Hi Future Finns. In this article, I want to guide you on how to apply for a student visa in Finland. Finland has become a popular study destination not only because of its education system but also due to its culture, where equality and freedom are top priorities. In Finland, it doesn’t matter where you’re from—what matters is who you want to become.
If you’re still unsure whether Finnish universities are the right choice for your studies, check out my article: Top 10 Finnish Universities for International Students.
This beautiful Nordic country, known for its high-quality education, welcomes around 20,000 international students every year, with approximately half of them coming from outside the EU. If you are one of them, make sure to read this article until the end!
Do You Need a Visa to Study in Finland?
Study Shorter Than 90 Days
Whether you need a student visa depends mainly on your citizenship and the length of your studies. If your studies last less than 90 days and your country is listed below, you do not need a student visa.
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Greece
- Netherlands
- Croatia
- Ireland
- Lithuania
- Latvia
- Luxembourg
- Hungary
- Malta
- Germany
- Poland
- Portugal
- Austria
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Italy
- Cyprus
- Iceland
- Liechtenstein
- Norway
- Switzerland
If you cannot find your country on the list, you will need to apply for a visa. International students studying in Finland for less than 90 days must obtain a Schengen study visa.
Study Longer Than 90 Days
In this case, please refer to the list of countries above. If your country is on the list, you do not need a residence permit even if you study in Finland for more than 90 days. However, you must register with the appropriate local authority.
If your country is not on the list, you will need to apply for a residence permit. I will write about how to apply for a residence permit in a separate article, as this article focuses only on student visas. If you would like a detailed guide on obtaining a residence permit, read my next article: How to apply for residence permit.
Requirements to Apply for a Student Visa
If you want to apply for a student visa, you must meet the following requirements:
- You must not have any travel bans for the Schengen Area.
- You must not have any criminal charges.
- You must not pose a threat to Finland and its interests.
- You must first apply for your study program before applying for a visa. To submit your student visa application, you will need proof of acceptance from a university in Finland.
What will you need to apply for a student visa in Finland?
If you meet all the requirements to apply for a student visa, congratulations! Here is a list of things you will need to prepare for your application:
- Valid Passport – If you want to apply for a visa, your passport must meet two conditions: It must have been issued within the last 10 years, and it must be valid for at least three months after your departure from Finland.
- Identity photo – You will need a photo that meets the requirements for a Schengen visa photo. The size of the photo must be 35mm x 45mm. The head must cover 70-80% of the photo. The photo must not be black and white; it must be in color. The background must be light, ideally gray and without patterns.
- Copy of your passport’s bio page – Applicants are required to attach a copy of the passport page containing their personal information to the application for any type of visa.
- Health Insurance: Applicants are required to provide proof of international student health insurance. This insurance must cover all types of medical care and remain valid for the entire duration of their stay in Finland.
- Sufficient Financial Means: You must have enough money in your personal bank account to cover everyday expenses during your studies. The required amount is defined as at least €560 × the number of months you will spend in Finland.
- Proof of Enrollment – A document confirming your acceptance into a study program at a university in Finland.
- Proof of Paid Tuition Fee – Alternatively, you must provide evidence that you have sufficient financial means to pay it.
- Proof of Scholarship – Only if you are a scholarship recipient.
- Civil Status Documents – Birth certificate, marriage certificate, etc.
How to Apply for a Finland Student Visa?
If you meet all the conditions from the previous sections and have all the necessary documents for a student visa application, you can proceed with my step-by-step guide on how to apply for a student visa in Finland.
Step no.1 – Apply for university
The first step on your journey to studying in Finland is finding a university where you would like to study. If you haven’t decided yet, my article: Top 10 Finnish Universities for International Students might help you. There, you’ll find a list of the highest-rated universities in Finland.
If you already know what and where you want to study, now is the right time to submit your application. This step is very important because one of the required documents for obtaining a student visa is proof of enrollment.
Step no.2 – Apply for a student visa
If you already have proof of enrollment and all the other required documents, you can apply for a student visa. You can submit your application either online or at a local embassy or consulate, where you will fill out a paper application.
However, let’s focus on the online application.
- Create a user account on EnterFinland. Select the application – in this case, a residence permit on the grounds of a study program.
- Fill in the application and attach all the required documents. The list of required documents can be found in the previous paragraphs of this article.
- Submit the online application.
Step no.3 – Go to a Finnish embassy
After submitting your online student visa application, you need to visit the Finnish embassy, where you will verify your identity, submit your fingerprints, and pay the application fee.
This is one of the reasons why I recommend applying online— the fee for a paper application submitted at the consulate is €450, while the fee for an online application is only €350.
Don’t forget to bring all the documents you attached to your online application.
Your visit to the Finnish embassy may also include an interview, which is conducted to understand your reasons for wanting to study in Finland.
Step no.4 – Wait for an answer
If you have submitted your application, you need to be patient. If anything is missing from your application, the Finnish embassy will contact you to provide the necessary documents.
However, even if you have filled out everything correctly and submitted all the required documents, the processing of your application will still take 1–3 months. It may feel like endless waiting, but if your application is approved, the Finnish embassy will eventually invite you to pick up your residence card.
Step no.5 – You are ready!!! Go to Finland!!!
Congratulations! You’ve got your student visa. You can now buy your ticket to Finland and look forward to the greatest adventure of your life.
As soon as you arrive in Finland, don’t forget to register at the local immigration office, where your status as an international student will be officially recorded.
What else should you know?
- Your student visa is valid only for the duration of your study program, but no longer than 2 years. If your study program lasts longer than 2 years, you will need to extend your visa until the end of your studies.
- During your studies, you can work up to 30 hours per week.
