{"id":28459,"date":"2026-10-15T19:26:27","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T15:56:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/blog\/finland-residence-permit-vfs-tehran\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T19:26:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T15:56:27","slug":"finland-residence-permit-vfs-tehran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/blog\/finland-residence-permit-vfs-tehran\/","title":{"rendered":"Finland residence permit identification at VFS Tehran (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"

You live in Iran and are applying for your first Finnish residence permit, to start a company, work, study or join your family. Migri, the Finnish Immigration Service, does not process the application until you prove your identity in person. In Iran, that happens at VFS Global’s residence-permit centre in Tehran. Founders will find the permit itself in our Finland startup visa<\/a> guide; work, study and family routes start from the immigration to Finland<\/a> hub. A short visit on a Schengen visa follows different rules, covered in our Finland tourist visa<\/a> guide.<\/p>\n

Identity checks in Iran and who the Tehran centre accepts<\/h2>\n

Section 60 of Finland’s Aliens Act<\/a> says you apply for a first residence permit before coming to Finland, in the country where you live lawfully. Abroad, it is lodged with a Finnish mission, another Schengen state’s mission or an external service provider. Only the first permit works this way; an extension is applied for in Finland.<\/p>\n

In Iran, the provider is VFS Global. The embassy’s notice of 9 June 2026 says residence-permit biometrics are still taken at VFS in Tehran, not at the embassy. Migri decides the permit; VFS only receives the application, and Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs decides where identification can take place.<\/p>\n

The VFS residence-permit page for Iran<\/a> says the centre takes Iranian citizens and foreigners who live in Iran on a residence permit. The embassy’s residence-permit page<\/a> adds that, for a foreign national, an Iranian visa is not enough. VFS also lists Afghans with a visa or an amayesh card, so Afghan applicants should check with VFS and the embassy before booking. Enter Finland<\/a> requires a valid passport issued by your own country.<\/p>\n

Getting Iranian documents ready before you submit<\/h2>\n

The embassy in Tehran<\/a> sets three steps for Persian documents, in this order: translation into English, legalisation at Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then legalisation at the embassy itself. An apostille cannot replace the two stamps. The HCCH status table<\/a>, last updated on 30 June 2026, lists 130 parties to the Apostille Convention, and Iran is not one of them.<\/p>\n

Enter Finland’s family-ties page<\/a> says marriage, birth, custody, divorce and death certificates must be legalised unless a Nordic or EU authority issued them. For these certificates, VFS wants both the original and its translation legalised, with the legalisation finished before you submit.<\/p>\n

Any document not in Finnish, Swedish or English needs a translation by an authorised translator. Migri’s translation page<\/a> says a translation by someone who is not authorised must itself be legalised. For some countries, Finland’s foreign ministry also wants family documents verified by VFS before legalisation. Ask VFS or the embassy whether yours are included.<\/p>\n

Booking the appointment and the three-month limit<\/h2>\n

Submit your application in Enter Finland first, then book straight away; Enter Finland’s start-up entrepreneur form<\/a> notes that service points are busy. VFS’s booking page<\/a> asks you to request a residence-permit identification by e-mail to info.finlandrpiran@vfshelpline.com. VFS then adds you to a queue and e-mails a confirmation when a slot opens.<\/p>\n

The embassy’s page lists the VFS residence-permit call centre on +98 21 9131 4204 and +98 21 9100 8045, Sunday to Thursday, 08:00 to 14:00. The Tehran residence-permit centre<\/a> lists its hours as Monday to Wednesday, 08:00 to 14:00.<\/p>\n

Fast track covers start-up founders, specialists, EU Blue Card holders, intra-corporate transferees (ICT) and top or middle managers, plus family who apply with the main applicant. Enter Finland requires the fee to be paid online before you submit, and you must be able to reach a VFS centre within five working days. VFS’s page says fast-track appointments are given within five days. If you pay at the centre instead, the application is not fast-tracked.<\/p>\n

VFS says you must prove your identity within three months of submitting in Enter Finland. Enter Finland’s spouse form<\/a> says a spouse’s application is rejected if the three months pass. If no appointment is free in time, tell Migri by message in Enter Finland; that is Migri’s guidance for Iran of 27 May 2026. Migri does not process an application before identification, and its processing-time count starts at that visit.<\/p>\n

VFS Tehran in 2026, notice by notice<\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Date<\/th>\nWhat the notice said<\/th>\nPublished by<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
27 Feb 2026<\/td>\nThe Tehran centres were closed until further notice<\/td>\nVFS<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
30 Apr 2026<\/td>\nSome VFS centres in the Middle East were closed or on reduced service, and services could be limited. Tehran was not named. Students who could not prove their identity were told to contact their institution<\/td>\nFinnish foreign ministry<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
27 May 2026<\/td>\nCard deliveries to Tehran, halted for about two months, were back to normal but delayed. Hearings could be held in Tehran at that time; Migri said this may change<\/td>\nMigri<\/a>, Iran FAQ<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2 Jun 2026<\/td>\nThe Tehran residence-permit centre reopened (notice of 31 May)<\/td>\nVFS<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7 Jun 2026<\/td>\nIdentification slots reserved for students, not their family members, until further notice. More family slots were to be allocated in August<\/td>\nVFS<\/a> (10 Jun), embassy<\/a> (11 Jun)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15 Jun 2026<\/td>\nThe embassy’s own consular services moved to a separate booking system. Residence-permit biometrics stayed at VFS<\/td>\nEmbassy<\/a> (notice of 9 Jun)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
26 Jul 2026<\/td>\nThe wait to submit was about 7 working days for Iranian nationals and 14 for Afghan nationals<\/td>\nVFS<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12 Oct 2026<\/td>\nNeither the embassy’s nor VFS’s news list carried a notice ending the student priority. VFS’s newest residence-permit item was still dated 26 July<\/td>\nEmbassy and VFS news lists<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

