Residence permit on the basis of family ties – spouse holds a residence permit
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | Oleskelulupahakemus perhesiteen perusteella, kun aviopuolisolla on oleskelulupa as of 2026-08-22[6] 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 on the basis of family ties – spouse holds a residence permit as of 2026-08-21[5][6] |
| Legal basis | Ulkomaalaislaki 301/2004 (Aliens Act, consolidated to 22 December 2025), section 47(3), with family member defined in section 37 as of 2026-08-22[8] Where a foreign national holds a continuous or permanent permit, section 47(3) grants their family member a continuous permit. Section 37 defines family member as the spouse plus unmarried children under 18, and equates unmarried cohabitants to spouses after two years' cohabitation, waived where there is a shared child in joint custody or another weighty reason. Finnish text: “47 § … Kun ulkomaalaiselle on myönnetty jatkuva tai pysyvä oleskelulupa, hänen perheenjäsenelleen myönnetään jatkuva oleskelulupa.” and “37 § Perheenjäsen. Tätä lakia sovellettaessa perheenjäseneksi katsotaan Suomessa asuvan henkilön aviopuoliso sekä alle 18-vuotias naimaton lapsi … Aviopuolisoihin rinnastetaan jatkuvasti yhteisessä taloudessa avioliitonomaisissa olosuhteissa elävät henkilöt sukupuolestaan riippumatta. Tällaisen rinnastuksen edellytyksenä on, että he ovat asuneet vähintään kaksi vuotta yhdessä. Asumisaikaa ei edellytetä, jos henkilöillä on yhteisessä huollossa oleva lapsi tai jos on muu painava syy.” |
| Instrument type | residence permit as of 2026-08-21[4][7] |
Who can apply
| Nationals not served by this route | EU, EEA, EFTA as of 2026-08-21[2] Migri states EU citizens do not need a residence permit and that the legal definition of an EU citizen's family members is different, directing them to EU registration instead. |
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| Minimum age | 21 as of 2026-08-21[1][6] |
Permit terms
| Initial duration | Not established from a qualifying source Migri's page states no term for this permit. |
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| Renewable | Yes as of 2026-08-21[2][6] Migri publishes a separate extended-permit page for a family member. |
| Work rights | Not established from a qualifying source Not established. Migri's page for this permit does not state the right to work attaching to it. |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | Not established from a qualifying source |
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Requirements
| Who can sponsor | temporary permit holder, permanent resident as of 2026-08-21[6] Migri's condition is simply that the spouse 'has a residence permit in Finland', or is applying at the same time as the applicant. It does not distinguish permit types, so both vocabulary values that describe a permit holder are recorded; 'citizen' is the sibling route fi-family-spouse-finnish-citizen. |
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| Eligible relations | spouse, registered partner as of 2026-08-21[6] |
| Sponsor income requirement | Recorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value[3][6] |
| Sponsor and relation matrix |
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Process
| Where to apply from | from abroad only as of 2026-08-21[2][6] A first permit is applied for abroad and the decision awaited abroad; applications for a first permit may be submitted in Finland only in certain exceptional situations, which Migri's family hub identifies as a family member of a Finnish citizen and a child born in Finland. An applicant over 18 must apply personally – the sponsor cannot apply on their behalf, though a legal counsel or representative may. |
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| Fees | |
| Stages |
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Physical presence
| none stated | to keep the permit as of 2026-08-21[6] 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 |
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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.
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Verification
| Sources cited | 8 |
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| of which official (tier 1) | 8 |
| 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] Amendments to the family reunification provisions of the Aliens Act (in force 16 June 2025)
Finnish Immigration Service (Maahanmuuttovirasto) · official guidance · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-21 - [2] Moving to Finland to be with a family member
Finnish Immigration Service (Maahanmuuttovirasto) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-21 · Archived copy - [3] Income requirement for family members of a person who has been granted a residence permit in Finland
Finnish Immigration Service (Maahanmuuttovirasto) · official guidance · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-21 - [4] Residence permit types
Finnish Immigration Service (Maahanmuuttovirasto, Migri) · official guidance · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-20 - [5] My spouse is in Finland
Finnish Immigration Service (Maahanmuuttovirasto) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-21 - [6] Residence permit application on the basis of family ties when your spouse has a residence permit
Finnish Immigration Service (Maahanmuuttovirasto) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-21 · Archived copy - [7] Residence permits on the basis of work
Finnish Immigration Service (Maahanmuuttovirasto) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-21 - [8] Ulkomaalaislaki 301/2004 (Aliens Act, consolidated text)
Oikeusministeriö / Finlex · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2025-12-22 · Accessed 2026-08-22