Migri to lower residence permit fees due to coronavirus crisis

The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) will reduce the fees for processing residence permit applications for foreign nationals staying in Finland temporarily due to the coronavirus crisis.

The Decree in this regard will be temporarily amended and the amendment will come into force from22 May 22 and remain in force until 31 October, said a government press release.

The decision has been taken following travel restrictions imposed to contain the prevailing coronavirus pandemic.

There are people in Finland whose right of residence is about to end or has already ended and who are unable to leave the country. They will be charged a lower fee for the processing of their residence permit application than is usual.

Now the processing fee for a residence permit application is EUR 520 for adults and EUR 270 for minors. The decree will be temporarily amended so that the processing fee is EUR 150 for adults and EUR 100 for minors in cases where the permit is applied for because of the travel restrictions.

The residence permits granted on the basis of the travel restrictions will also be valid at least until 31 October.

Possible applicants include people whose visa-free stay, visa, or residence permit has expired.

The Migri has already received applications for residence permits from people whose departure from Finland has been prevented or significantly hampered because of the coronavirus crisis.

If the reason for submitting an application is other than the applicant’s inability to leave the country due to the coronavirus epidemic, the applicant needs to supplement the application and pay the processing fee for the correct type of application.

Under the Act, the fee charged by the Immigration Service for a residence permit application must correspond to the cost price of the application, i.e. the cost of processing the application.

However, for special reasons, the fee can be lower than the cost price or it can be completely waived.