Work Permit Services

Welcome to the nationwide website of the TE Offices’ work permit services. This website contains information about handling of residence permit applications for an employed person (TTOL) at the TE Offices and information about the employment of foreigners in Finland.  

The right to work in Finland is determined by one’s nationality. An employee who is not a citizen of an EU country, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland usually needs either a residence permit for an employed person or another type of residence permit which entitles for gainful employment. Some tasks specified in the Aliens Act may be performed for a limited period of time with a visa or fully exempted from visa.

The residence permit for an employed person is issued in two stages. TE Office makes a partial decision for the residence permit application for an employed person (TTOL) and the Finnish Immigration Service issues the final residence permit decision. The TE Offices’ partial decision is based on overall assessment, which includes assessing the availability of labour, the terms of the employment relationship and both the employer’s and employee’s prerequisites. The employee’s income through gainful employment must also be secured.