Are you interested in travelling to Finland to perform a seasonal work at the agriculture or touristic sectors?

Summer jobs on berry farms or in agriculture, for example, are considered seasonal work by the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri). Also some other work in agriculture and tourism that is done at certain times of the year will fit into this category.

The maximum length of stay permitted for seasonal work is nine months and you will need a specific permit for it.

Types of seasonal work

According to the information published on Migri’s customers bulletin, the branches of agriculture where seasonal work can be done are:

• Crop and animal production and related service activities, excluding hunting and related service activities.
• Forest cultivation and other forestry activities.

The branches of tourism where seasonal work is admitted by the Finnish Government are:

• Accommodation and food service activities.
• Ski resorts.
• Tour operator activities.
• Other reservation service and related activities, such as tour guide services.
• Activities of amusement parks and theme parks.
• Support activities to performing arts.
• Coastal passenger water transport.
• Inland passenger water transport.

The requirements

You must have also a valid passport and a confirmed employment place before you may apply for a certificate or a residence permit for seasonal work. If you have been offered work by an employer, the employer will have to confirm that you will really be hired. This is usually done in the form of an employment contract.

If during your stay in Finland you wish to work for more than one employer, then you must fill in the necessary information and submit attachments about all the employers.

Depending on your country of origin and the length of your contract, you can be required a certificate or a different type of residence permit in order to perform a seasonal work legally.

Keep in mind that you do not need a residence permit or a certificate for seasonal work, if you are a citizen of a European Union (EU) country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.

Depending on the country

1. If you come from a country whose citizens do not need an entry visa to travel to Finland and you intend to work for less than three months, then you must apply for a certificate for seasonal work at the Finnish Immigration Service. In this case you do not need to visit a Finnish Mission (Embassy or Consulate).
2. If you come from a country whose citizens are required to have a travel visa to enter the Finnish territory, then you must apply for a seasonal work residence permit at a Finnish mission abroad (an Embassy or Consulate).

If you want to check whether you need a visa or not to travel to Finland, you can find the information regarding the requirements for the citizens of your country of origin HERE

Depending on the length of the contract

1. If you are going to work from three to six months: apply for a residence permit for seasonal work. Submit your application in the electronic service Enter Finland and visit a Finnish mission (Embassy or Consulate) abroad in order to prove your identity. If for any reason you cannot use the electronic service, you can submit a paper application form at a Finnish mission.
2. If you are going to work from six to nine months: apply for a residence permit for seasonal work. Submit your application in the e-service Enter Finland and visit a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) abroad to prove your identity. If you cannot use the e-service, submit a paper application at the Finnish mission. The application will be processed in two stages: First, an Employment and Economic Development Office will make a partial decision on your application. After that, Migri will process the application and make the final decision.

How to apply from a visa-free country

If you are a national of a country whose citizens do not need a travel visa to come to Finland, you can use the electronic service of the Finnish Immigration authorities to apply for the certificate for seasonal work.

Migri stresses that applying online “is the fastest and cheapest way to get a certificate for seasonal work”. The expected processing time for an online application is 2 months and the fee to pay will be 60€.

However, if you choose to submit a paper application the processing time might be extended up to three months and the fee will be 100 euros. When you apply for a certificate for seasonal work you don´t need to visit a Finnish mission abroad.

If you want to apply for a seasonal work certificate electronically using the service of Enter Finland, you can do it by clicking HERE

If you prefer to submit a paper application for a seasonal work certificate at a Finnish mission abroad, you can download and print the application form HERE

How to apply if you need a travel visa

In this case the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) also recommends to apply for a residence permit for seasonal work through the electronic service Enter Finland. The service will guide you to the right permit and calculate how long you have been doing seasonal work during the last 12 months, based on the data you feed into it. The maximum length of seasonal work allowed is nine months.

If you wish, you can give your employer permission to use the Enter Finland service in matters concerning your seasonal work permit. If you do this, your employer can, for instance, add attachments to your application.

Make sure you have all the attachments required to submit with your application and that they are up to date and even translated in case it is necessary. Keep in mind also that you can only apply for your first residence permit for seasonal work abroad. Travelling before and applying after is not permitted.

Application fees and processing times

Pay for your application in the e-service Enter Finland or at a Finnish mission (Embassy or Consulate). The fee for a first permit valid for 3-6 months is 350€ and for a permit for 6-9 months is 400€ when processed electronically. If the application is submitted on paper, the fees are 550€ (3-6 months) and 600€ (6-9 months).

Wait for a decision. The expected processing time for a first residence permit for seasonal work application is one month when submitted electronically. If the application is submitted on paper, you might have to wait 2-3 months to get a decision, according to Migri’s website.

If you want to apply for a seasonal work residence permit electronically using the service of Enter Finland, you can do it by clicking HERE

If you prefer to submit a paper residence permit application for seasonal work at a Finnish mission abroad, you can download and print the application form HERE

For additional information on seasonal work in Finland, check at Migri’s website the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page by clicking HERE