Finland offers an attractive environment for entrepreneurs looking to start or expand their business ventures. The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) provides several pathways for entrepreneurs to obtain a residence permit, depending on the nature and stage of their business.
Who can apply?
There are two types of entrepreneur residence permits in Finland suitable for various types of businesses:
1. Start-up entrepreneur residency:
If you have an innovative business idea that aims for growth, or your business is a newly established company that seeks for international growth in Finland, this type of residence permit is for you.
To apply for this residence permit, first is necessary to obtain a positive Eligibility Statement from Business Finland (Finnish Startup Permit). The website provides step-by-step guidance regarding the requirements.
After receiving a positive statement by Business Finland, the next step is submitting the documents to the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri.fi -> Startup Entrepreneur).
This application process will check the financial means of the applicant.
Note! Start-up Entrepreneur first residence permit is given for maximum of 2-year period, with possibility to extend later.
2. Entrepreneurship based residence permit:
This permit type is for you if you plan to move to Finland based on entrepreneurship (other than startup; see above).
There are several entrepreneurship types recognized in Finland. For example:
– an individually owned business or sole proprietorship (in Finnish: toiminimi)
– a partner in a general partnership
– a general partner in a limited partnership
– a shareholder in managerial position in a limited liability company (C-level Executive or a member of Board of Directors)
– Business ID (in Finnish: Y-tunnus) registered company
The owner of a company must as well be employed in the company to receive a positive decision.
The application process for entrepreneurship-based residence permit has two steps. It is directly submitted online via the Enter Finland by filling out the form and attaching the necessary documents. The Finnish Centre of Economic Development, Transport, and the Environment (in Finnish: ELY-keskus) will make a partial decision. After which, the Finnish Immigration Service Migri.fi will process the application based on the received documents.
Important! Light entrepreneurship (in Finnish: kevytyrittaja) is considered the freelance work, that doesn’t require to register a Business ID. The billing for provided services is done through invoicing companies (such as Ukko,…). Thus, they are not eligible for entrepreneur residence permit.
Note! Whether you are unsure if you are self-employed, or an employee based on your work hours and availability requirements, you can be entitled to employees’ rights. Check out more on employee rights: Tyosuojelo.fi
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