Finland student visa: residence permit for studies

You first need a place at an approved institution after comprehensive school, such as a university, a university of applied sciences or a vocational college. The studies must lead to a degree or vocation, form part of an exchange programme, or be supplementary or specialisation training linked to a degree. Studies of less than 90 days need no residence permit, only a Schengen visa.

Doctoral candidates at a university are directed to the researcher permit rather than the student permit.

The rule is EUR 800 a month for housing, food and other costs. For a year or more you need EUR 9,600 in a bank account in your own name, or a grant from an official source such as a state, university or foundation scholarship. Sponsorship promises and bank statements of relatives, friends or employers are not accepted. If the programme charges tuition, the first year’s fee must be paid or covered on top of the living funds.

Private insurance must cover medical and medicine costs with a deductible of at most EUR 300, be valid on arrival and throughout the stay, and cannot be ordinary travel insurance. For studies shorter than two years it must cover at least EUR 120,000 of medical costs. A valid European Health Insurance Card replaces it.

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.

You must visit the mission within three months of applying online, and Migri cannot start processing before that visit. Watch your Enter Finland account for requests for more information; unclear financial resources are the most common cause of delay in the student queue. 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.

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.

Students may work in any field for an average of 30 hours a week, calculated over the year (about 1,560 hours a year); holidays no longer allow unlimited work. Work placements included in the degree are not counted if this was agreed when the internship contract was made.

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. For a student extension Migri checks whether you have earned enough study credits, so attach your transcript. After graduation you can apply for a residence permit to look for work or start a business for up to two years.

A negative Migri decision comes with appeal instructions. The appeal goes to an Administrative Court, which can uphold the refusal or send the case back to Migri; further appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court needs leave to appeal. If you applied from abroad, you wait abroad while the appeal is pending.