Finland Student Visa Guide 2025: Requirements, Fees and How to Apply

Students who want to study in Finland for more than 90 days need to have a study permit or a student residence permit in Finland. The duration of this residence permit will be for the full length of your course. Also, international students can do part-time work for 30 hours per week. This will help you to cover your living expenses in this Nordic country.

Finland has been crowned as the world’s happiest country for the seventh year in a row in The World Happiness Report 2025. It has become a popular study destination for international students because of its unique education system, affordable study costs, high standard of living, and availability of great job opportunities. A Finland student visa is required to study in Finland. This visa is also known as the Residence Visa of Finland.

Ideally, if the duration of a course in Finland takes longer than 90 days, then a residence permit is required. In case the course study is less than 90 days, then a short-term visa is required. In this article, we are going to talk about how to apply for a Finland study visa, including eligibility, fees, and processing time.

Also Read: Student Guide to Finland

What is Finland Student Visa?

• If you plan to study in Finland for more than 90 days, you must get a Finnish Student Visa, which is officially called a student residence permit.

• Finnish residence Permit is usually given for the entire length of your studies. However, it cannot be valid for longer than your passport’s validity.

• To apply for this permit, you must:

  • Be moving to Finland to study.

  • Have been accepted by a Finnish educational institute, like a university, a university of applied sciences, or a vocational school.

• Important: You cannot get a residence permit if your course is an online or distance learning program that doesn’t require you to live in Finland.

• If you want to come to Finland for postgraduate studies after a master’s degree (doing scientific research), you need to apply for a Residence Permit for Scientific Research.

• If you want to complete a higher education degree (like bachelor’s or master’s), you will receive a continuous residence permit for your whole course duration.

Finland Student Visa Requirements

Students must meet the following requirements to get a residence permit to study in Finland.

Documents Required to Get a Finland Student Residence Permit

In order to get a Finland student visa, one should have the following documents:

How to Apply for a Finland Student Residence Permit?

Given below are the steps to apply for a Finland study visa:

• Fill Out the Application Form: You can apply online using the Enter Finland portal. Or, you can submit a paper application at the Finnish Embassy in India. Fill the form carefully. Attach all required documents.

Finnish Embassy in India: E-3, Nyaya Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, Delhi 110021

• Pay the Application Fee Fee: After submitting your application, pay the visa fee. Keep the payment receipt safe.

• Attend an Identity Verification Appointment: Go to the nearest Finnish embassy, consulate, or service point in India. This is to verify your identity. This step is mandatory.
• Wait for the Decision: After your appointment, your application will be processed. It may take some time. Be patient and check your status online regularly.
• Track Your Application: Watch your application progress on the Enter Finland portal. You will get updates or requests for more documents there.

Finland Student Visa Processing Time: The expected processing time for electronic applications is 1-2 months. Whereas the expected processing time for a paper application is 2-3 months.

Things You Need For Finland Student Residence Permit

Here are the important documents needed to apply for Finland student visa:

• Acceptance letter: From a Finnish higher education institution (required).
• Enter Finland Account: Create/login and fill out the online application.
• Passport and Passport Size Photos: Valid passport of Indian students and the most recent passport photo.
• Proof of Funds: Students need to have sufficient funds in their accounts.
• Pay Application Fee: You need to keep an application fee for a Finnish student visa.

Also, Read:

• Popular Job Sectors in Finland 
• Post-Study Work Options in Finland

Finland Study Visa Cost

Given below is the application fee to obtain a residence permit in Finland. Processing times for Finland student visas vary depending on the basis of the mode of application.

Note: In the case that a student wants to pursue a research or a doctoral degree, he/she need to apply for a Residence permit application for a researcher. The electronic application fee for the first permit is €380, and the paper application fee for the first permit is €480.

Types of Finland Visas

Let us first understand the different types of Finland visas.

• Single Entry Visa: It allows the holder to enter Finland once and stay up to 90 days in any 180 days
• Double-Entry Visa: This visa allows entry into Finland twice and may be valid within the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
• Multiple-entry Visa: This visa is granted for several consecutive visits to the Schengen area. The total duration of the stay may not exceed the number of days specified on the visa sticker, which is 90 days in a 180-day period. This visa is valid for a maximum of 5 years

Part Time Work with a Residence Permit in Finland

• Students with a residence permit for studies can work without limits if the work is part of practical training or diploma work for their degree.

• Students can work up to 30 hours per week in paid jobs during their studies in Finland.

• Some weeks, students can work more than 30 hours, but the average must be no more than 30 hours per week by the end of the year.

• After finishing a degree in Finland, if a student has not found a job, they can apply for a residence permit to look for work.

• This permit to search for work can be applied for immediately after graduation or within five years of graduating.

• The work search residence permit is valid for a maximum of two years.

• If a student has finished their degree and found a job, they can apply for a residence permit based on their Finnish degree for working in Finland.

Students need to be very careful when it comes to their study abroad applications. Make sure that you plan your applications well in advance, keep some buffer time to meet any contingencies, and keep a backup plan. For help with university applications, students seeking to study abroad can contact our Shiksha Study Abroad Counsellors. The comments section below allows candidates to contact us as well.

Finland Student Residence Permit FAQs