Just Lapland

Emigrating To Finland There are plenty of things that are different about moving to Finland that sets it apart from other countries, mainly the weather. The pace of life is certainly slower however and there are plenty of business opportunities still waiting to be snapped up. Finland is situated in Northern Europe, it is surrounded by Norway, Sweden and Russia. The area of Finland is 328.145 sq km and the capital of Finland is Helsinki. Helsinki is the largest city of Finland and is known as the trade centre of Finland. 95% of the population speak Finnish, the rest speak swedish. If you are seriously thinking of relocating to Finland you will need to speak at least some of the language.

Weather in Finland As you will probably be aware, the weather in Finland can and often is harsh in the Winter months. The temperature mid Winter can drop to as low as -30 or more and the winter on average lasts from November until May when Spring will begin. There is on average only about 4 hours daylight in the winter months but come March the days are much longer, similar to England. The snow will begin to melt and the temperatures will begin to rise. The winter will last for about 200 days and when summer finally arrives Lapland is transformed into the land of the midnight sun, where there is 24 hour daylight. Driving in Lapland is easy even in the winter months,all cars have to be fitted with special winter tyres which makes the driving safe and the roads are always reletively quiet

Population of Finland The population in Finalnd is about 5,190,785.

Schooling In Finland The schooling in Finland is free and compulsary between the ages of 7 to 16.  For further education there are 13 universities, several colleges and teacher training schools. The largest university is in Helsinki (the capital of Finland).


Anyone visiting Finland for longer than a three month period will need to obtain a permit. You will also need to have a medical certificate and evidence that you have work lined up or that you can support yourself.

Based on the immigration laws in Finland, a work permit is not recognised as authorisation for employment.  Perspective employment in Finland is used as authorised residency instead and if you are intending to seek residence in Finland you have to understand that residency permits are issued on a temporary and permanent basis see www.justlapland.com).  You will have needed to reside in Finland for 6 years without interruption in order to acquire full Finnish citizenship. Short periods of being out of the country are not counted as long as they are not long enough to be considered to be prolonged periods where you are out of Finland for large periods of time.  It seems that depending on your reasons for entering Finland depends on the different authorities dealing with your application. It may be depending on your situation that several different authorities may deal with your applications (see www.migri.fi/netcomm).  If you are relocating to Finland and have not previously stayed in Finland for any long period of time, you will have to first apply for a residence permit or visa. This information is a general guide only and doesn’t apply to all countries of citizens wanting to enter Finland. For countries such as EU member states and Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland may need to see alternative literature (http://www.migri.fi/netcomm/default.asp?language=EN).  If you are wanting to stay in Finland for longer than three months then you will need to obtain a residence permit and if the person entering Finland for longer than three months intends to work, then they will have to obtain a residence permit for the work in question. (www.justlapland.com).  A person who is planning on becoming self employed or following a trade in Finland will need to obtain a permit for a self employed person.  You should apply for your first residence permit before arriving in Finland at the Finnish Diplomatic mission in the country of origin. Applications and more information can be obtained from the Finnish immigration website. (http://www.migri.fi/netcomm/default.asp?language=EN).  If a person is coming to Finland to work then the employer can apply for the permit on behalf of the applicant.  If a person has family ties then the family member can also apply on behalf of the person and effectively becomes their sponsor (the family member should apply to the police municipality where the family member lives.  The first residency permit issued is usually fixed term and issued for one year.

Other information can be obtained from Finnish immigration service www.migri.fi

http://www.poliisi.fi/  the police.

http://www.mol.fi/etusivu/index.html   Employment and economic development office.