Seasonal workers' visa

You normally need a residence permit to be allowed to work in Finland. However, for seasonal work of maximum 90 days you do not need a residence permit but a visa or a seasonal work certificate as a citizen of a visa free country.

Seasonal work done in Finland will be governed by the Seasonal Work Act based on the new EU Directive on seasonal workers. Seasonal work refers to work in agriculture and tourism that is done at certain times of the year.  Examples of seasonal work include work in forestry, plant production and festivals. Seasonal work is permitted under a Schengen visa for a maximum of 90 days over a period of 180 days. The sectors to which the Seasonal Workers Act applies are laid down in a Government Decree (966/2017).

The regular processing times set out in the Visa Code apply to the processing of seasonal visas. A permit for engaging in seasonal work is granted for working for one or more designated employers. A visa granted for seasonal work contains the additional information “Kausityö” and its validity period starts on the date when the employment relationship starts.

You can find instructions on how to apply a visa in the paragraph Where and how to apply for a visa(Link to another website.). Please note that you must apply for a seasonal work visa at a Finnish mission.

The Seasonal Workers Act will also apply to wild-berry picking starting from the 2025 harvest season. Compared to the prior practice, wild-berry pickers will be required to have an employment relationship with the company that invited them to Finland and meet the other conditions for granting a seasonal work permit. Wild-berry pickers subject to a visa requirement can apply for a seasonal work visa at Finnish missions abroad for short-term wild-berry picking for up to 90 days. Wild-berry pickers working in Finland for a longer period will need to apply for a seasonal work residence permit.

Visa applications for the purpose of wild-berry picking, submitted by third-country nationals who are subject to the visa requirement, are processed individually in accordance with the Visa Code and based on all available information. These kinds of visa applications must be submitted at a Finnish mission.

If the period of seasonal work exceeds more than 90 days, apply for a seasonal work residence permit from the Finnish Immigration Service(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window).

If the work is not seasonal work under the seasonal workers Act or the seasonal work lasts for more than nine months, please apply for a residence permit for an employed person (TTOL)(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window) for the work.