Finland Residence Permit
Business In Finland
Entrepreneurs who wish to own and operate a business in Finland can apply for a residence permit after entering the intended business in the Finnish Patent and Registration Office’s Trade Register. The entrepreneur must also work in the company. The Residence Permit is valid for five years, and can subsequently be renewed or extended. In a sense, it is the equivalent of a Finland Entrepreneur Visa.

An ‘entrepreneur’ can be defined as any of the following:

Private entrepreneurs with an individually owned business
Partners in a general partnership
General partners in a limited partnership (not silent partners)
Cooperative members with unlimited liability for re-financing
Shareholders occupying managerial positions in limited liability companies OR people working in other companies in managerial positions owning 30% or more share capital or at least 30% voting rights in company shares OR people occupying managerial positions in another kind of company with a similar authority
Finland Entrepreneur
Freelancers who work independently (typically for several contractors without a permanent employment relationship), and ‘light entrepreneurs’ i.e. self-employed people who undertake entrepreneurial activities, also need an Entrepreneur Residence Permit to work in Finland.