Finland does not issue a separate "student visa". A non-EU/EEA citizen who will study for more than 90 days needs a residence permit for studies (oleskelulupa opiskelua varten), granted by the Finnish Immigration Service, Migri. You apply online in Enter Finland once admitted and then prove your identity at a Finnish mission; for Russian citizens that means Moscow, booked through VFS Global. The requirements are a study place, $10,900 (€9,600) in your own account, insurance and a $681 (€600) fee for an online application. Migri decides most cases in about a month. Russian citizens face three extra conditions: a biometric passport, entry through air or sea crossings only, and a check of the purpose of travel at the border.
| At a glance | Position on 1 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| What you apply for | Residence permit for studies; a continuous type A permit for higher education degrees |
| Who decides | Migri on the permit; the Border Guard on entry |
| Where to apply | Enter Finland online, then identity check at a Finnish mission |
| Funds | €800 a month; for studies of a year or more, €9,600 ($10,900) in your account on the day you apply, plus tuition if unpaid |
| Insurance | Studies under 2 years: medical costs up to €120,000; 2 years or more: medicines up to €40,000 |
| Migri fee | $681 (€600) online, $852 (€750) on paper; minors $454 (€400) and $488 (€430) |
| Processing | About a month in most cases; statutory time limit 3 months |
| Work | Up to 30 hours a week on average |
| Russian citizens | Biometric passport; identity check in Moscow; land border closed |
Visa or residence permit
Finland separates trips by length. A course, exam or summer school of up to 90 days needs an ordinary Schengen visa if your nationality requires one. Degree studies longer than 90 days need a residence permit, which must be in place before you travel because a first permit is applied for from abroad.
Students working towards a higher education degree receive a type A, continuous, permit. Exchange students and those not pursuing a higher degree get a temporary type B permit. A study permit can cover the full length of the programme.
You can also request a 100-day D visa alongside the permit. It lets you travel as soon as the permit is granted instead of waiting for the card at the mission, and the card is then sent to Finland. Migri advises asking for a D visa only if you can travel within two weeks of the decision.
Who qualifies
Migri checks four conditions, and you must meet them throughout your stay, not only on the day you apply.
- A study place at a university, UAS, upper secondary school or vocational institution, leading to a degree or vocational qualification, or an exchange. No permit is granted for basic schooling or for studies that are mainly online.
- Living funds of at least €800 a month, plus the tuition if it is still unpaid.
- Insurance covering medical and medicine costs.
- General entry conditions, including a valid passport.
Migri also monitors permits after the decision: stopping your studies or losing your living funds can lead to withdrawal.
Documents for the application
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Passport and a colour copy of the data page | For Russian citizens, biometric unless an exception applies |
| Photo meeting Finnish police guidelines, or a photo retrieval code from a studio | No older than 6 months |
| Admission letter from the institution | The admission email works if it contains the required details |
| Proof of funds | Statement covering the last 6 months from an account in your name |
| Proof of tuition payment or scholarship decision | If tuition is unpaid, the money must be in the same account |
| Insurance certificate | Valid from your arrival date |
| Applicants under 18 | Birth certificate and a parent's or guardian's consent to the move |
| Proof of legal stay in the country of application | If you apply outside your country of nationality |
Documents in other languages may need translation and legalisation. Migri points out that you can fill in the application yourself: Enter Finland guides you through it, and Migri's interactive Guide for students builds a checklist of attachments for your situation.
How Migri counts your money
- For studies of a year or more, your account must hold €9,600 ($10,900) on the day you apply.
- For shorter studies, €800 for each month.
- If tuition is unpaid, that amount must be in the account too; living funds cannot double as tuition money.
- The account must be yours alone; under-18s may share an account with a guardian.
- Sponsorship agreements from relatives, friends or employers are not accepted, and if money came from parents Migri may ask where it came from.
- The account can be in any country, but you must be able to use the money in Finland.
- A confirmed living-cost grant reduces the amount needed; free housing from the institution lowers the threshold to €400 a month.
Future earnings are not counted for a first permit. Building the full budget is covered in the cost of studying in Finland, and lawful transfer routes from Russia in how to pay for studies abroad from Russia.
