Residence permit for au pair status
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | Au pairin oleskelulupahakemus as of 2026-08-22[1] Heading of the Finnish-language edition of this route's own page on migri.fi, transcribed as published. Migri's Finnish headings are application-form titles rather than permit names; this field carries the statutory permit name where an act supplies one, and the authority's published heading where it does not. |
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| Official name (English) | Residence permit for au pair status as of 2026-08-21[1][5] |
| Legal basis | Ulkomaalaislaki 301/2004 (Aliens Act, consolidated to 22 December 2025), section 46, granted as a temporary permit under section 45(1)(3) as of 2026-08-22[6] Section 46 sets an age band of 17 to 30 at the time of application, a maximum of one year, six enumerated conditions including no previous au pair placement, and a written agreement with the host family fixing duties and their weekly distribution within a 25-hour ceiling. The permit issues as a temporary permit under section 45(1)(3). Finnish text: “46 § Oleskeluluvan myöntäminen au pair -sijoitusta varten. Ulkomaalaiselle, joka on hakemuksen tekoaikana 17–30-vuotias, myönnetään 45 §:n 1 momentin 3 kohdan mukainen tilapäinen oleskelulupa au pair -sijoituksen perusteella enintään yhdeksi vuodeksi, jos hän: 1) ei ole aiemmin toiminut au pairina; … 6) on tehnyt isäntäperheen kanssa kirjallisen sopimuksen, jossa on sovittu: … b) hänen tehtävistään ja niihin käytettävän 25 tunnin enimmäismäärän jakautumisesta viikoittain;” and “45 § Tilapäisen oleskeluluvan myöntäminen ulkomailla olevalle henkilölle. Tilapäinen oleskelulupa myönnetään ulkomailla olevalle henkilölle: 1) tilapäistä työntekoa varten; 2) tilapäistä yritystoimintaa varten; tai 3) jos on muu erityinen syy luvan myöntämiselle.” |
| Instrument type | residence permit as of 2026-08-21[4][5] |
Who can apply
| Nationals not served by this route | EU, EEA, EFTA as of 2026-08-21[1][2] Migri directs an EU citizen to EU registration as an employed person instead. |
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| Minimum age | 17 as of 2026-08-21[1] |
Permit terms
| Initial duration | Not established from a qualifying source Migri states the one-year ceiling on au pair status but no term for the permit itself. |
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| Maximum total duration | up to 1 year as of 2026-08-21[1] A person may live in Finland on au pair status for a maximum of one year. |
| Work rights | own activity only as of 2026-08-21[1] Au pairing in exchange for light housework, organised so the au pair can attend Finnish or Swedish classes. Migri states expressly that au pairs are not housekeeping staff and that home help requires the residence permit for an employed person instead. |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | Not established from a qualifying source |
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Requirements
| Job offer required | Yes as of 2026-08-21[1] A host family that provides room and board, insurance and pocket money, and organises the tasks so the au pair can take Finnish or Swedish classes. |
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| Qualification requirement | none as of 2026-08-21[1] No occupational qualification. What is required instead is basic knowledge of Finnish or Swedish or of Finnish culture, evidenced by a certificate from an educational institution or from an online course whose provider is responsible for the content – Migri names WordDive and Alison as acceptable and excludes open marketplaces such as Udemy. The studies must have taken place abroad before arrival. |
| Own means requirement | EUR 340 per month as of 2026-08-21[1][3] Net pocket money, 2026, payable by the host family in addition to room and board; the family must also document the au pair's insurance. Recorded on own_means_requirement rather than salary_threshold because Migri classes au pairing among the unsalaried grounds. |
| Job-search route | No as of 2026-08-21[1] |
Process
| Where to apply from | from abroad only as of 2026-08-21[1] First permit abroad, extended permit in Finland only. |
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| Fees |
Physical presence
| none stated | to keep the permit as of 2026-08-21[1] Migri's route page states no residence or presence condition for keeping this permit. Recorded none_stated on that basis, not as a positive statement that absence is unlimited. Continuity of residence bites later, at the permanent-residence and naturalisation stages, which are recorded at country level. |
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Family inclusion
| Family members may be included | Not established from a qualifying source Not established; Migri's au pair page says nothing about family members. |
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Your next step
Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.
The next step is your own case. That assessment is legal work. Create profile for our assistance in this.
Profile benefits
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Verification
| Sources cited | 6 |
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| of which official (tier 1) | 6 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2026-08-21 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-08-22 |
| Reviewed on | 2026-08-22 |
| Schema version | 1.1 |
Sources
- [1] Residence permit application for au pair status
Finnish Immigration Service (Maahanmuuttovirasto) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-21 - [2] First residence permit
Finnish Immigration Service (Maahanmuuttovirasto, Migri) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-20 - [3] Income requirement for persons who apply for a residence permit on the basis of work
Finnish Immigration Service (Maahanmuuttovirasto, Migri) · official guidance · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-20 - [4] Residence permit types
Finnish Immigration Service (Maahanmuuttovirasto, Migri) · official guidance · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-20 - [5] Residence permits on the basis of work
Finnish Immigration Service (Maahanmuuttovirasto) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-21 - [6] Ulkomaalaislaki 301/2004 (Aliens Act, consolidated text)
Oikeusministeriö / Finlex · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2025-12-22 · Accessed 2026-08-22