In December 2018, my wife and I moved from St. Petersburg to Helsinki. There are already quite a few articles and (video) blogs about life in Finland and whether to move here. Instead, I would like to share the part of the story that relates to the move itself. We had to solve a multitude of questions of varying importance, many of which arose unexpectedly and did not always have obvious solutions. We tried to summarize our experience in this, I dare say, long read. It can't be called the ultimate guide, as any experience is always individual, but I really hope that we have managed to enrich Google's results with new keywords, and at least one person will find it easier to find answers. Here you can learn how to find a job in the Finnish gaming industry, how to start working before obtaining a work permit, how to prepare documents before moving, what to arrange after moving, and what information needs to be provided to Russian government bodies to avoid breaking the law.
Just KDPV. All photos in the article were taken by me and are not related to the text.
Table of Contents
Job Search
Serious thoughts about Europe arose for us around spring 2018. As the main plan, we considered looking for a job in my current field — I am a programmer in the gaming industry. One day, scrolling through Twitter, I saw news about the Finnish Game Days. These are events where representatives from Finnish gaming and related companies come in search of new employees. They are regularly held in St. Petersburg, Kyiv, and Helsinki.
To be honest, I got confused about the names, but it seems that now — is a business event for networking, while hiring events are called . Both are organized by .
In the summer of 2018, they came to Saint Petersburg — the companies announced were Ubisoft RedLynx, Yousician, Next Games, Red Stage Entertainment, and Critical Force. I strategically sent my resume to several vacancies and an open application. A few days later, a manager from Games Factory Talents responded, saying that I needed to go through a brief 15-minute Skype interview — something like an initial selection and a test for adequacy. I had to talk about myself and answer a few general questions. In the end, I was invited for an interview with a small studio from Tampere.
The Games Job Fair is held in a mini-conference format. There are several general presentations with tips for candidates, greetings from company representatives, and talks about the companies. After that, representatives disperse to separate rooms, and interviews begin. In the main hall, presentations and round tables continue with discussions about the gaming industry. This is not what most people come for, so I don't know what was discussed there.
My interview was conducted by the CEO and lasted about 30 minutes. It began with a general introduction and sharing about myself: who I am, where I studied, where I worked, and what I aspired to do. He then talked about the project, listed what technologies are used in the project, and what they plan to implement. He asked what of this I had worked with or was familiar with. I found I was familiar with none of it (I hadn’t worked with their animation approach or Wwise), and overall, there were no significant overlaps in interests, so I didn’t receive a response from them.
Nevertheless, my resume ended up in the database, and the story didn't end there. Three months later, at the end of September, I heard again from Games Factory Talents, who informed me that there is one company whose name they cannot disclose yet, and they need a mid-level backend Java programmer. At that time, I was a Unity programmer, but why not, I had experience working with Java, even though it wasn’t entirely relevant.
Some time later, I was informed of the company's name and invited for an interview. The first interview was a general introduction and lasted about an hour. The Head of Technology and HR Manager were present. They talked about the company, current projects, and working conditions. I described myself again, this time with more confidence. They asked non-technical questions, such as what usually interests me at work and what annoys me. I was asked about my salary expectations. I based my answer on what I found on google (), took the average and added some, considering that I was relocating with my wife and she wouldn't have a job for a while. At the end, I asked them about the tech stack.
Two weeks later, they contacted me again and invited me for a technical interview. It involved practical tasks, so I needed to prepare a development environment that supported maven and a profiler. Half an hour before the interview, they sent two projects. The first had two tasks related to memory and memory leaks, while the second involved threads and synchronization. The Head of Technology and a Senior Software Developer were present at the interview. I briefly introduced myself again, and we moved on to discuss the tasks. I had to make changes to the code in a shared screen mode so that it worked as expected. Then we casually talked about Java 8, Stream API, and Optional. The whole interview lasted about an hour as well.
