Both Spouses Must Be 21, Unless the Sponsor Is Finnish - in Which Case Neither the Age Limit Nor the Money Test Applies
Answer
The general rule applies to you
No exception is recorded for citizens of Suriname on this topic. That is the answer, not a gap - everything below is the rule you get, unchanged.
147 exceptions recorded across 54 countries · none match Suriname to Finland · Residency through marriage
Finland acquired a minimum age for spousal reunification in 2025 and wrote an exemption into the same sentence. Section 38 a requires both spouses to have turned 21 when the permit takes effect, and says the requirement does not apply where the permit is granted to the spouse of a Finnish citizen. Section 50(1) grants a continuous permit to the family member of a Finnish citizen resident in Finland, applied for in Finland or abroad, and section 50(4) says that permit does not require secure livelihood. So for a Finnish sponsor there is no age floor and no money test; for every other sponsor there is a floor of 21 and the ordinary section 39 livelihood requirement. The definition of family member is wide: a spouse, an unmarried child under 18, and - by section 37(2) - a cohabiting partner of either sex after two years living together, with the two years waived where there is a child in joint custody or another weighty reason.
At a glance
- Minimum age for a spouse
- 21 for both spouses, measured when the permit takes effect
Section 38 a of the Aliens Act, added by Act 302/2025. Not when the application is lodged and not when the marriage was celebrated.
- Exemption from the age limit
- The spouse of a Finnish citizen
Second sentence of section 38 a. The exemption is for the sponsor's nationality, not the applicant's.
- Money test where the sponsor is Finnish
- None
Section 50(4) of the Aliens Act disapplies the livelihood requirement to permits under that section.
- Cohabiting partners
- Equated with spouses after two years of living together
Section 37(2). The two years are not required where the couple have a child in joint custody or there is another weighty reason.
- Family member of a Nordic citizen
- No livelihood requirement either
Section 50 a(2) of the Aliens Act.
- Child's age
- Measured on the day the application became pending
Section 38(1), as substituted by Act 1167/2022. The sponsor must already hold a residence permit on that day.
- Permit length
- No longer than the sponsor's own permit
Sections 53(2) and 55(3) of the Aliens Act.
Requirements
- A sponsor resident in Finland and a family relationship within section 37
- Both spouses aged 21 or over when the permit takes effect, unless the sponsor is a Finnish citizen
- Secure livelihood under section 39, unless the sponsor is a Finnish citizen or a Nordic citizen
- For a cohabiting partner, two years of living together, or a child in joint custody or another weighty reason
In detail
Denmark at 24 and a deposit, Finland at 21 and nothing
Denmark's record has both spouses over 24 and the sponsor lodging 57,000 kroner with the municipality for ten years. Finland arrived at a minimum age three years lower, in 2025, with no deposit of any kind, and with the whole requirement switched off where the sponsor is a Finnish citizen - and for that same sponsor the money test is switched off too, by section 50(4). The two countries have built opposite structures out of the same policy question: Denmark attaches conditions to the Danish sponsor, Finland releases the Finnish sponsor from them.
What "when the residence permit takes effect" does
Section 38 a measures the age at the moment the permit takes effect, not when the application is lodged. Section 38, immediately above it, measures a child's minority on the day the application became pending. Two adjacent sections of the same Act therefore use two different moments, and a couple close to 21 can be inside the rule by the time a decision is made even though they were outside it when they applied.
What applies to you
Nothing changes for a citizen of Suriname
We have no rule recorded that treats your citizenship differently here, so the general rule above is the one that applies to you. That is an answer, not a gap.
What the law says
«Oleskeluluvan myöntäminen perhesiteen perusteella puolisolle edellyttää, että kumpikin puolisoista on täyttänyt 21 vuotta, kun oleskelulupa tulee voimaan. Edellytystä vähimmäisiästä ei sovelleta Suomen kansalaiseen myönnettäessä oleskelulupa tämän puolisolle.»Our translation - not official
The grant of a residence permit to a spouse on the basis of a family tie requires that each of the spouses has reached the age of 21 when the residence permit takes effect. The minimum age requirement does not apply to a Finnish citizen when a residence permit is granted to his or her spouse.