If you are a student, the June notices kept slots for you but not for your spouse or children. If you are a founder or a worker, the notices said nothing about you or your family. VFS’s booking page asks a family to send one e-mail for all its members, so name everyone in that e-mail and ask VFS when each of them can be booked.<\/p>\n

At the VFS centre: who attends, what to bring and how to pay<\/h2>\n

The embassy’s residence-permit page says every applicant hands in their own application in person at VFS, children included. In Enter Finland, each start-up founder applies separately. The student form<\/a> says a spouse opens their own account, but a parent may file a child’s application from the parent’s account.<\/p>\n

A child must come to the visit. Another adult, such as a relative, may bring the child; that adult must prove their own identity too. If that adult is not the guardian, they need the guardian’s power of attorney. Enter Finland’s child form<\/a> says fingerprints are taken from age six. Children aged 15 to 17 may file their own application, with the guardian’s consent attached.<\/p>\n

Print the Certificate of a pending online case and your application form from Enter Finland; VFS needs both. At the visit you prove your identity, show the original of every attachment with its translation, and give fingerprints for the residence-permit card. Bring a passport photo that meets the Finnish police photo rules.<\/p>\n

Enter Finland takes Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club, American Express or Finnish online banking. If you have not paid online, or the online payment fails, you pay Migri’s fee at the visit. At VFS Tehran, that fee and VFS’s own service fee are paid in cash, and VFS lists its amounts in euros. Migri asks you to check the currency, amount and payment method before your visit. VFS states that fees are non-refundable.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Migri fee, 2026 (VFS service fee extra)<\/th>\nOnline<\/th>\nPaper<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
First permit: start-up entrepreneur<\/td>\n\u20ac650<\/td>\n\u20ac800<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
First permit: ordinary entrepreneur<\/td>\n\u20ac750<\/td>\n\u20ac900<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
First permit: spouse (family ties)<\/td>\n\u20ac750<\/td>\n\u20ac800<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
First permit: child under 18<\/td>\n\u20ac400<\/td>\n\u20ac430<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
D visa (national long-stay visa)<\/td>\n\u20ac95<\/td>\n\u20ac120<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Aval Visa works with applicants on the steps before the visit. We check whether your case fits the permit you want, plan the translation and legalisation of each family member’s documents, and prepare a file whose originals match your uploads. You file your own application in Enter Finland, and Migri decides it. To go through your situation, start your assessment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Common questions<\/h2>\n

Can I prove my identity at the Finnish embassy in Tehran?<\/h3>\n

No. Residence-permit biometrics are taken at VFS in Tehran. The embassy’s part is legalising your Persian documents once Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has legalised them. It sees visitors by appointment only, and from 15 June 2026 its consular services are booked at finlandappointment.fi. Its e-mail for residence-permit matters is Consulate.TEH@gov.fi.<\/p>\n

Can I extend my Finnish permit through VFS Tehran?<\/h3>\n

No. Only a first permit is applied for from abroad, and VFS and the Aliens Act both place extensions in Finland. Founders can read about extending the start-up permit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Is the student priority at VFS Tehran still in force?<\/h3>\n

The June 2026 notices said it applied from 7 June until further notice. As of 12 October 2026, neither the embassy’s nor VFS’s news list carried a notice ending it or confirming the August family slots. Ask VFS by e-mail about your own booking.<\/p>\n

When will Migri decide, and where do I collect the card?<\/h3>\n

Migri’s processing-times page<\/a> gives 2 weeks in most cases for a first start-up permit, and no more than 2 months under the law. Family-ties permits are decided within nine months as a rule, and the Aliens Act allows longer in exceptional circumstances. You are told in Enter Finland when the decision is ready. If a start-up application is refused, see why Finland start-up permits are refused<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Migri’s Persian-language FAQ for Iran<\/a> says the security situation alone is no ground for exceptions to the permit requirements, and that telecom cuts may delay its requests for more information.<\/p>\n

The residence card is collected in Tehran. For start-up founders on the fast track<\/a> who hold a D visa, it is delivered to a collection point in Finland instead. The embassy’s notice of 11 June 2026 strongly encouraged students to apply for a D visa together with the permit.<\/p>\n

What happens if I am invited to an interview?<\/h3>\n

VFS tells you to e-mail Consulate.TEH@gov.fi with all your application details. Only Migri or Finnish foreign-service officials hold interviews, and the Aliens Act allows a hearing by remote connection. On 27 May 2026, Migri said hearings could be held in Tehran at that time and that this may change.<\/p>\n

Sources<\/h2>\n