Finland runs one of the clearest and fastest entrepreneur routes in Europe. If your idea is innovative and scalable, an official eligibility statement from Business Finland lets you build your company there without a language certificate, and opens the path to permanent residence for you and your family.
Available
None
30 to 60 working days
See Migri fee list
If you are younger and your budget is limited, a student visa can be the better way in.
A job offer from a Finnish employer, or a Finland work visa, is one of the faster ways into the country.
1Assessment of your profile and choice of route
2Signed agreement and your file is opened
3Documents prepared and translated, appointment booked
4Decision, arrival and settlement support
No language certificate is required. Working English is expected, and Finnish or Swedish is an advantage.
Approved plans span a range of technology sectors; Business Finland does not publish a ranking of approvals by field.
Corporate tax is 20 percent. Finland has no wealth tax. The standard VAT rate is 25.5 percent and is carried by the consumer.
A company with annual turnover of EUR 100,000 or less can report VAT quarterly. At EUR 30,000 or less it can report once a year.
Have your Finland case reviewed free of charge. A careful check before you file is the cheapest way to find the weak points in a case, and to avoid paying twice.
Founders have more European options than ever, and Finland is one of the most direct. Each year Finland opens the startup permit to entrepreneurs from outside the European Union under published criteria.
The business model is assessed first, along with its potential to grow internationally. Once the plan is approved, the founders can apply for their Finnish residence permits. With that in mind, here is how the Finland startup visa works.
The Finland startup visa (Finland Start-up visa) is the government route for building a company in one of the most dynamic economies in the European Union. If your idea can become a revenue-generating business with international reach, and you can show the funds to support yourself, this is a route worth putting on the table.
The first requirement is a genuinely innovative idea. Restaurants, consultancies, import companies, goods distribution and similar services do not qualify.
The second is at least two founders working full time in the company. Strong working English is expected, and Finnish or Swedish is an advantage.
Next comes the business plan. It has to be built on your idea, supported by an MVP, and show that the product works in international markets and can produce real economic results. The plan must be measurable, and it must set out how much capital and what resources the company needs.
The other general requirements are:
Alongside the general items, such as a passport with at least two blank pages and more than 6 months of validity, completed forms and photographs to the required standard, you also submit:
Once the file is complete, the permit granted and you have arrived in Finland, you can register the company.
Now that you know the requirements, here is the route itself, step by step:
Every startup route begins with a raw idea, which then has to become a complete business plan with hard detail. Once the plan is ready, it goes to Business Finland with your supporting documents for assessment.
Business Finland reviews the documents and the plan, and decides whether the proposal is eligible and whether it can grow quickly and reach revenue.
At this stage you complete the application form and submit the plan to Business Finland. With the eligibility statement in hand, you can apply for the residence permit.
Along with the business plan, Business Finland also expects:
Business Finland assesses business plans. It exists to support startups and promote innovation, and it is the body that issues the eligibility statement.
Its standards are published in full on the Business Finland website, and it also offers advisory services, funding and networking for young companies.
Beyond the eligibility letter for startup permits, Business Finland also:
Next you complete your file against the startup permit checklist and submit it for a decision. Note that each founder files a separate application. There is no group application.
If you have registered a startup company in another country, it has to be transferred to Finland.
The startup permit is granted for two years, and you can then apply to extend it. Processing usually takes around 30 working days, though heavier caseloads can push it to 60. Extension applications sit in the same 30 to 60 day range.
The cost of applying covers document translation and the official fees. The official side covers lodging the application, electronically or on paper, assessment of the file and issue of the permit. These fees are set by Migri, differ between online and paper applications, and are revised periodically, so check Migri’s current price list before you pay:
| Migri (Finnish Immigration Service) application fees |
|---|
| Online application fee per person: see Migri current price list |
| Online extension fee per person: see Migri current price list |
| Paper (non-electronic) application fee: see Migri current price list |
| Paper (non-electronic) extension fee: see Migri current price list |
A startup permit holder can apply for Finnish permanent residence after 5 years. Because the permit runs for two years at a time, it has to be extended before it expires.
Moving from a startup permit to permanent residence also means respecting presence rules. To apply after 5 years, you must not spend more than 45 days a year outside the European Union, and no more than 90 days living outside Finland but inside the European Union.
Look at the process, the timeline and the cost together and the picture is clear: this is one of the more workable entrepreneur routes into Europe.
The Finnish economy is stable, growing and open to a wide range of businesses. Finland has an established start-up ecosystem, and strong public support for early-stage companies is one reason the government keeps backing new ventures. Here is what the startup permit gives you:
Almost any innovative plan with real revenue potential can win support in Finland, though approvals cluster in these fields:
The Finland startup visa is faster and lighter than most European entrepreneur routes. No formal language certificate, sensible funding requirements, and a clear path for you and your family, provided the idea stands up and the plan is approved.
Send your business idea to the Aval Visa team for review, and start your Finland plan on solid ground.