Added by Act 302/2025. The exemption and the rule are in the same two sentences.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Tätä lakia sovellettaessa perheenjäseneksi katsotaan Suomessa asuvan henkilön aviopuoliso sekä alle 18-vuotias naimaton lapsi, jonka huoltaja on Suomessa asuva henkilö tai tämän aviopuoliso. Jos Suomessa asuva henkilö on alaikäinen lapsi, perheenjäsen on hänen huoltajansa. Perheenjäseneksi katsotaan myös samaa sukupuolta oleva henkilö, jos parisuhde on kansallisesti rekisteröity.»Our translation - not official
In applying this Act, a family member is taken to be the spouse of a person residing in Finland and an unmarried child under 18 years of age whose guardian is a person residing in Finland or that person's spouse. If the person residing in Finland is a minor child, the family member is his or her guardian. A person of the same sex is also taken to be a family member if the partnership has been registered nationally.
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Aviopuolisoihin rinnastetaan jatkuvasti yhteisessä taloudessa avioliitonomaisissa olosuhteissa elävät henkilöt sukupuolestaan riippumatta. Tällaisen rinnastuksen edellytyksenä on, että he ovat asuneet vähintään kaksi vuotta yhdessä. Asumisaikaa ei edellytetä, jos henkilöillä on yhteisessä huollossa oleva lapsi tai jos on muu painava syy.»Our translation - not official
Persons living continuously in a common household in circumstances resembling marriage, regardless of their sex, are equated with spouses. Such equation requires that they have lived together for at least two years. The period of cohabitation is not required if the persons have a child in joint custody or if there is another weighty reason.
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Suomessa asuvan Suomen kansalaisen perheenjäsenelle ja tämän alaikäiselle naimattomalle lapselle myönnetään perhesiteen perusteella jatkuva oleskelulupa Suomessa tai ulkomailla haettuna.»Our translation - not official
A continuous residence permit is granted on the basis of a family tie to the family member of a Finnish citizen residing in Finland and to that family member's unmarried minor child, whether applied for in Finland or abroad.
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Tässä pykälässä tarkoitetun oleskeluluvan myöntäminen ei edellytä, että ulkomaalaisen tai hänen perheenjäsenensä toimeentulo on turvattu.»Our translation - not official
The grant of a residence permit under this section does not require that the foreigner's livelihood is secure.
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Oleskeluluvan myöntäminen edellyttää, että ulkomaalaisen toimeentulo on turvattu, jollei tässä laissa toisin säädetä. Toimeentuloedellytyksestä voidaan yksittäisessä tapauksessa poiketa, jos siihen on poikkeuksellisen painava syy tai lapsen etu sitä vaatii.»Our translation - not official
The grant of a residence permit requires that the foreigner's livelihood is secure, unless otherwise provided in this Act. The livelihood requirement may be departed from in an individual case if there is an exceptionally weighty reason for it or if the best interests of the child so require.
The general rule the Finnish-sponsor cases are carved out of.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Oleskeluluvan myöntäminen perhesiteen perusteella lapselle edellyttää, että lapsi on alaikäinen sinä päivänä, jolloin lapsen oleskelulupahakemus on tullut vireille. Oleskeluluvan myöntäminen lapsen perheenjäsenelle edellyttää, että perheenkokoajana oleva lapsi on alaikäinen sinä päivänä, jolloin perheenjäsenen oleskelulupahakemus on tullut vireille. Oleskeluluvan myöntämisen edellytyksenä on lisäksi, että perheenkokoajalla on oleskelulupa jo asian vireilletulopäivänä.»Our translation - not official
The grant of a residence permit to a child on the basis of a family tie requires that the child is a minor on the day on which the child's residence permit application became pending. The grant of a residence permit to the family member of a child requires that the child acting as the sponsor is a minor on the day on which the family member's residence permit application became pending. A further condition for granting the residence permit is that the sponsor holds a residence permit already on the day the matter becomes pending.
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
Practical notes
Sections 62 to 66 a, which govern the procedure on a family-tie application including the oral hearing and DNA testing, were not read in full and nothing about procedure is stated here.
Section 114 and section 114 a, on family members of people granted international or temporary protection, are outside the scope of this record.
Nothing published by the Finnish Immigration Service was read, so the amount it treats as a secure livelihood for a family member - which the Act leaves to the authority - is not stated here.
- consolidatesUlkomaalaislaki, consolidated text of 26 June 2026
Finlex, oikeusministeriö · consolidated to 2026-06-26
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
- consolidatesUlkomaalaislaki, consolidated text of 26 June 2026
Finlex, oikeusministeriö · consolidated to 2026-06-26
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source