Insurance
Students pay their own medical costs, so Migri requires a private policy; a Kela card or a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) replaces it, but non-EU/EEA students rarely have either.
| Length of studies | Minimum cover | Also required |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 years (including exchange) | Medical costs up to €120,000 ($136,260) | Excess no higher than €300 ($341); valid for your whole stay |
| 2 years or more | Medicine costs up to €40,000 ($45,420) | Excess no higher than €300; continuous for at least a year, not limited to trips under 90 days |
The policy must already be valid on the day you arrive in Finland. A standard travel policy does not qualify because it covers only trips shorter than 90 days. If your permit runs for several years and the policy for one, renew the policy. Migri names insurers whose student policies meet the rules, but it still assesses every policy individually.
Fees and waiting times
| Application | Fee |
|---|---|
| First permit, online | €600 ($681) |
| First permit, paper | €750 ($852) |
| Applicant under 18, online | €400 ($454) |
| Applicant under 18, paper | €430 ($488) |
You pay by card or Finnish online banking when you submit, or at the mission when you prove your identity. The fee is not refunded, even after a refusal or withdrawal, and the VFS Global service charge comes on top.
According to Migri's processing-time table, most first student applications are decided within a month and a minority take up to six months; the statutory limit is three months. On 20 August 2026 Migri reported that 82% of positive decisions on spring and summer applications were made within 30 days, and that applications without a decision after 30 days should expect about 90 days. Between 1 January and 16 August 2026 students filed 6,846 first applications, 34% fewer than a year earlier.
Step by step
- Accept your study place and pay tuition, or set the money aside for it.
- Complete form OLE_OPI in Enter Finland and upload the attachments.
- Pay the fee online or at the mission.
- Book an appointment to prove your identity and give biometrics at a Finnish mission or the VFS Global centre it designates.
- Wait for the decision and answer any requests from Migri; notifications come by email and text message.
- Collect the permit card at the mission where you applied, or in Finland if you were given a D visa.
- After arrival, visit the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV) if your personal identity code was not issued with the card; DVV registers your address and issues the code.
If you are still choosing where to study, start with our overview of universities in Finland and the calendar in applying to universities in Finland: the permit application comes only after you accept a place.
Russian citizens: passport, filing point and entry
Passport. From 1 June 2026 Finland does not accept non-biometric passports issued by Russia. Exceptions cover applicants under 18, people whose Finnish residence permit was issued before 1 June 2026 (who may extend it on the old passport) and special cases decided individually. Until 31 December 2026 a transition period covers passports that already contain a valid Finnish visa issued before 1 June 2026, or a valid visa or residence permit of another EU or Schengen country issued before 1 June 2026. The embassy also lists Russian passports that Finland does not accept under an EU decision: those issued in certain regions, or to their residents, after specified dates.
Where to file. Identity checks take place in Moscow: the Embassy of Finland books residence-permit appointments through the VFS Global visa centre and answers written questions at visa.mos@gov.fi. The Consulate General in St Petersburg and its Murmansk and Petrozavodsk offices are closed. A Finnish mission may be located in another country from the one you live in, in which case any visa for that country is your responsibility.
Entry. Finland has restricted entry of Russian citizens since 30 September 2022; the restriction was continued on 6 July 2023 and remains in force. Students coming for degree studies or an entrance exam, and holders of a Finnish residence permit, are among the exempt groups. At the border you prove the purpose of the trip with an invitation from the institution or a similar document, and the border officer makes the final decision on entry.
Border. All crossing points on the land border with Russia have been closed since 15 December 2023. The Finnish Government extended the closure until further notice on 4 April 2024, and on 4 June 2026 the Ministry of the Interior confirmed the border remains closed. Entry is only possible through open airport and seaport crossings, usually with a connection in a third country; check that country's entry rules in advance.
Citizens of Kazakhstan and Belarus
Kazakh citizens file the same Enter Finland application and prove their identity at the Embassy of Finland in Astana, which asks to be contacted primarily by email. Belarusian citizens are served for residence permits by the Embassy of Finland in Moscow, which means a trip to Russia. Funds, insurance and fees are the same for everyone. General steps for Kazakh applicants are in studying abroad from Kazakhstan, and Norway's equivalent rules are compared in our guide to the Norway study permit.
Working while you study
A study permit allows paid work in any field for 30 hours a week on average, which is 120 hours a month or 1,560 hours a year. Individual weeks and holidays can be longer as long as the average is no more than 30 hours by the end of the year. Compulsory internships and thesis work agreed as part of the degree fall outside the limit. Both the student and the employer are responsible for staying within it.