Less than a week later, I received an invitation for a third interview at the office in Helsinki. The train tickets and hotel were paid for by the company. The Head of Technology and HR Manager were present, just like in the first interview. There were general questions about what I think of Finland and if I am ready to relocate. The interview consisted of discussing the offer and contract points. During the break, we had lunch, and the company's CEO joined us.
That's how I found a job, and we got the basis for relocating to Finland. I also periodically monitored these sites: and . I didn't send my resume anywhere, so I can't comment on their usefulness and effectiveness. Additionally, Games Factory Talents not only organizes events but is also a recruiting company, so you can send your resume directly to them.
The city center during the Christmas holidays
Document Preparation in Russia
The offer was signed, which meant it was time to start gathering documents and preparing for the move. The company had no experience relocating employees from Russia, so Games Factory Talents advised us on all matters and assisted us up to the relocation and for some time after, while we settled in Helsinki. According to them, the consulate's review of the application should take no more than a month, so we indicated December 1, 2018, as the start date in the contract, i.e., a month after signing the offer.
The main document that needs to be obtained is the residence permit. I believe this is referred to as 'вид на жительство' in Russian, but we are not entirely sure, so I will refer to it as the permit in the text — it may sound strange in writing, but we always called it that verbally. To obtain it, you need to fill out a form, attach all required documents with translations, and take them to the Finnish consulate.
Documents can be submitted either physically through the consulate or via the website. The second option is preferred, as the application is processed faster and the consular fee is lower, but you still need to go to the consulate to verify your identity and show the original documents.
Gathering the documents (or rather, translating them) took longer than expected. Therefore, after consulting with the manager from Games Factory Talents, we decided to submit the documents to the consulate in St. Petersburg, travel to Helsinki on a tourist visa, and wait for the decision there while starting to work. Here’s proof that this can be done:
Residence permit application for a person employed as a special expert
There are various forms. In my case, it is the OLE_TY2, residence permit application for a person employed as a special expert. Here's the pdf file with the form: It can be used for preparation, but it does not have to be filled out. EnterFinland has its own online form, which is almost identical to this file.
A special expert is a person who has been hired to work in Finland in duties requiring special expertise (‘highly skilled worker’). In general, this means that you are required to have a Master’s degree or equivalent qualification.
— From the description on migri.fi
One of the formal criteria is a salary of more than €3000. A higher education degree is not mandatory, but proof of qualification is required. I have a master's degree, so I used it. As far as I know, if you don't have education, you can submit a translated copy of your work record book. This same form (OLE_TY2) can be used to apply for the EU Blue Card, but that's not my case, so I don't know the details.
At the end of the OLE_TY2 form (and any other), there is a list of documents that can be attached to the application. Some of them are always mandatory, while others are needed only in certain cases. It’s best to attach PDFs, with a file size limit of 4MB. You can either scan the documents or take photographs — the main thing is that they are readable.
Copy of a valid passport
Scan of all pages of the international passport. A permit cannot be granted for a longer period than the passport is valid.
Certificate concerning the principal terms and conditions of the employment relationship
I don’t know what the principal terms and conditions of the employment relationship are, but I attached the employment contract.
Employment contract or binding job offer that specifies your duties and your salary
Employment contract.
Certificate of job-related benefits from the employer or principal
In my case, this is also in the employment contract: the company provides a mobile phone with a SIM card and pays for communication.
Job description
I attached the job description that was sent to me before the interview.
Certificate of university degree completed
Master's diploma, transcript with grades, and a translation of all pages of the diploma into English. Everything is combined into one PDF file.
Document showing that you are legally staying in the country where you submit the application
The document that raised the most questions. We thought it was the registration in the Russian passport. We went to the consulate for a consultation, and they replied that yes, it is the Russian passport, and it must be included, which means it needs to be translated. When submitting the application to EnterFinland, there was a different description:
This document must be attached if you are not a citizen of the country where you submit your residence permit application. You must prove that you reside legally in the country under the legislation of the country in question. The document can be, for example, a residence permit or a visa.
