British nationals living in Finland who want to apply for permanent residence will be charged €48, according to the Immigration Service Migri.
Anyone who has already lived in Finland for five years is eligible to apply for the new permanent residence status, and the application process opens up on 1st October at the Migri website.
There’s an important exception to the €48 charge: anyone who is already a permanent resident can submit their application and get the new ID card free of charge.
What is involved in the new process?
The application process is open until the end of September 2021 and can be completed online, or by filing paperwork.
Officials tell News Now Finland the process should take about a month and the application process is quite ‘light’ by Migri standards - it’s much less involved than applying for a work permit or as a student, for example - and no in-person interview is required.
Migri will do a criminal background check and unless an applicant has been convicted of a serious crime in a Finnish court, then applications will essentially be rubber stamped and approved.
There will be no requirement to prove an address, employment, income, insurance or pension contributions.
Applicants will have to go to their nearest Migri office to get biometrics taken: fingerprints and photographs. Migri hopes to issue the final cards around Christmas time.
CLICK: Find out more information about the process at our story here.
