Finland Work Visa 2026: Permit Types, Salary and Fees

What people call a Finland work visa is a residence permit. A non-EU citizen who takes a job in Finland applies for one, and the type depends on the job and the salary. The standard route is the residence permit for an employed person. Higher earners use the specialist permit or the EU Blue Card. This guide sets out the salary limits, fees and processing times for each, from the pages of the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), as read on 13 October 2026.

The three main permits compared

If your salary is less than EUR 3,937, Migri's instruction is to apply for the residence permit for an employed person instead of the specialist permit.

Residence permit for an employed person

This is the permit for people coming to work for a Finnish employer or another employer operating in Finland. It is granted for the field of employment to which your job belongs, and you must have confirmed employment before you apply.

Requirements

• A job. Your employer must supplement your application by filling in the terms of employment.
• Qualifications. Your employer must verify that you have the professional skills the job requires. Health care professionals, for example, need permission to practise from the Finnish Supervisory Agency.
• Income. Your total gross salary must be at least EUR 1,600 per month in 2026, and at least the salary in the collective agreement that applies to your job.

How the salary is assessed

• You may earn the income from several employment relationships, and they may be part-time.
• For part-time work Migri uses the formula working hours x hourly wage x 4.3, the average number of weeks in a month.
• Evening and night work supplements are excluded from the total.
• A zero-hours or on-demand contract does not meet the requirements, because no regular minimum working hours have been agreed.
• When you apply for an extended permit, Migri checks from the Incomes Register that you were paid at least an average of EUR 1,600 per month during the previous permit.

Limits to know

• The permit may be subject to labour market testing: the employer must establish whether labour is available within a reasonable time in Finland or the EU/EEA for the work.
• It is not granted to so-called light entrepreneurs, who work through an invoicing service company.
• You cannot start working before you get the permit.
• You can work only in the field for which the permit was granted, though you may have several jobs in that field. You may also take a job in a national labour shortage sector without applying for a new permit.

Specialist permit

You are a specialist if you come to Finland for expert duties that require special expertise, your salary is at least EUR 3,937 per month in 2026, and you have a higher education degree or equivalent expertise. Migri names IT experts and experts with a higher education degree in a field of specialisation as examples.

• A first specialist permit is granted for a maximum of 2 years, or for the length of the employment if it is shorter.
• You can apply through the fast-track service and get the permit in two weeks.
• Specialists may work without a residence permit if the work lasts for a maximum of 90 days.

How to apply, step by step

1. Secure the job and check that the salary meets the limit for your permit.
2. Fill in the application in the Enter Finland online service. The online fee is lower than the paper fee.
3. Pay the processing fee by card or Finnish online banking when you submit, or at the Finnish mission.
4. Have your employer add the terms of employment in Enter Finland for Employers. Migri can start processing before you have proved your identity, and a prompt employer speeds up the decision.
5. Prove your identity at a Finnish mission abroad.
6. Wait for the decision. Migri contacts you if it needs more information.

A first residence permit must be applied for abroad. An extended permit can only be applied for in Finland. If your employer holds employer certification, you can apply for a D visa at the same time, which lets you travel to Finland as soon as the permit is issued.

Attachments

• A valid passport issued by your country of nationality
• A passport photo no more than 6 months old, or a photograph retrieval code from a photo shop
• Colour copies of the passport page with your personal data and of all pages that contain notes
• A document showing that you are legally staying in the country where you submit the application

Fees

Processing times

Migri publishes actual averages for the employed person permit and updates them once a month.

Since the beginning of 2026, 3,891 applications for a first permit for an employed person have been submitted. Migri has decided 3,896 and 2,712 of the decisions were positive. A request to expedite does not automatically speed up an application.

After you arrive

• Border authorities may ask you to show that you still meet the requirements for the permit, including whether you have enough money to live in Finland.
• If you did not receive a personal identity code with your residence permit card, visit a service location of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency in person. You can apply for a municipality of residence there too.
• Apply for an extended permit before the first one expires.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Finnish Immigration Service — Residence permit for an employed person (TTOL)
• Finnish Immigration Service — Residence permit application for persons employed as a specialist
• Finnish Immigration Service — Income requirement for work-based residence permits

All figures verified against the official pages above on 13 October 2026. Migri reviews the salary limits every year and updates processing figures monthly, so confirm the current numbers before you apply. Information, not legal advice.