RP based on Marriage - Non EU passport

[pirteloli]

Hey everyone,

I'm quite glad I found this forum since there's so much info online I feel completely overwhelmed lol. My Finnish hubby (now fiancé!) and I want to move in together. He is a Finn living in Finland and I am from a Non-EU country (Israel). We got engaged during my last visit in Finland and we honestly want to get things going, I'd like to immigrate there and start my life there. However I feel like I'm completely lost in the sea of information, and everything seems to be EXTRA difficult for Non-EU members, understandably so.

So now onto my questions;
1. Can I apply for a permanent RP based on us getting officially married? I've read somewhere I need 'proof' that we've been living together or that we know each other for long. But we've gotten to know each other online, and we spent approx. 2 months together, I'm not so sure what kind of proof I'd need other than us legally marrying.

2. Can I exit Finland to my home country while waiting for my PR to be approved? I'd like to get married, but while waiting for my visa to be accepted, to still work in my home country and save up more money. I do have enough but, considering all the fees and stuff I'd need to pay (translation of legal documentation, apostile signatures etc) it'd not hurt to save up more.

3. Can I open a Finnish bank account & get a health insurance in Finland without having a Finnish Social Number/ID? If not, how do you get by when you need just your usual visit to a doctor, to get prescribed meds [e.g birth control] etc?

I'd appreciate any light being shed on these matters Thank you so much in advance !

[browndude]

1. You cannot apply for a permanent RP immediately. You need to have lived in Finland for 5 years or so before you qualify for a permanant RP. You can however apply for your first residence permit based off of the fact that your spouse is a Finnish citizen (e.g. https://migri.fi/en/moving-to-finland-t ... ily-member). If you are officially married, then things are a whole lot easier. Otherwise, you need to prove that you have been in e.g. living together for at least 2 years etc...

2.You can certainly leave Finland while your RP is being processed-unless you are a wanted criminal, you have the legal right to leave Finland freely. I am not sure about how it will be with travelling back to Finland for an Israeli citizen while the application is in process-you need to check this further. I think Israeli citizen do not need visas to visit Finland for short stays.

3. I am not sure what the answer to this is. Most banks do not let you open a normal account without a Finnish social security number-there may be exceptions but I am not aware of them. The same with most health insurance companies. You probably can go to any doctor as a foreigner to get your meds as long as you are able to pay up-front.

[SecretCode]

As browndude says, you can apply for residence once you are married.

If you aren't married yet, you can apply on the basis of intimate relationship - Intimate relationship | Maahanmuuttovirasto. I don't think there's anything between this and already being married, so you have to decide whether to wait or not!

I don't think there's any way to get a bank account here until you have your residence permit and identity number.

Regarding medical support, if you initially get a temporary type B residence permit you may not be entitled to state benefits. But you can still access healhcare as a visitor.

[SecretCode]

One other thing: for an intimate relationship you do need at least 2 years history, but it doesn't have to be "living together". I got mine based on 8 years of just visiting. If you have only a few months it may not be easy.

[FinlandGirl]

My Finnish hubby (now fiancé!) and I want to move in together. He is a Finn living in Finland and I am from a Non-EU country (Israel). We got engaged during my last visit in Finland and we honestly want to get things going, I'd like to immigrate there and start my life there. However I feel like I'm completely lost in the sea of information, and everything seems to be EXTRA difficult for Non-EU members, understandably so.

So now onto my questions;
1. Can I apply for a permanent RP based on us getting officially married?

As already mentioned, "permanent RP" is something you can only get after at least 4 years living in Finland.

I've read somewhere I need 'proof' that we've been living together or that we know each other for long. But we've gotten to know each other online, and we spent approx. 2 months together, I'm not so sure what kind of proof I'd need other than us legally marrying.

A RP on family ties requires either having lived together for 2 years or being married.
IOW, you can apply for the RP on the basis of family ties immediately after you've married.

2. Can I exit Finland to my home country while waiting for my PR to be approved? I'd like to get married, but while waiting for my visa to be accepted, to still work in my home country and save up more money. I do have enough but, considering all the fees and stuff I'd need to pay (translation of legal documentation, apostile signatures etc) it'd not hurt to save up more.

If you apply for the RP from abroad and keep residing there, you can still visit Finland as a tourist as before (90 days within a 180-day period).

3. Can I open a Finnish bank account & get a health insurance in Finland without having a Finnish Social Number/ID? If not, how do you get by when you need just your usual visit to a doctor, to get prescribed meds [e.g birth control] etc?

As soon as you move your residence to Finland, your worldwide income/inheritances/gifts/... must be reported to the Finnish tax office and might be subject to Finnish taxes. In practice this would exclude the possibility of working in your home country while waiting for the RP.

One other thing: for an intimate relationship you do need at least 2 years history, but it doesn't have to be "living together". I got mine based on 8 years of just visiting. If you have only a few months it may not be easy.

2 years of living together would qualify for a RP based on family ties.

There is no formal requirement for the RP on other grounds on the basis of an intimate relationship, but when the plan is to marry it would not make sense to apply for this RP that does not include the right to work.