Finland Seasonal Work Permit 2026: Complete Guide to Visa, Certificate, Residence Permit and Employer Duties

1. What counts as seasonal work?

Seasonal work means work tied to a particular time of year where labour demand increases significantly compared with normal activity. The covered sectors are defined by government decree and include parts of agriculture, horticulture, forestry, tourism and wild-berry picking.

A job taking place in summer is not automatically seasonal work; the sector and actual duties must fall within the statutory scope.

2. Choose the route by duration

3. Seasonal work for up to 90 days

Visa-free nationals use a seasonal-work certificate. The certificate is intended for people arriving visa-free for up to 90 days of seasonal work, not for people already residing in Finland with a residence permit or a pending residence-permit application.

A seasonal-work certificate does not extend the visa-free Schengen stay. Enough visa-free days must remain for the entire certificate period. Visa-required nationals instead apply for a seasonal-work visa through a Finnish mission.

4. Residence permit for 3–9 months

Seasonal work lasting 3–9 months requires a residence permit for seasonal work. A first permit is generally applied for from abroad. Migri states that a correctly completed application containing the documents required under the Seasonal Workers Act will be decided within 90 days.

For employment lasting 6–9 months, labour-market testing applies. Migri examines whether suitable labour is available in Finland or the EU/EEA within a reasonable time.

5. Salary and employer conditions

Pay must meet the applicable collective agreement. In 2026, where no collective agreement applies or work is part-time, Migri states a gross minimum of EUR 1,463 per month. Reduced hours or employer-provided accommodation do not automatically remove the income requirement.

The employer must accurately state working hours, salary and any accommodation conditions. The facts should determine the permit route, not the other way around.

6. The right to work is employer-specific

A seasonal-work certificate or residence permit authorises work only for employers named on it. If another seasonal employer is added, an application for addition of a new employer can be made.

A pending addition application does not automatically create a right to work for the new employer.

7. Extension and continued right to work

A seasonal-work residence permit can be extended only when the applicant holds a valid seasonal-work residence permit and intends to continue seasonal work directly after the previous permit expires. If there is a gap between employment relationships, the person must leave Finland and apply from abroad for the later period.

Special continuation rules can allow work to continue during a timely extension process with the same employer in certain cases. The rules differ for residence permits, certificates and visas, so the exact document type matters.

8. Important family limitation

Migri states that family members of seasonal workers cannot obtain a Finnish residence permit on the basis of family ties to the seasonal worker. Seasonal work therefore does not provide the same family-migration route as ordinary work-based residence permits.

If family relocation is a goal, long-term residence strategy should be considered separately.

9. Seasonal-work checklist

Wrong-route errors most often come from misunderstanding the duration or sector.