From the FAQ
4. I have a relationship with a foreign national who is not an EU citizen or equivalent person. We are planning to get married. Can my future spouse be granted a residence permit for Finland for the purpose of marrying? Can my future spouse arrive in Finland using a visa and apply for a residence permit in Finland after we have got married?
As a rule, a residence permit may be granted for Finland on the basis of family ties, studying, work or self-employment. As a rule, a potential future spouse is not regarded as a family member who can be granted a residence permit on the basis that this person has family ties with a Finnish citizen or a foreign national who is residing legally in Finland.
Since the applicant is not yet a family member referred to in Finlands Aliens Act (a marriage has not taken place or the couple have not co-habited in a common household in marriage-like circumstances for two years), a permit may under certain conditions be granted for other special reasons. For instance, it is possible to grant a permit in exceptional cases on the basis of cohabitation, when a foreign national is entering Finland with the intention of getting married.
In order for your partner to be granted a residence permit for the purpose of marrying, the following conditions must be met:
* Your relationship must be of an established nature and have continued for a lengthy period of time.
* You must intend to continue to co-habit in Finland.
Previous co-habitation (evidenced, for instance, by a lease or a housing occupant register extract), pregnancy or some other matter illustrating the established nature of your relationship may be regarded as evidence of the established nature of the relationship. Neither of you must be married elsewhere.
The application form (OLE_MUU) can be printed out on the Finnish Immigration Service website under application forms.
The application must be submitted to a Finnish diplomatic mission abroad, and, as a rule, the decision must be waited for abroad. In certain cases your partner may be granted a first residence permit applied for in Finland. This is possible for instance if refusal of a residence permit were to be manifestly unreasonable taking all related issues into account. If the application is approved, your partner will be granted a temporary residence permit (permit B).
If your partner enters Finland and you get married before your residence permit application is decided, a residence permit may be granted on the basis of marriage, in other words family ties, as long as the other conditions for granting a permit are met. A written notification of the changed circumstances must be submitted for addition to the pending application, and the marriage certificate must be appended to the notification.
5. I have a relationship with a person who is not an EU citizen or equivalent person. Can such a person be granted a residence permit for Finland on the basis of family ties?
As a rule, residence permits may be granted on the basis of family ties, studying, work or self-employment. You and your partner are not, as a rule, regarded as each others family members, and your partner cannot thus be granted a residence permit for Finland on the basis of family ties.
Nevertheless, a temporary residence permit (permit B) may, in an exceptional case, be granted to a person residing abroad if there is some other special reason for granting a permit. It is possible to grant a permit for instance on the basis of co-habitation, when a foreign national is about to enter Finland with the intention of marrying. Read more under the previous question.
Visas for Finland
Popular neighbourhoods in Helsinki
Childcare and early education in Finland
Travelling to Finland
Finding work in Finland
Accommodation in Finland
Study in Finland
The healthcare system in Finland
