Finland Child–Parent/Guardian Family Reunification 2026: Complete Guide to Custody, Consent, Income and Application Routes

1. There are two child-family routes

Scenario one is a child abroad moving to a parent/guardian in Finland. Scenario two is a parent/guardian abroad moving to a child in Finland. The application, income and evidence rules are not identical.

The sponsor's status must also be separated: Finnish citizen, fixed-term residence-permit holder or beneficiary of international/temporary protection.

2. Who counts as a minor: under 18, and unmarried when the child applies

For the guardian routes, the child in Finland must be under 18. The Aliens Act adds "unmarried" for a child who is the applicant, that is, a child moving to a parent in Finland. Timing matters: minority is assessed in each application, and for a child granted international protection the 16 June 2025 amendment adjusted the definition of a minor to follow EU Court of Justice case law, so a sponsor who turned 18 during the asylum process should have the timing checked before filing.

Once the child is an adult, the parent is no longer automatically a nuclear-family member and only much narrower other-relative routes may remain.

3. Custody and consent of the other guardian

When a child is moving to Finland, custody evidence matters in addition to proof of family ties. A birth certificate is core evidence for a biological parent; another guardian needs an official guardianship document.

Where custody is shared and the other guardian remains abroad, that guardian must generally give written consent to the child's move to Finland, confirmed by a notary public or another authority. Relevant custody/divorce orders should be attached.

4. Parent/guardian moving to a child in Finland

The applicant must prove formal guardianship with reliable documents. In foster/other-guardian cases, Migri can also require evidence that the applicant was actually responsible for the child before the child arrived in Finland.

If the child is a Finnish citizen, the parent/guardian route has no income requirement. If the child holds a residence permit, an income requirement generally applies. After the permit is granted, the guardian has an unrestricted right to work.

5. Child moving to a guardian in Finland

The child must be under 18 and unmarried, and the guardian in Finland must already hold the relevant status or apply at the same time. The intention must be for the child and guardian to live together in Finland.

Where the guardian holds a fixed-term A/B permit, the family income requirement must be checked. The Finnish-citizen guardian route does not impose the same income requirement. If a child is born in Finland and needs a permit, the application should be filed within three months of birth.

6. First permit, legalisation and evidence

A first residence permit is generally submitted abroad, with only limited exceptional situations allowing a first application from Finland. Use the correct child or guardian family application route.

Birth certificates, custody decisions, consent, adoption, paternity, divorce and death documents may require legalisation and translation into Finnish, Swedish or English.

7. Permanent residence for a child after 8 January 2026

Under the 2026 reform, a child under 18 living in Finland can obtain permanent residence without a residence-period requirement when the formal and actual guardian in Finland has permanent residence, P-EU status or Finnish citizenship.

The same can apply when the guardian applies for permanent/P-EU status at the same time and is granted it. The child is not required to meet language-skills or work-history requirements.

8. Risks and checklist

The most common child-family problems are wrong route selection and missing custody/consent evidence rather than a simple attachment omission.

9. Child with protection status, fees and appeal

Where the child in Finland has subsidiary or temporary protection, the 16 June 2025 amendment made sufficient income a condition for the child's family members as a rule, with limited exceptions. Family members of a minor who has refugee status remain exempt. For applications filed before 16 June 2025 the earlier rules still apply.

In 2026 a first family-ties permit costs an adult guardian EUR 750 online or EUR 800 on paper, and a child applicant EUR 400 online or EUR 430 on paper. A refusal can be appealed to the Administrative Court within 30 days of service; the court fee is EUR 310 and is not charged if the decision is changed in the appellant's favour. In child cases the court weighs the child's best interests in its own right, so evidence about the child's situation belongs in the appeal and not only proof of the relationship.