Extending the permit and staying after graduation
An extended permit can be requested only in Finland and before the current one expires. At that stage income from work can count towards the funds, as long as your studies progress normally; Migri sees your earnings in the Incomes Register. If you applied in time, you can keep studying and working on the same terms while the extension is processed.
Graduates have two routes. A permit to look for work or start a business is granted for up to two years and can be requested within five years of graduating, even from abroad. If you already have a job or a binding offer, you apply for a permit for a person with a degree completed in Finland. According to Study in Finland, permanent residence becomes possible after four years on a continuous permit, with study years counted; Migri decides.
Bringing your family
A spouse, including someone in a registered civil union, and children under 18 can apply for permits on the basis of family ties. Migri currently prioritises the students' own applications, so family decisions may come later. Living funds are counted for the whole family; for the Helsinki region the figures are:
| Family member | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Student | €800 ($908) | €9,600 |
| Second adult | €610 ($693) | €7,320 |
| First child | €610 ($693) | €7,320 |
| Second child | €480 ($545) | €5,760 |
| Third and further children | €360 ($409) | €4,320 |
Elsewhere in Finland the amounts are 10–15% lower. The student must also show money for the next term's or year's tuition. A family member who wants to study in English will pay tuition as well.
Common causes of delays and refusals
- Money that is not in your own account. A parent's sponsorship letter instead of your own bank statement is not accepted.
- No six-month statement, or a single unexplained lump-sum deposit.
- A travel policy instead of student insurance, or an excess above €300.
- A non-biometric Russian passport without an applicable exception.
- Booking the identity appointment late: the application only goes to Migri after the visit.
- Buying non-refundable tickets before Migri's decision.
- Studies that are mainly online, for which no permit is granted.
FAQ
For studies longer than 90 days you need a residence permit for studies rather than a visa. Migri grants it on an Enter Finland application filed after admission. For a course or exam of up to 90 days a Schengen visa is used, and the consulate decides on it.
At least €800 ($908) a month. For studies of a year or more, your account must hold €9,600 ($10,900) on the day you apply, plus any unpaid tuition. Migri assesses whether the funds are sufficient from a six-month bank statement.
Usually about a month: Migri reported in August 2026 that 82% of positive decisions on spring and summer student applications were made within 30 days. The statutory limit is three months, and complex cases can take longer. The clock starts after your identity check at the mission.
You fill in the application online in Enter Finland and prove your identity in Moscow, booking through VFS Global via the embassy's link. The St Petersburg consulate is closed. Migri makes the decision, and your passport must be biometric unless an exception applies.
Yes, students and holders of a Finnish residence permit are among the groups exempt from the entry restrictions on Russian citizens. The land border is closed, so entry is through airports and seaports. The Finnish Border Guard decides on entry case by case at the crossing point.
Yes, up to 30 hours a week on average in any field, and full time in holidays as long as the annual average holds. Internships in the curriculum are outside the limit. Future earnings are ignored for a first permit, so the living funds must be in your account beforehand.
You can apply for a permit to look for work or start a business for up to two years, within five years of graduating. With an employment contract you apply for a permit for a person with a degree completed in Finland. Migri decides on both permits.
Sources
- Migri: residence permit application for studies, fees, right to work, A and B permits, income requirement, insurance, processing times, studies: steps and after graduation, student's family members, student application processing, 20 August 2026
- Study in Finland: student residence permit
- Embassy of Finland in Moscow: residence permits and VFS Global booking, accepted Russian passports, biometric passport notice, 20 April 2026, travel advice for Russia, 19 June 2026
- Embassy of Finland in Astana: residence permits; Finnish mission for Belarus: residence permits
- Finnish Border Guard: entry restrictions for Russian citizens, closure of eastern border crossing points
All sources checked on 1 October 2026. Dollar amounts use the ECB reference rate of 30 September 2026 (€1 = $1.1355) and are rounded.
If you want to work through your route, send a request: checking your Migri file, document preparation and university applications are provided under an agreement with StudyU; the university makes the admission decision and Migri decides on the residence permit.
Next steps
- How to Pay for Studies Abroad from Russia: What Works in 2026
- Applying to Universities in Finland for 2027: Studyinfo Dates, Documents and Steps After School
- Study Abroad from Kazakhstan: Where and How in 2026
- Cost of Studying in Finland in 2027/28: University Fees, Living Costs and Permit Funds
- Norway Study Permit: Requirements and Process for Russian and CIS Applicants
- Universities in Finland: List of Institutions, 2027/28 Fees and How to Choose
