Foreign employees and aspiring entrepreneurs wanting to establish a business in Finland need certain permits. Read more about which ones here.
Citizens from EU/EEA member states
If you are a citizen of another EU member state, Liechtenstein or Switzerland you do not need a residence permit to move to Finland. But within 3 months you need to register your residence permit with Migri (Finnish Immigration Service). If you plan to stay in Finland for more than a year, you need to register with the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV).
The process of establishing a company is the same for you as for a Finnish citizen, whereas your place of residence may matter in certain situations.
Non-EU citizens
If you are a citizen of a non-EU country and move to Finland to become an entrepreneur you need either an 1. entrepreneur residence permit 2. employee residence permit or a 3. startup residence permit. These are all applicable via Migri (Finnish Immigration Agency). When you have been granted a residence permit for at least 1 year, you need to register with the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), via which you will get registered a home municipality and a Finnish personal id-number.
The process of establishing a company is the same for you as for a Finnish citizen, whereas your place of residence may matter in certain situations.
Persons residing permanently outside the European Economic Area (EEA)
If you are planning to establish a Finnish company or work in a management role in a Finnish company, but live permanently outside the European Economic Area (EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway), you will need to apply for permission from the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH).