Finland Announces 7 Categories of Foreigners Eligible to Apply for D Visa, Explains Key Benefits
- Finland's immigration authority has outlined specific categories of foreigners who qualify to apply for the country's D visa
- The D visa is valid for up to 100 days and allows holders to enter Finland before their residence permit card arrives
- Eligible applicants span several permit types, from specialists and researchers to students and start-up entrepreneurs
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Finland's immigration authority, the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), has published details on who qualifies for the country's D visa and what benefits the visa offers to successful applicants.
The D visa is a 100-day entry visa designed for people who have already been granted a Finnish residence permit.
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Its primary purpose is to allow holders to travel to Finland immediately after receiving a positive decision on their residence permit application, without having to wait for the physical residence permit card to be sent abroad. The card is instead collected from a designated point inside Finland, typically within two weeks of the decision being issued.
Who Qualifies for the Finland D Visa
According to Migri, the D visa is available only to applicants who hold or are applying for specific types of residence permits. The eligible categories are:
- Residence permit for a specialist
- EU Blue Card
- Residence permit for a start-up entrepreneur
- Residence permit for a specialist or manager on the basis of intra-corporate transfer (ICT permit)
- Residence permit for work in top or middle company management
- Residence permit for studies
- Residence permit for a researcher
Foreigners who do not fall under any of these categories cannot apply for a D visa and must receive their residence permit card through a Finnish mission abroad.
D visa: Key conditions applicants must note
Migri has emphasised that the D visa does not speed up the processing of a residence permit application. A positive residence permit decision must come first, and only then can a D visa application be considered.
Once approved, a D visa sticker is affixed to the applicant's passport at a Finnish mission. For the visa to be valid, the D visa and the residence permit must overlap by at least one day.
Applicants are advised to only pursue the D visa if they are in a position to travel to Finland within two weeks of being granted their residence permit, as the residence permit card must be collected from a collection point in Finland within approximately that same window.
The Finnish Immigration Service notes that the D visa becomes valid as soon as a positive decision is issued, giving eligible applicants a practical route into the country while avoiding unnecessary delays tied to card delivery timelines.
Citizenship: Australia mentions residency years for foreigners
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Australia's Department of Home Affairs outlined the residence requirement foreigners must meet before applying for citizenship.
Applicants must have lived in Australia on a valid visa for a number of years before the date they apply for citizenship.
The rules also specify how much time applicants are allowed to have spent outside Australia during that period.
Source: Legit.ng