In the OLE_TY2 form that we used as a reference, there is no explanation included, so we believed until the very end that this document was mandatory, and the consulate further confused us with its responses. We submitted a translated copy of the Russian passport anyway — we don't know if they looked at it.
Response to possible refusal of entry and prohibition of entry (form MP_1)
This document also raised questions for me. It is required if applying for a permit in Finland and serves as a pre-prepared response to a possible refusal and deportation from the country. We applied in Russia, so the document is not needed, but we were already waiting for results in Finland. It seems that the letter of the law is being followed, but not the spirit — we could receive a refusal while in Finland. Overall, it wasn't serious; we didn't fill it out and had no problems.
TEM054
A form to be filled out by the employer. It contains legal information about the company, the hired specialist, and their working conditions. In EnterFinland, there’s an option to connect a company account to later add the necessary information to the application. We couldn't do that, so they filled out a regular form, signed it, scanned it, and sent it — I attached it in the Other attachments and clarifications section.
Photo
During a personal visit to the consulate, two are required, although in practice only one is taken. The format is like for a regular visa.
Muse — 'Simulation Theory' 2019 World Tour
Residence permit application for the spouse of a foreigner resident in Finland
My wife needed to fill out the OLE_PH1 form — residence permit application for the spouse of a foreigner resident in Finland ().
This form is for you if you are applying for your first Finnish residence permit on the basis of family ties. Your spouse has a Finnish residence permit and you intend to move to Finland and lead a family life with him/her. Your spouse is your husband/wife, your registered partner of the same gender, or a cohabitee with whom you have lived in a marriage-like relationship for at least two years, or with whom you have joint care of a child.
— From the description on migri.fi
Copy of a valid passport
International passport.
Form for clarification of family ties (PK1_plus)
In the paper version of OLE_PH1, this section contains an addition: to be filled in and signed by your spouse living in Finland. We thought this was not applicable to us, so we didn't fill it out, but the electronic form marks this document as mandatory. I had to fill it out, print it, sign it, take a photo, convert it to PDF, and upload it to the website. There’s nothing complicated about it, just once again you need to provide your personal data and clarify the applicant's relationship. It is not filled out by the applicant themselves, but by the relative to whom one needs to move, that is, me.
Document on family ties — you and your spouse do not have former spouses
The translated apostilled marriage certificate. All documents related to the civil registry office must be apostilled. We decided to get the apostille through a translation bureau — they can go to the necessary place for an additional fee and do everything as required. Actually, I mistakenly said to apostille the translation and attach the apostille to the translation. This took about two weeks, which even delayed our visit to the consulate. During the submission of documents at the consulate, they mentioned that everything was incorrect — the apostille should be attached to the original, and then all of this is submitted for translation. Fortunately, the corrected document only needs to be attached to the application in EnterFinland, no need to visit the consulate a second time. I immediately went to the civil registry office, which was conveniently within walking distance from the consulate. The conditions are as follows:
- The timeframe for issuing an apostille is 5 working days.
- The state fee for issuing an apostille is 2500 rubles.
The civil registry office told me that this means 'up to 5 days', they currently have few applications, so they will issue the apostille that same evening, and it can be picked up the next day. With the translation, all of this took 2 days. Consequently, our visit to the consulate got postponed by 2 weeks because we were waiting for a document that was still done incorrectly and ultimately wasn’t needed.
Clarification of income
Proof of income sufficient to support all migrating family members. We attached my employment contract, which indicates my salary. Here you can find a table to calculate the necessary income depending on the family size: One salary of a special expert (the minimum is 3000 euros) is enough for two adults and several children, so there shouldn't be any problems, at least for the documents.
Document showing that you are legally staying in the country where you submit the application
Translation of the Russian passport that seemed unnecessary. I already mentioned this in the OLE_TY2 section.
Additionally, the consular fee needs to be paid. For a special expert, it is about 400 euros, and for a family member, it is 420 euros. Prices may vary now. Payments can be made on the EnterFinland website. We also spent about 15,000 rubles on document translations, although not all of them were ultimately needed.
