child gets an application of its own, and the registration certificate is valid indefinitely. The finding in Migri's own conditions: there is no fixed income threshold. Whoever does not work shows that they can support themselves, and Migri looks at the personal situation. The pitfall is the timing: you can only apply once you already live in Finland, and on the basis of work only once your job has actually started.

When do I have to register?

The threshold is three months of uninterrupted stay. Whoever stays shorter does not need to do anything, and according to Migri the count restarts after every trip outside Finland. That is a rule for commuters, not for emigrants.

Two things are fixed before you fill anything in. You need a valid passport or identity card, and you must file the application yourself. An employer or partner cannot do it for you, and you can only apply once you have moved to Finland permanently.

On which ground do I register, and what do I show?

Migri recognises four grounds: work, self-employment, study and family ties. If none of them fits, you may stay as long as you have enough resources to support yourself and your family; that is the fifth row in the table.

Ground	What Migri wants to see	Note
Employee	employment contract or employer's statement; optionally payslips and bank statements from the last three months	registration only once the employment has started
Self-employed	trade register extract, financial statements, tax decisions, client contracts, proof of YEL insurance	also without your own company via an invoicing service (kevytyrittäjä)
Student	certificate of attendance and an assurance of sufficient resources	an admission letter is not enough
Sufficient resources	proof of regular income such as a pension or rental income, assets, recent bank statements	no fixed amount; social assistance must not become your main source
Family member of an EU citizen	marriage certificate or other proof of the family tie	cohabiting partners: at least two years together or a child together

For pensioners, the resources ground is the route. A Dutch AOW state pension, an occupational pension or rental income from the Netherlands simply count. Migri names as its only test that you do not place an unreasonable burden on the Finnish social system, and that you will not rely on social assistance.

Documents that are not in Finnish, Swedish or English must be translated by an authorised translator. For Dutch birth and marriage certificates it can be cheaper: ask your municipality for the multilingual standard form as well, and according to Migri nothing needs translating.

How does the application work in practice?

You fill in the application in Enter Finland, pay the € 53 online or at the counter, and book an appointment at a Migri service point to have your identity verified. Bring the originals of all attachments. Children come along in person, with a parent; if there is a second parent who is not moving, a notarised consent is required.

If everything is in order, you often get the registration certificate straight away at the counter, on paper, with your name, address and registration date. If something is missing, it follows later in Enter Finland or by post.

Download the decision at once. Migri keeps your registration certificate in Enter Finland for one year after you first open it; after that it is deleted together with the application and attachments. If your registration is more than two years old and you have no copy, you request a certificate that costs € 50.

May I work before Migri decides?

Yes. As an EU citizen you may work from the day you arrive, also while your application is pending. A family member may do so at once too, even if they are not an EU citizen. A non-EU family member, by the way, does not apply for registration but for a residence card for family members of EU citizens; that is a different procedure.

What does the registration open, and what not?

The registration certificate is the first link, not the last. Only after a positive Migri decision can the population data agency DVV give you a personal identity code, a municipality of residence and a permanent address. With that municipality of residence you use the services of your municipality, can get a Finnish identity card and a driving licence, and qualify for benefits and allowances. If your partner already has a municipality of residence in Finland, DVV can grant yours before the Migri decision too. How that second link works is explained in henkilötunnus and kotikunta; the order of all the counters is in the step-by-step plan.

When does my right of residence become permanent?

After five years of uninterrupted legal residence you have the right of permanent residence, and you do not need to apply for it: the right arises by itself. You can apply to Migri for a certificate that proves it, also for € 53, but it is voluntary.

What does not interrupt the five years, Migri has defined precisely: temporary absences of up to six months a year, and one absence of up to twelve consecutive months for an important reason, such as a pregnancy, a serious illness, studies or a posting. Whoever spends four months in the Netherlands every winter stays within the rule. Whoever is back for a year and a month starts again.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 1 of 5 of the journey, step 1.1: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Finland or go straight to step 1.1 in the open plan.