Please note: The information below applies to exchange students at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral (PhD) levels who are coming through our existing exchange agreements and programmes.

Finnish Immigration Service - Instructions for exchange students

EnterFinland - Studying in Finland

Citizens of the non-EU/EEA/EFTA countries (Asia, Africa, South America, North America etc.) need a <a href="https://migri.fi/en/instructions-for-exchange-students" target="_blank" rel="noopener">residence permit for studies</a> in order to stay in Finland for a longer period of time, that is, for 90 days or longer (most exchange students arrive for one semester or a full academic year). A residence permit allows you to live, stay and travel in Finland and to leave and re-enter the country during the validity of the permit. Please follow the <a href="https://migri.fi/en/studying-in-finland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Finnish Immigration Service</a>'s and <a href="https://www.vfsglobal.com/en/governments/latest-news.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">VFS Global</a>'s websites to stay up to date on the latest news and possible delays in processes in different countries.Please note that you should apply for the residence permit for studies and book your appointment with the mission (or VFS) immediately after receiving your Letter of Acceptance. Both missions (or VFS) and Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) are very busy. You can use the <a href="https://migri.fi/en/check-the-processing-time-of-your-application" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Processing Time Checker</a> to check the expected processing time for your electronic application (usually varies from 1-3 months). To find contact information, go to <a href="https://finlandabroad.fi/frontpage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Finland abroad</a>, a website provided by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and Finland's missions abroad. You can leave your application online, but you will be required to visit a Finland's mission or in some cases, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vfsglobal.com/en/individuals/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">VFS Global</a>'s visa application centre, to submit your biometric data in person.You must hold a valid passport or other travel document in order to be issued a residence permit. The first residence permit for studies should be applied online and followed by a visit in person to a Finnish mission (embassy, consulate) or a <a href="https://www.vfsglobal.com/en/individuals/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">VFS Global</a>'s visa application centre in your home country or country where you reside legally, or where the nearest available mission is located.&nbsp;Please note that an appointment is mandatory and in some cases you will have to travel outside of your home state, city, or, in some rare cases, even to another country, for submitting your biometric data / fingerprints and for interviewing at the mission or at VFS.<blockquote>The national learner ID is not a required information in the residence permit application form and exchange students can ignore it</blockquote>The Finnish Immigration Service will not start processing an application submitted in the online service Enter Finland before you have visited a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) or VFS to prove your identity. The situation varies a lot in different countries and changes all the time. All residence permit applications for studies are processed automatically as urgent and we do not issue any documents addressed to the Finnish Immigration Service.<blockquote>You can apply for a <a href="https://migri.fi/en/d-visa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">D visa</a> at the same time as you apply for a residence permit for studies and if you do so, your residence permit card will be delivered to Finland. However, we do not recommend you a D visa if you are from a country whose citizens are not required to have a visa to travel to Finland (for instance, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, USA, Canada etc.) since in these countries residence permits are usually issued quickly enough anyways (if you have applied on time and you were able to visit quickly a Finnish mission or a <a href="https://www.vfsglobal.com/en/individuals/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">VFS Global</a>'s visa application centre for identification)</blockquote>When applying for a residence permit, a <a href="https://migri.fi/en/income-requirement-for-students" target="_blank" rel="noopener">financial statement</a> is also required. You will be requested to show that you have sufficient funds to support yourself during the stay in Finland. In addition, you must attach a copy of a <a href="https://migri.fi/en/insurance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comprehensive health insurance coverage</a> to the application.Further information on residence permit for exchange studies is available on the website of the <a href="https://migri.fi/en/instructions-for-exchange-students" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Finnish Immigration Service</a> (Migri). It is a good idea to check also the website of the Finnish mission for any country-specific instructions.<div class="embedded-video-container" data-youtube-id="uKtrA5vbNBg" style="background-image: url(https://content-webapi.tuni.fi/video_thumbnails/uKtrA5vbNBg.jpg)"><a class="link-to-video" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKtrA5vbNBg"><svg version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="32" height="32" viewBox="0 0 32 32"><path d="M16 0c-8.837 0-16 7.163-16 16s7.163 16 16 16 16-7.163 16-16-7.163-16-16-16zM16 29c-7.18 0-13-5.82-13-13s5.82-13 13-13 13 5.82 13 13-5.82 13-13 13zM12 9l12 7-12 7z"></path></svg>How to get a student's residence permit in Finland?.Play the video on YouTube (opens in a new tab).</a><iframe id="ytplayer" "2583b65d-1489-48c4-b4a0-0cc8518bae94" type="text/html" title="How to get a student's residence permit in Finland?" width="854" height="480" allowFullScreen="true" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uKtrA5vbNBg?autoplay=0&start=0&rel=0" frameBorder="0"></iframe></div>

Non-EU/EEA/EFTA citizens

If you have a citizenship of the non-EU/EEA/EFTA country, but you have already a valid residence permit for studies issued by another EU Member State and it covers the whole exchange period in Finland, you have to submit an <a href="https://migri.fi/en/mobility-notification-to-finland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">online mobility notification</a> to Finland before your arrival (after receiving your Letter of Acceptance) and you are not required to apply for a Finnish residence permit for your exchange studies. Please note that you are not eligible to apply for exchange studies, if your residence permit issued by another EU Member State is about to expire or will expire during your mobility period in Finland.With a fee-based mobility notification, you can study on exchange in Finland for a full academic year or just one semester. For exchange studies that will last less than three months, a mobility notification is not required (however, a visa might be required). Please be sure to include <a href="https://migri.fi/en/mobility-notification-to-finland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all the attachments</a> required for your mobility notification. The Finnish Immigration Service will not send you a request asking for missing attachments and your mobility notification will be subject to a processing fee.The certificate of right of residence issued by the Finnish Immigration Service has to be presented <a href="/en/node/5903?channel=study_guide&organisation=uni" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="ada8a7ad-e419-4602-9d53-7d848d9c7a4d" data-entity-substitution="canonical">at the DVV registration</a> after your arrival in Tampere.Read more, check the video below for more details and submit your mobility notification:<ul><li><a href="https://migri.fi/en/mobility-notification-to-finland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mobility notification to Finland</a></li></ul>

Non-EU/EEA/EFTA citizens with a valid residence permit from the EU

If you are a citizen of an EU or EEA country, or a non-EU national with a comparable status (EFTA countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland), you do not need a residence permit for exchange studies in Finland and you are not required to take any action before your arrival.&nbsp;However, since your stay will exceed three months, you will need to register your right of residence within three months of arriving in Finland. This step is typically completed around two months into your stay, assuming you do not travel abroad during that period. There is no need to worry about this in advance – you will receive clear instructions and support during your exchange.For more information, please visit:<ul><li><a href="/en/node/8947?channel=study_guide&organisation=uni" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="ea071723-c9f3-4ace-9c85-70fd5c9e866d" data-entity-substitution="canonical">Registration of the right of residence for exchange students</a></li></ul>

Citizens of the EU/EEA/EFTA countries

Residence permit for exchange students

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Residence permit for exchange students

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OpenNon-EU/EEA/EFTA citizens with a valid residence permit from the EU

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