US citizen engaged to Finnish citizen

Mackenzie269 · Post by **Mackenzie269** » Sun Feb 09, 2014 9:36 pm

Hi I am a US citizen and I am engaged to a Finnish citizen, we are planning to get married here in Finland this summer. I was wondering if I need a visa to come and do so, also when we do get married can I officially live in Finland or do I need special permission?

**Sponsor:**

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 5:56 am

You can visit and stay a maximum of 90 days (within a half a year period, any time you've spent within other Shengen area countries is counted as a part of that 90 days) without needing other documents than your passport.

For longer stays you need a residence permit. As spouse of a Finnish citizen you may apply while in the country (the other option is to apply via Finnish embassy in USA), and wait until the application has been processed (even if it takes longer than 90 days). During the processing time you're still basically a tourist, meaning that you don't have the right to get paid job, collect social benefits, start degree studies or get publicly funded health care.

http://www.migri.fi/moving_to_finland_t ... artnership
http://www.poliisi.fi/poliisi/home.nsf/ ... endocument

Regarding getting married here: http://finland.usembassy.gov/marriage.html

ritan7471 · Post by **ritan7471** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 8:34 am

Unlike the US, Finland does not require a special visa if you are coming here to get married. However, you will need a certificate of non-impediment (I got mine from the US embassy in Helsinki). Check the embassy webpage about that: http://finland.usembassy.gov/marriage.html

I went back home after the marriage and applied for my residence permit from the US, I understood it's faster and easier than moving here first and then applying for a residence permit. At the Finnish consulate in Los Angeles, they told me I could go to Finland and wait there for the residence permit but that if my 90 day stay ran out before the application was approved, I would need to return to the US and wait there. If you apply in the US you must appear in person at the nearest Finnish consulate or embassy to your home.

I would advise applying from the US for the sole reason that even if you are married, without the residence permit you have no rights to health care, no right to work here, no right to attend school here and no rights to support from the state, so you'd basically be sitting here in Helsinki with no income and nothing to do. If you have a job in the US it's probably better to keep it and do your waiting there - at least that's how I found it. I also heard from some of my friends who married foreigners and Americans who married Finns that the wait in the Helsinki area can be months and months if you just move here and then apply on the basis of a new marriage. I waited 6 weeks for mine in the US.

onkko · Post by **onkko** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 2:18 pm

ritan7471 wrote:At the Finnish consulate in Los Angeles, they told me I could go to Finland and wait there for the residence permit but that if my 90 day stay ran out before the application was approved, I would need to return to the US and wait there.

They were wrong, you can wait in Finland even after 90 days, you have de facto permit to stay till your application is processed. But as said you will be tourist with no rights to work or anything, only rights you have is to return in USA and be like tourist. And i can tell you thats something you dont want if you arent really "financially independent" and dont get sick.
Residence permit is probably (i hate to use word IS but in here it probably would be truth, atleast you cant say i lied even if it takes longer

) faster if you wait and apply in USA instead of Finland since its processed by way less clogged area of government. We dont have that many people moving from north america and they dont have to process "asylum" claims etc.
Conclusion, you can apply in finland but thats not sane way to get permit. Apply in USA.

BlueWeb · Post by **BlueWeb** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 3:10 pm

The folks above are correct. You can apply for the residence permit while you are already in the country. I moved here with my finnish wife (we were already married) and applied for the permit only upon arriving. I received my initial permit after only 2 weeks. This allowed me to work, etc. It was very easy. Of course, the processing time will vary greatly depending on where in Finland you are applying. (e.g. Helsinki area will have a much greater waiting period than, say, Lahti).

Also, the application may take longer to process since you will have only recently gotten married and they may want to see evidence or, at least investigate, that it isn't marriage for "only" the permit. We were married already for 5 years before moving here, which also probably helped the processing time.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 3:36 pm

onkko wrote:
ritan7471 wrote:At the Finnish consulate in Los Angeles, they told me I could go to Finland and wait there for the residence permit but that if my 90 day stay ran out before the application was approved, I would need to return to the US and wait there.
They were wrong, you can wait in Finland even after 90 days, you have de facto permit to stay till your application is processed.

Wait a minute - are you sure? You can wait if you apply here, but it is not obvious to me that the same applies if you apply abroad and then come here while it is being processed. The law itself could easily be read that way, the the explanation in the government proposal "ulkomaalainen, joka voi jättää oleskelulupahakemuksen Suomessa, voi laillisesti oleskella Suomessa hakemuksen käsittelyn ajan"implies to me a different interpretation.

Mackenzie269 · Post by **Mackenzie269** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 9:37 pm

Thank you to everyone, this all has helped me so much

onkko · Post by **onkko** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 12:41 am

Rip wrote:
onkko wrote:
ritan7471 wrote:At the Finnish consulate in Los Angeles, they told me I could go to Finland and wait there for the residence permit but that if my 90 day stay ran out before the application was approved, I would need to return to the US and wait there.
They were wrong, you can wait in Finland even after 90 days, you have de facto permit to stay till your application is processed.
Wait a minute - are you sure? You can wait if you apply here, but it is not obvious to me that the same applies if you apply abroad and then come here while it is being processed. The law itself could easily be read that way, the the explanation in the government proposal "ulkomaalainen, joka voi jättää oleskelulupahakemuksen Suomessa, voi laillisesti oleskella Suomessa hakemuksen käsittelyn ajan"implies to me a different interpretation.

If you marry and apply here you can stay here, if you dont then you cant.
I thought she was talking about marrying in here and staying instead vegas marriage and coming.

Im sorry if i caused misunderstanding.

onkko · Post by **onkko** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 12:48 am

[quote="Mackenzie269"we are planning to get married here in Finland this summer[/quote]

From OP

I take back apologies.

Come, marry, welcome in limbo. Regred, divorce.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 6:47 am

onkko wrote:
Mackenzie269 wrote:we are planning to get married here in Finland this summer
From OP

But it wasn't OP who told about her visit to Finnish consulate in US

ritan7471 wrote: I went back home after the marriage and applied for my residence permit from the US
[...]
At the Finnish consulate in Los Angeles, they told me...

Finland Forum

Find information about moving to, living in and life in Finland