First residence permit | Justify essential travel amid covid19

zamantousif · Post by **zamantousif** » Mon Jul 13, 2020 8:32 am

Hi all,
I wanted to ask if anyone is in the process of moving to Finland for work. If you plan to apply for the first residence work permit during the covid19 travel restriction period, how do you justify the travel as essential for the authorities to process the permit request? Are there any specific documents that employer must provide to the employee or the consulates?

In my case, I plan to travel from the US for work. I have been told to provide details about the nature of my work and why the work might be necessary during the pandemic.

I did find some info at https://www.raja.fi/current_issues/guid ... er_traffic but want to know if anyone is in a similar situation travelling from a non-EU country to Finland during this time and what documentation you are providing to the authorities?

Thank you.

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betelgeuse · Post by **betelgeuse** » Mon Jul 13, 2020 11:09 am

zamantousif wrote: ↑
Mon Jul 13, 2020 8:32 am
I did find some info at https://www.raja.fi/current_issues/guid ... er_traffic but want to know if anyone is in a similar situation travelling from a non-EU country to Finland during this time and what documentation you are providing to the authorities?

The rules that apply are based on the entry country to Schengen if Finland no longer has internal border checks for that Schengen country. This means it's good to be aware that you might not be applying the rules from Raja at all (but the rules of the other Schengen country).

rinso · Post by **rinso** » Mon Jul 13, 2020 11:47 am

Due to the situation in the US, there is little chance to get here fast.
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finl ... wBJwJCa14Q

how do you justify the travel as essential

Travel for work is not automatically ok. The work itself has to be essential (think medical or safety jobs)

FinlandGirl · Post by **FinlandGirl** » Mon Jul 13, 2020 4:02 pm

rinso wrote: ↑
Mon Jul 13, 2020 11:47 am
Due to the situation in the US, there is little chance to get here fast.
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finl ... wBJwJCa14Q
how do you justify the travel as essential
Travel for work is not automatically ok. The work itself has to be essential (think medical or safety jobs)

This is not true, read the Raja link provided by the OP.

One of the exceptions are "third-country nationals residing in Finland with a residence permit".
This is "Return to Finland", not "Essential traffic".

FinlandGirl · Post by **FinlandGirl** » Mon Jul 13, 2020 4:31 pm

zamantousif wrote: ↑
Mon Jul 13, 2020 8:32 am
If you plan to apply for the first residence work permit during the covid19 travel restriction period, how do you justify the travel as essential for the authorities to process the permit request?

Residence permit processing and border restrictions are mostly unrelated to each other, and handled by different parts of the government.

There was a temporary halt of residence permit processing for non-essential work, that ended months ago.
Residence permit processing should be normal, if you can get an appointment at an embassy for proving your identity.

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