Finland Tightens Rules for Permanent Residence Permits, There is a Requirement of Annual Income of IDR 792 Million

Helsinki, Finland/ILLUSTRATIONS UNSPLASH/Tapio Haaja

JAKARTA - Finland has approved amendments tightening the requirements for obtaining a permanent residence permit, extending the continuous residence required, and introducing stricter language and employment history requirements.

The amendment to the Foreigners Act was approved by the presidency on December 22 and will come into force on January 8, 2026, according to a Finnish government statement.

Based on the new regulation, the continuous residence required for a permanent residence permit will be extended from four to six years.

Applicants who have lived in Finland for six years, in general, can be granted a permanent residence permit if they show satisfactory Finnish or Swedish language skills and have a two-year work history in the country.

"In accordance with the Government Program, applicants will be required to comply with community rules, and to work and learn the language," said Interior Minister Mari Rantanen.

If the applicant has been sentenced to imprisonment without parole, the period of stay allowed without interruption will be considered interrupted, and the calculation will start again only after the sentence has been fully served.

Obtaining a permanent residence permit after four years of residence is still possible, but only if one of the three additional conditions is met.

The requirements are a minimum annual income of €40,000 (about Rp792 million), a recognized master's or postgraduate degree in Finland combined with two years of work history in the country, or high proficiency in Finnish or Swedish, along with three years of work history in Finland.

Applicants who meet the requirements for work history must also not depend on unemployment benefits or social assistance for more than three months.

In addition, applicants who have completed a master's degree, graduate degree, or university bachelor's degree in Finland can obtain a permanent residence permit without fulfilling the minimum period of residence in years, provided that they meet the required level of Finnish or Swedish language skills.