Renewing the residence permit for studies
Renewing the residence permit for studies
Following a change in Finnish legislation in April 2022, a residence permit for Bachelor's or Master's studies is usually granted for the normative duration of the student's degree studies. However, a residence permit can only be granted for the period that your passport is valid. The permit must be renewed by submitting an application to the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri). In addition to the information on this page, please see also the Migri website and the Migri pdf info sheet below.
Please note that these instructions deal with Bachelor and Master students’ residence permit only. Doctoral students should consult the instructions given by Migri in late 2018, see link below, at the bottom of this page.
You need to apply for an extended permit
- before your old permit expires
- using EnterFinland e-services (link below). Within three months of the online application, a visit to a Migri service point is required. The processing of your application is started only after your visit. One of the Migri service points is in Tampere, please book an appointment (link below); it is possible to visit also other locations than Tampere.
- in Finland. It is not possible to renew the permit abroad. Embassies deal with first residence permits only.
Please note that it may take long - even several months - to get the residence permit renewed.
The following documents are needed when applying for an extended permit:
- online application form (or OLE_OPI paper form)
- Make sure to fill in your name as it is in your passport and your contact details as they are in the Finnish Population system.
- official certificate of attendance (certificate of study) for the following academic year (from the Student Affairs Office). Please note that Tampere University registration for the following academic year is possible from around 2 May (old degree students) or from 1 August (new degree students).
- If your study time has been extended, the certificate of attendance or other documentation must show the new study time.
- official transcript of records (from the Student Affairs Office) showing the ECTS credits you have taken
- health insurance. Please renew your existing old policy, as this will speed up the processing of the extension application. If you must find a new policy, check Finnish Immigration Service page on insurance (link below)
- clarification of income i.e. a scholarship letter or a bank statement, showing the required sum (in 2019 6720 euros for one year and 13440 euros for two years)
- documentation of paid tuition fee or of scholarship
- If your Tampere University scholarship has been renewed or you have been granted a new Tampere University scholarship, you must submit new documentation. For old scholarship holders this should be available after the fourth teaching period if you have by then taken 55 credits and filled the scholarship requirements. If you have been granted a new Tampere University scholarship, you must submit new documentation.
- If you are a fee-paying student, you need to pay the tuition fee before you may register at Tampere University. When submitting the extended permit application you must show a receipt of the paid tuition fee and a bank statement with enough money covering living expenses (the required amount in 2022: 6,720 euros if you plan to study for one year or more).
- valid passport and color copies of the passport page containing personal data and all pages that contain any notes
- passport photo complying with the passport photo guidelines issued by the police
- your Kela card if you have the right of municipality in Finland.
Take the originals of these documents with you when you visit the Migri Service point.
Sufficient progress in studies
Please note that your studies must be proceeding well. As a proof of this, Migri requires that you take 45 ECTS credits per academic year.
If you have not taken 45 ECTS credits during the previous academic year, see the instructions below and submit more required documentation to Migri when applying for the extended permit. This documentation is extremely important as otherwise your application could be rejected.
Have you been writing your Bachelor's or Master’s thesis? If you have not taken enough credits during the previous academic year but you have been writing your Bachelor's or Master’s thesis, you must ask your thesis supervisor for a statement on the progress of the thesis.
Have you been ill during studies? If you have been ill and therefore unable to get enough studies done, when applying for the extended permit you must submit to Migri
- an explanation on your studies and about your future plans
- documentation on the reason for not getting enough credits (e.g. doctor’s certificate). Please ensure that the certificate clearly indicates that your health issues have prevented studying.
Are you taking exchange studies or completing a work placement? If the credits you have taken during an exchange period or a work placement do not yet show in your home university's transcript of records, you must submit to Migri your transcript from the host university or your training agreement signed by the university.
When the permit has been extended
The new permit card is delivered to your Finnish address as a registered letter. It is not possible to collect the card from the Finnish embassy or have it sent to an address abroad.
If you are travelling abroad for the summer you should submit the extension application well before you leave Finland. Make sure that your old residence permit is valid when you return, and remember to visit Migri while your old permit is still valid.
Renewing the permit if you have been an exchange student in Tampere before degree studies
Please note that exchange students currently studying in Tampere who have newly been admitted as degree students should apply for an extension to the residence permit only after they have received the letter of acceptance for taking degree studies.
Tampere University students only: If you have been accepted conditionally, you must first finish the Bachelor's degree and then send an officially attested copy and official translation of the Bachelor's degree diploma to Tampere University within the deadline provided. After this Migri will process the application to extend the residence permit. If you are travelling during the summer, please make sure that your old residence permit is valid when you return to Finland.
Extended permit after graduation
If you want to stay in Finland after graduation and you do not yet have a job, you need an extended permit to look for work or to start a business.
When applying, you need to have a valid residence permit for studies, i.e. you must submit your application before your residence permit for studies expires. You must have finished your studies and graduated. You can get a residence permit to look for work or to start a business only once and for a maximum of one year.
When you find a job, apply for a new residence permit on the basis of work before the permit that was granted for job-seeking expires.
If you receive a negative extended permit decision
If you have applied for a residence permit and received a negative decision from Migri, you have a right to submit an appeal to the Adminstrative Court. You are allowed to remain in Finland while waiting for the Administrative Court’s decision. If the Administrative Court’s decision is negative, you may have a right to appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court, and you are allowed to remain in Finland while waiting for this decision, too. If you get a final negative decision from either court you have to leave Finland or you might get deported and also receive a refusal of entry to Finland and other Schengen countries. See also Migri page on a negative decision (link below).
Make sure to contact your programme International Coordinator/Academic Officer on the negative decision, especially in order to get contact information for appealing the Migri decision.