Residence permit for an employed person (TTOL)

Apply for a residence permit with this application if you are coming to Finland to work for a Finnish employer or other employer operating in Finland. A residence permit for an employed person is granted for the field of employment to which your job belongs. You must have confirmed employment before you can apply for this permit.

1. You have found a job

Your employer must supplement your application by filling in and submitting your terms of employment. The employer can do it either online in Enter Finland or by using a paper form. For more information, see the page Filling in the terms of employment.

2. You have sufficient qualifications and education for the job in question.

Your employer must verify that you have the professional skills required for the job. Your employer must document this when they fill in the terms of employment for your application.

Your total gross salary must be at least EUR 1,600 per month in 2026. You may earn your income from several employment relationships. The employment relationship or employment relationships may be part-time. However, a zero-hours contract or an on-demand contract of employment do not meet the requirements for granting a residence permit for an employed person because your employer has not agreed on regular minimum working hours with you.

A residence permit for an employed person may be subject to labour market testing, which means that the employer must establish if there is available labour force within a reasonable time in Finland or within the EU/EEA for the work in question.

Health care professionals, for example, need a permission to practise their profession from the Finnish Supervisory Agency (lvv.fi), the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health.

You cannot start working before you get a residence permit for an employed person.

You can only work in the field of employment to which your job belongs and for which you have been granted a residence permit. You may have several jobs in the same field of employment.

When you hold a residence permit for an employed person, you may also find employment in a national labour shortage sector (tyovoimabarometri.fi).

When you hold a valid residence permit for an employed person and find employment in a national labour shortage sector, you do not need to apply for a new residence permit for an employed person to work in the new sector.

Your spouse and children can apply for a D visa if they are applying for a residence permit on the basis of family ties.

A first residence permit is usually granted for one year at the most. A permit may also be valid for a shorter or longer period, depending on the grounds for the permit.

An extended permit can be issued for up to four years. If you hold a residence permit that was granted on the basis of work, the duration of the extended permit depends on the duration of your employment relationship.

Apply for an extended permit before your first permit expires if you decide to stay in Finland

You have lived in Finland for at least 6 years under a continuous residence permit (A permit) or a Brexit permit, you have at least 2 years of work history in Finland, and the level of your Finnish or Swedish language skills is satisfactory (level B1).

You have lived in Finland for at least 4 years under a continuous residence permit (A permit) or a Brexit permit. Your income subject to income tax, meaning your earned income and capital income before taxes, must be at least EUR 40,000 in the most recently completed tax assessment process.

Employment (residence permit for an employed person)