Typical residential neighborhood
Visit to the consulate and application review
There are 4 locations in Russia where you can apply for a permit:
- Embassy of Finland in Moscow
- Consulate General of Finland in Saint Petersburg
- Petrozavodsk branch of the Consulate General of Finland in Saint Petersburg
- Murmansk branch of the Consulate General of Finland in Saint Petersburg
Since we lived in Saint Petersburg, the choice was obvious. It may be more difficult for other cities, as personal presence is required when submitting documents. Appointments must be made in advance. Depending on the consulate's workload, this can take from a few days to weeks. Each family member (at least the adults) must schedule a separate appointment.
It is better to submit the documents on the same day and go one after the other to the same window. In this case, both applications receive a common number, are reviewed together, and a decision will be made for all at once and relatively quickly. Here you can evaluate the time required for the application review: In November 2018, when we submitted the documents, the application review time for the permit for a specialist was 1 month if submitted through EnterFinland (3 months if offline), and for a family member, it was up to 9 months. If submitted together, both applications are reviewed in 1 month. Now (July 2019), the link above shows a review time for a specialist as 3-4 months. Either it is a more busy season now, or the flow of applications has increased in six months, or something else.
Our waiting time took more than a month. The full timeline was as follows:
- November 16 (Friday) – submission of documents at the consulate.
- November 18 (Sunday) — we attached a marriage certificate with the corrected apostille to the electronic application. I tried to get it done before Monday so that the application with all the corrected documents would be in the consulate at the beginning of the work week; I had to order an urgent translation.
- December 1 — moving to Helsinki and starting work at the new place.
- December 16 — expected time for the documents to be ready. The documents are still not ready. You can check the current status of applications in your personal account at EnterFinland — there has been no change since the day the documents were submitted.
- December 25 — Christmas, the documents are still not ready. At the end of the year, with the Christmas holidays, we all attributed it to everyone being too lazy to work at the end of the year.
- January 5 (Saturday) — the documents are still not ready. The tourist visa allows staying in the Schengen area for 90 days, so the wait is not endless, and the tension was rising. I decided to write to Migri.fi to clarify the application processing times, as the originally stated 1 month had already passed. — it states here that if the processing takes longer than expected, you do not need to write to them, but if you really want to, you can.
- January 7 (Monday), 1:30 PM — received a letter from EnterFinland that a positive decision has been made on our applications; we have been issued a Residence permit type A for 2 years.
- January 7 (Monday), 1:32 PM — received a response to my letter from Migri.fi — they say everything is ready, and we can pick it up.
Either this is all a funny coincidence, or they just forgot about our applications and only returned to reviewing them after we reminded them of ourselves. Conclusion: do not be afraid to ask if the expected time has passed.
A more modern residential area
Document Processing in Finland
Local registry office
The local registry office (also known as magistrate or maistraatti) is the place where representatives from most services needed by migrants are gathered (at least in Helsinki). Here you can register, obtain a tax number (Vero), get medical insurance (Kela), and register for unemployment services (TE-palvelut).
The first thing you need to obtain after moving to Finland is a Finnish identification number (Finnish ID, also known as Social Security Number). At that time, I didn't have a permit yet, so as proof that I wasn't a ghost, I used my employment contract and a printed certificate from EnterFinland stating that my application was accepted and under review. I received the number in 15 minutes. A month and a half later, when we had already received our permits, I had to return to the Local Registry Office to update my information and register my wife — she had been unregistered during that time. In her case, we also had to present a translated marriage certificate. Her number was supposed to be ready in two weeks, but it ended up taking three.
