Finland skilled worker visa: residence permit for a specialist

A specialist comes to Finland for expert work that requires special expertise. As a rule you need a higher education degree, but expertise gained through work experience or other training can be accepted when the employer verifies it. The job must be confirmed before you apply. If the salary stays below EUR 3,937 gross a month, Migri directs you to the permit for an employed person instead.

The threshold is EUR 3,937 gross a month in 2026, the same amount as for the EU Blue Card. Unlike the general work permit, fringe benefits do not count towards it. Migri reviews the figure every year, so a contract signed for next year should take the new level into account.

First residence permits are filed online in Enter Finland (or on a paper form) and then completed in person at a Finnish embassy or consulate, or at a VFS Global application centre that receives applications for Finland in some countries. Book an appointment and bring your passport and the original attachments; biometrics are taken at the visit, and a VFS Global centre charges its own service fee.

If you need a visa to enter Finland, you can request a D visa in the same Enter Finland application. It is placed in your passport at the mission once the permit is granted, is valid for 100 days and lets you travel before the residence permit card arrives. Under the 2026 fee decree a D visa costs EUR 95 online or EUR 120 on paper.

To use the fast track you apply and pay online in Enter Finland, the employer adds the terms of employment within two working days, and you prove your identity at the mission within five working days. Family members applying at the same time book the visit together with you. The fast track is not available if you are already in Finland or for extensions, and it lapses if a deadline is missed or more information is needed. Attachments must be in Finnish, Swedish or English and family documents legalised.

Migri normally gives you a Finnish personal identity code with the positive decision. After moving, book a visit to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV) to register your address and, if you qualify, a municipality of residence, which opens access to municipal health, social and integration services. Bring your passport, the residence permit card and your employment contract or proof of studies.

Since 11 June 2025, if your employment ends early you generally have three months to find a new job; specialists, EU Blue Card holders, top and middle managers, ICT specialists and managers, and anyone who has held a work-based permit for at least two years have six months. During this period you may also take work in sectors officially listed as suffering from a national labour shortage. Employers must report an early end of employment to Migri within 14 days.

Your spouse and minor children can apply for residence permits on the basis of family ties, at the same time or later. They usually need secure means of support; Migri’s 2026 guideline is EUR 1,210 net a month for a single adult in the capital region (EUR 1,090 or 1,030 elsewhere), rising for each additional family member. Once granted, family members may work and study without restrictions.

An extended permit can only be applied for in Finland, before the current permit expires; if it expires while the application is pending you may stay and usually keep working. The 2026 fee for an extended permit is EUR 230 online or EUR 430 on paper. Migri checks your income in the national Incomes Register, so make sure your salary data is correct before applying.