Finland Student Residence Permit 2026: Complete Guide to EUR 9,600 Funds, Insurance, Work Rights, A/B Permits and Family

1. Which studies qualify?

The main rule is that studies lead to a degree or vocational qualification. Exchange students can also qualify, and some other studies may qualify where there is a well-founded reason.

A programme consisting mainly of online/distance learning that does not require presence in Finland is not a basis for a student residence permit. The permit is not issued to complete basic education.

2. EUR 800/month and EUR 9,600 for the first year

The 2026 student income requirement is at least EUR 800 per month. For studies lasting one year or longer, at least EUR 9,600 must be in your own bank account when the application is submitted; for shorter studies, use EUR 800 times the number of months.

A private person's sponsorship guarantee alone is not accepted. The applicant's own bank statement is required, and Migri asks for a statement covering the previous six months. A grant/scholarship from a state, organisation or educational institution can count toward living funds.

The EUR 800 assumes you pay for your own housing. If the educational institution provides free accommodation, Migri's requirement is EUR 400 a month; with free accommodation and free meals it is EUR 270 a month. The institution's written confirmation of the benefit belongs in the application.

3. Tuition fees are separate from living funds

If tuition has been paid, attach evidence of payment. If not, the first-year tuition amount must be available in addition to the EUR 9,600 living funds.

Money reserved for living costs cannot simultaneously be treated as tuition money. If a scholarship covers tuition, provide the institution's certificate; the living-funds requirement remains separate.

4. Student insurance: EUR 120,000 / EUR 40,000

For studies lasting under two years, private insurance must cover medical expenses up to at least EUR 120,000. For studies lasting at least two years, it must cover pharmaceutical expenses up to at least EUR 40,000.

The deductible may not exceed EUR 300. Insurance must be valid on arrival. For studies longer than a year it must provide at least one year of uninterrupted cover without ordinary 90-day-per-trip travel-insurance restrictions. A valid Kela card, EHIC or UK GHIC can remove the need for separate private insurance.

5. A permit or B permit?

A student pursuing a higher-education degree receives a continuous A permit. Students pursuing a degree other than higher education and exchange students generally receive a temporary B permit.

This distinction matters for residence history, family and future permanent-residence planning. Family members of a higher-education degree student can also receive continuous permits if they meet the requirements.

6. Work right: average 30 hours/week

A student-permit holder may work in paid employment in any field, provided average weekly hours over the year do not exceed 30. Full-time work in some weeks is possible if the annual average remains within the limit. Migri describes this as roughly 120 hours/month or 1,560 hours/year.

A degree-required internship or diploma/thesis work can fall outside the 30-hour restriction where credits and the study connection were agreed from the outset. Ordinary work registered later as an internship may still count toward the limit. Both employee and employer are responsible for compliance.

7. Extended permit and after graduation

An extended student permit is applied for in Finland. For an extension, income from work can be used toward sufficient-resources evidence, while the study basis and progress remain relevant.

After completing a degree in Finland, a student can apply for a residence permit to look for work or start a business for up to two years. It can be used in one period or up to three parts, each at least six months, with the last part ending within three years of the first part's start. This job-search permit includes an unrestricted right to work.

8. Student-permit checklist

9. Bills before Parliament in 2026: what may change

Two government bills on international students were before Parliament as of 13 October 2026, and neither had entered into force. The first, submitted on 30 April 2026, would make receiving social assistance (toimeentulotuki) a separate ground for withdrawing a student's residence permit or refusing a new one, still with an individual overall assessment; Kela has said the change is intended to take effect in October–November 2026 if Parliament approves it. Migri already takes social assistance into account when it assesses an extension.

The second, submitted on 10 September 2026, would let a student's family apply for residence permits only once the student has been in Finland for one year, tighten the language-skills condition of the study permit, and write the student income requirement into law while keeping it at EUR 800 a month. Until a law is passed and in force, the rules in sections 1–8 apply; check Migri's pages before filing, and plan family applications with the possible one-year wait in mind.