Next, I needed to obtain a tax number or tax card (verokortti). To do this, I just had to go to another window in the same local registry office, state my annual income, and receive a document to give to my employer. Despite the name (tax card), no plastic card is issued. Some additional bonuses are also taxed. For example, in my case, the bonus is stated in the employment contract — reimbursement of mobile phone costs by the company, which is equivalent to additional income of 20 euros. Finland has a progressive tax scale, but I don't fully know how it is calculated. My monthly deductions are as follows (the numbers are taken from my payslip):
- Withholding tax: 22%
- Employee’s pension act-based: 6.75%
- Unemployment insurance fee: 1.5%
I heard about a life hack — declaring income that is higher than it actually is. In this case, at the end of the year, a tax recalculation is done, and any overpayment is refunded.
To obtain Kela medical insurance, you need to have a job and work more than 20 hours a week. That's what I was told at their branch in the Local Registry Office, but later my wife received this insurance without having a job. I haven't had to use it in practice yet.
Bank
As a bank, the managers from Games Factory Talents recommended Nordea. Unfortunately, the bank's managers were not satisfied with the certificate from EnterFinland, so I had to go to the nearest Migri office to obtain confirmation that my application is under review. The managers from Games Factory Talents assisted us with all the paperwork and helped solve issues, like this certificate. I didn't quite understand what they discussed at Migri since they switched to Finnish to expedite negotiations, but we received the certificate (in Finnish) and returned to the bank.
We spent 40 minutes in line, but in the end, they opened an account for me and ordered a card. The account was supposed to be activated within 1-3 days, and the card would arrive by mail in two weeks. At that time, since I had not yet received my permit, the account was opened for just 3 months. They also set up and activated mobile banking on the spot so that I could monitor the account status and await its activation.
In the next 3-4 days, the account still did not activate. The app displayed the master account and card, but selecting the card resulted in an error. When I went to the bank, I found out that the account was already active; it just wasn't linked to online banking. I needed to link it, so here's a ticket for your queue; there are just 4 people ahead of you, which should take about 15 minutes. After 40 minutes, it was finally my turn, and after a brief conversation with the manager, my account appeared in online banking.
I needed to deposit money into the account to pay for my apartment rent, but only some Nordea branches handle cash transactions. Fortunately, one such branch was nearby. From the appearance of the branch and the people in line, I thought they were distributing pensions and benefits — the people were quite specific. After waiting there for another 40 minutes, I was able to deposit money into the account. They asked me where the cash came from, and my answer that I withdrew it from my account in Russia was sufficient; no proof was required.
Two weeks passed, and the card still hadn't arrived in the mail. The bank had the correct address on file, as I did receive an envelope with the contract and general information. I had to go back to the bank once again. It turned out that the card had been sent but never delivered; not everything is perfect with Finnish mail. They blocked the dispatched card and ordered a new one, which would take another two weeks. The bank also helped me link the card to Google Pay so I could start using it. The new card arrived by mail without any issues two weeks later.
After receiving the permit, I needed to visit the bank again to update the contract (which had been valid for only three months before) — nothing special, just another 40 minutes in line.
The beach is a 5-minute walk from the apartment. In the city, it's common to see geese and hares.
ID card and Online ID
Despite having an ID number and a bank card, some services were still unavailable to me. I couldn't purchase a monthly public transport ticket in the mobile app, buy insurance for a rented apartment, get movie tickets online, or use most online services. The common requirement for all these actions was authentication using one of the approved methods. You can either use a bank account or acquire a special USB device that reads the ID card. I had a Nordea account, but it lacked the permissions needed for authentication in other services. I went to the bank to obtain these permissions, but a physical ID card issued by the police was necessary. Having only the ID number from the magistrate and a Russian passport or permit was insufficient; a document was needed that showed both a photo and the ID number — this was the ID card or henkilökortti.
Theoretically, it is possible to do this without leaving home by applying online and attaching a photo, but you need to authenticate first. Ironically, the other option was to make an appointment, go to the police, and do everything the old-fashioned way. It was February 23, and the next available date for an appointment was April 5.
