Finland Startup Permit

1. Residence permit24 months
2. Renew48 months at a time
3. Permanent residencyafter 6 years
4. Citizenshipafter 5 years

• Permanent residency 6 years
• Citizenship 5 years
• Dual citizenship allowed
• Language required for citizenship B1

Country

Finland

Program

Finland Startup Permit

Local name

Startup-yrittäjän oleskelulupa

Type

Startup

Status

Active

Initial duration

24 months

Renewable

Yes (48 mo)

Continuous residence permit for a non-EU founder who will work full-time in a responsible role in an innovative, fast-growing company registered or to be registered in Finland. Business Finland must first issue a positive Eligibility Statement. The first permit can be granted for up to two years, and an extension for up to four years.

Income requirement

EUR 1,210/mo (~$1,392 USD)

Application fee

$727

Tax regime

Worldwide

Regime name

Progressive state tax up to 37.5% plus municipal tax; capital income 30% or 34%

Foreign income taxed

Yes

Capital gains taxed

Yes

Method

online, in person

Processing time

14–60 days

Apply from abroad

Yes

The online fee for a first permit is EUR 650 and the paper fee is EUR 800. An extension is EUR 230 online or EUR 430 on paper. The Eligibility Statement is free. A spouse or other adult family member pays the ordinary first-permit fee, EUR 750 online or EUR 800 on paper. A child under 18 pays EUR 400 online or EUR 430 on paper. USD figures use the ECB reference rate of 8 October 2026, 1 EUR = 1.1186 USD. The stored monthly and annual dollar income was left as migrated: 1,210 EUR is about USD 1,354 at that rate, within 10% of the stored USD 1,392. Means of support in 2026 are net and depend on the municipality: EUR 1,210 a month in the Helsinki region (Espoo, Helsinki, Kauniainen, Vantaa), EUR 1,090 in other large municipalities, and EUR 1,030 elsewhere. The record stores the Helsinki figure. Show at least one year of funds. A two-year first permit requires funds for two years. Funds must be in the applicant's own account and may be savings, startup income, funding granted to the startup, or other regular income that continues for the stay. In the Helsinki region a second adult in the household needs EUR 610 a month, the first child EUR 610, the second child EUR 480, and each further child EUR 360. One team member applies for the statement and shares it. It must be no more than four months old. Business Finland expects at least two founders, a team holding of at least 60%, full-time work, a Finnish headquarters, and a plan to incorporate a limited company. The permit itself allows other work as well, provided startup entrepreneurship stays the main activity. A first permit is filed abroad. Fast-track, a decision in two weeks, is only for a first online application filed abroad, paid before submission, with every attachment and with identity proved within five working days. The statutory processing time is otherwise two months from a complete application. There is no annual quota. Permanent residence applications filed on or after 8 January 2026 use the new Aliens Act paths. The ordinary path is six years on a continuous (A) permit, two years of work history in Finland, and Finnish or Swedish at B1. Four-year paths remain for taxable income above EUR 40,000, a recognised master's or higher degree plus two years of work, or C1 plus three years of work. Entrepreneurship counts as work history. Citizenship still requires satisfactory Finnish or Swedish, YKI intermediate grade 3 (B1). That language level shortens the residence period from eight years to five. Finland allows multiple citizenship. A citizenship knowledge test applies to applications filed on or after 1 March 2027. A reform that would drop the separate free Eligibility Statement, and fold Business Finland's opinion into the paid residence application, is scheduled for 12 January 2028 and is not in force. The 2026 fee decree expires on 31 December 2026.

1. Oct 10, 2026
   • Application fee (USD) 520 727
   • Years to permanent residency 4 6

   replaced the unofficial combined tax ceiling with the 2026 state scale and capital-income rates (https://www.vero.fi/henkiloasiakkaat/verokortti-ja-veroilmoitus/tulot/ansiotulot/).