1) Expatriate issues
Making a business
move to Finland
Safe and dynamic society
for business
Finland is an attractive place to live
and do business. It is a well balanced
and dynamic society, with a high
standard of living and one of the
lowest corruption rates in the world.
Globally, Finland is known for its excellent education system, technological
innovation and expertise led by Nokia,
and high achievers in the ï¬elds of
arts, design and sports. Nature and
tranquility are some of Finland’s
greatest assets.
Modern economy welcomes
foreign investors
Finland joined the EU in 1995 and is
the only country using the Euro
currency in Northern Europe. Foreign
investors enjoy the same access to
government incentives for business
as Finnish companies. Foreign
employees also have the same terms
and conditions as Finnish employees.
People moving to Finland have the
right to buy real estate or rent property
from the open market. Finland has
advanced social security and public
health care system that extends to all
permanent residents in the country.
Entry regulations
Citizens of the EU member states and
Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway
may work in Finland without the
residence permit for an employed
person. They do not need a residence
permit for an employed person or for a
self employed person when working in
Finland, but they should register their
right to reside in Finland at a local
police station within three months of
arriving in Finland. Citizens of other
countries are required to have a
temporary or continuous residence
permit for an employed person if they
intend to work in Finland. The application can be made by the employee or
the employer.
Efï¬ciency of entrepreneurship
policy
An analysis carried out by the Nordic
Council, has for the ï¬rst time compared
the efï¬ciency of entrepreneurship
policies in the Nordic countries. The
research was carried out by the
Danish research institute FORA. The
Nordic region’s best overall framework
for entrepreneurship was found to
exist in Finland. The start-up rates of
new companies and the number of
growth companies were very competitive in Finland.
Excellent country for families
with children
Finland is a safe and green country for
families to live, offering ï¬rst-class
healthcare and education. Foreign
language day care centres, schools
and high schools can be found in
most of cities in Finland. The high level
of Finnish education is well-known
and respected for the students’
outstanding performances in the
international PISA studies.
High quality of life
– Finland’s top rankings
• The most competitive country in
the European Union (Global
Competitiveness Report 2012)
• The least corrupted country in
the world (Corruption Perceptions
Index, 2012)
• The best education system in the
world (Pearson Education Report
2012)
• The best education in the world
in PISA 200–2009 Reports
(Programme for International
Student Assessment)
• The second happiest country in
the world (World Happiness
Report 2012)
• The least failed country in the
world (Fund for Peace Failed
States Index, 2012)
Sources and further information
The Finnish Immigration Service
www.migri.ï¬
Employment and Economic
Development Ofï¬ce
www.mol.ï¬/mol/en
Ministry of Education and Culture
www.minedu.ï¬
ETLA (The Research Institute of
the Finnish Economy) www.etla.ï¬/en
Info Bank www.infopankki.ï¬
Invest in Finland, Finpro ry Porkkalankatu 1, FI-00181 Helsinki, Finland Telephone +358 204 695 555 Fax +358 204 695 201 www.investinï¬nland.ï¬
