What type of permits you need for your stay in Finland depends on your nationality and the length of your stay.
Nationals of countries outside of the EU/EEA/Switzerland staying in Finland 90 days or less
Nationals of countries outside of the EU/EEA/Switzerland staying in Finland more than 90 days
- Researchers and doctoral candidates should apply for a residence permit for scientific research. Among other documents required for the application, you will need to attach a hosting agreement to the application. You will receive this document from your host. If the financing comes from another source than Åbo Akademi University, you also need to attach a separate clarification concerning your financing to your application.
- As part of the application for residence permit, you may request a Finnish Personal Identity Code. We warmly recommend you to do so, to have it from the very beginning of your stay.
- Accompanying family members should apply for a residence permit at the same time, even if they arrive in Finland later. If the spouse/partner and family members submit their applications later, the processing times are substantially longer. Residence permits can be granted to family members on the condition that the main applicant has a guaranteed income from sources other than state benefits.
Nationals of an EU/EEA member state or Switzerland
- You do not need a visas or residence permits to come and stay in Finland.
- If you are a citizen of the EU/EEA or Switzerland (except if you are a citizen of one of the Nordic countries) and your stay in Finland exceeds 90 days, you need to register your right of residence in Finland (EU Registration). You can make the request and submit the required documents online, and then visit a Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) point in Finland to prove your identity and show the originals of the documents. The visit should take place within three months of submitting your request for registration.
- There are Migri service points around the country and you are free to consult any of them. The closest one to Turku is located in Raisio, and there is one in Vaasa. Please note that the service points can be very busy, so it can be worth booking an appointment already before submitting the application!
- For the EU registration, you will need to present a hosting agreement (letter of admission for doctoral candidates) and a separate document concerning your financing, if this information is not provided in the hosting agreement by Åbo Akademi University.
- You can ask for a Finnish Personal Identity Code when making the EU registration.
- Nordic citizens do not register with the Finnish Immigration Service, they only need to visit the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.