Finland offers an opportunity for interested persons who wish to establish themselves as Self-Employed Individuals in Finland. Such applicants apply for Self-employed Residence Permit through the defined official procedure of Finland. There are certain criteria to be met before an applicant can consider applying for this visa. Self-Employed Persons have individually owned business. The business is recommended to carry a special skill/knowledge/art/manner of work behind their business plan.

Interested applicants may apply for this type of Residence Permit through the defined official online procedure. After submission of the online application the applicant is required to visit the nearest Embassy of Finland for submission of their identity and other required documents. The nearest recommended Embassy for Pakistani applicants is in the UAE.

The application is processed in two stages:

1. A relevant authorized govt department of Finland makes an initial assessment of the applicant’s business intentions and preparation. They make a partial decision on the application which includes the evaluation the profitability of the business and the sufficiency of income to cover living expenses. The profitability of the business is evaluated on the basis of documents such as the company’s business plan, binding preliminary agreements, and financing. The department may ask further clarification from the applicant if the documents accompanying the subject application are not sufficient.
2. When the partial decision has been made, the Finnish Immigration Service will process the application and make a final decision on it. In some cases, the applicants may be interviewed before the final decision, in writing or orally.

Applications are processed in the order of their arrival, from oldest to latest. When you have been granted a continuous residence permit for a self-employed person, you are allowed to do some work for another employer during the initial stages of starting your business, while you are not yet making a sufficient living with your business. If you intend to primarily work for another employer (such as full-time), you may not do so with a residence permit for a self-employed person. You must apply for a residence permit for the job in question. If the Finnish Immigration Service has granted you a residence permit, you will receive a residence permit card. If you submit your application abroad you may not come to Finland to wait for the decision while your application is being processed and receive a residence permit card here. If you submitted your application in Finland, you may reside in Finland while your application is pending, even if your visa or visa-free period expires during this time. If you are not granted a residence permit, you may be refused entry/stay in Finland.

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