Permits of the Finnish Patent and Registration Office for people living abroad

You may engage in your trade in Finland if you live permanently in the European Economic Area. Your nationality is not significant, but you must have a valid residence permit in the EEA country where you live. If you visit Finland, you must see to it that you reside in the country on a legal basis.

Finnish companies are also permitted to engage in a trade in Finland. Foreign companies with main headquarters in the European Economic Area or that have registered a branch in Finland may also engage in a trade.

If you live outside the European Economic Area, you always need a permit issued by the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) before you can engage in a trade in Finland. Note that the permit granted by the PRH does not give you the right to reside in Finland.

If you are a managing director or a deputy managing director of a limited liability company and reside permanently outside the European Economic Area, you need a permit granted by the Finnish Patent and Registration Office for holding a managerial position and other positions of responsibility in a company in Finland. You may also need a permit if you are one of the following:

• a permanent member or vice member of the board of a limited liability company
• a partner in a general partnership
• a responsible partner in a limited partnership.

You must also apply for the permit if your company's main headquarters are outside the European Economic Area and you are establishing a foreign branch in Finland.

Further information:

• European Economic Area - European ParliamentOpens in a new window.
• Visiting Finland - Finnish Immigration ServiceOpens in a new window.

You can apply for the permit by submitting a freely worded application or use an application form. You can use the same application to apply for a permit for both the members of the Board of Directors and the Managing Director. Specify all of the applied permits and the applicants in the application.

Enter the following in the application:

• Applicant's name, date of birth, citizenship, place of residence (municipality or city) and the state in which the place of residence is located.
• What limited liability company the permit application is related to. In addition to the business name, enter the business ID if the limited liability company already has one.
• What permit(s) you are applying for (for example, permit to act as a member of the Board of Directors of a limited liability company).
• The postal address and possible other contact details of the applicant or an agent authorised by them for posting the decision and the invoice. The decision and the invoice will be sent by post. 

Remember to sign and date your application. If you are using a single application to apply for permits for several people, every applicant must sign the application. Do not include your personal identity code or home address in your application.

If you do not have a Finnish personal identity code, attach a copy of your passport or other form of personal identification to your application. 

Post the application to the following address: Finnish Patent and Registration Office, Trade Register, 00091 PRH

The application is subject to a fee. The amount of the fee depends on the number of applicants seeking the permit. The fee is collected afterwards.

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