You need to go to the police at the right time and wait to be called by surname. The only problem is that the window number is announced in Finnish, and Eastern European surnames are heavily distorted when pronounced. The ID card registration cost 58 euros and was supposed to take two weeks. It was supposed to, but exactly two weeks later, the Easter holiday began, so it ended up taking 3 weeks. After receiving a text message about its readiness, you can pick up the finished card at the police station in the order of the live queue.
After that, I went to the bank, showed them my henkilökortti, and now I have access to a transit pass, apartment insurance, and movie tickets. We lived without an Online ID for 5 months and everything that requires online authentication, and this limitation was quite noticeable and troublesome: I had to buy public transport tickets every day instead of using a transit pass and use Russian bank cards for online payments. I recommend obtaining a henkilökortti and connecting authentication through a bank account as early as possible.
Apartment search
For the first week, a hostel was booked for us at the company's expense, and a manager from Games Factory Talents started looking for rental apartments even before we arrived, so we ultimately had no problems finding housing. Usually, apartments are rented out unfurnished, but we found a furnished studio available for a 5-month lease. Considering that the probation period at work was 4 months, and we didn't want to buy furniture immediately after moving, this option was practically perfect.
Since this was a temporary arrangement, after some time, we still had to look for a new apartment. From various accounts and videos on YouTube, we got the impression that finding housing is quite challenging due to the demand greatly exceeding the supply, so we began our search two months before the end of the current lease. According to these accounts, property owners hold viewings on specific days (always working days), about 20 people arrive at once, crowd around, look around, and the owner then carefully selects those he prefers—asking about their income and prioritizing locals. In practice, things turned out to be far from that.
You can search either through aggregator websites (www.vuokraovi.com) or directly through agency websites (such as www.sato.fi, www.lumo.fi, and www.newsec.fi). Agencies in Finland are not the same as the agencies we are used to in Russia. Here, they are not intermediaries earning commissions; instead, they are the direct owners of the apartments. Often, an entire building or block is owned by the agency. This means that the agency does not take a commission, and the apartment does not have a personalized owner who might come at any moment and ask to vacate the premises because they need it for themselves. Additionally, the agency undertakes cosmetic repairs at their own expense before a new tenant moves in, or it is covered by the deposit left by the previous tenant. Regular people also rent out apartments, but there are fewer of them, and I was advised not to deal with them, as each has their own quirks, while the agency simply needs to rent out the apartment.
When applying for apartments, usually one application is submitted for one agency, including a list of interested apartments. Not all applications receive a response. If luck is on your side, after a while, an agent will contact you via email to offer a viewing of one of the apartments from your list and provide the contact details of the current tenant to arrange a viewing. The current tenant is neither the owner nor a party with any interest, so they will speak the truth. Once, we were told over the phone that the apartment is old, requires major repairs, and is not worth its price.
Until you provide a decision on the current option, the agency will not offer the next one. For someone searching for housing, this is inconvenient, but the proposed apartment is reserved for a few days while you decide whether to view it. In some ways, this is even better than having the option to see many apartments at once but worrying that someone will take them before you have a chance.
We received responses from two agencies (we applied to a total of 5-6), in one we dismissed two options, while in the other we liked the first one right away. I think we set a fairly high acceptable rental price in our search criteria and perhaps because of that we didn't have problems finding a place and saw up to 20 people at once. The current option costs 918 euros per month for 49 square meters (a bedroom plus a living room combined with a kitchen), and we also considered options up to 1200 euros. Most apartments require a deposit of 1-2 months. I believe that if you look for cheaper options and without a deposit, you might indeed feel that demand is much higher than supply and it can be hard to find something. It took us two weeks to find an apartment that met our needs and was available just as the current lease was ending.
There are also options for instant rental agreements online. For example, this option is available with the Lumo agency. You can immediately sign a contract for 3 or 6 months (the longer the term, the cheaper the monthly rent), but you cannot see the place in person before signing the contract, and you can only withdraw if the apartment does not match the description on the website (in worse condition than stated or lacking promised furniture or appliances).
The overwhelming majority of apartments are rented out unfurnished, with only the kitchen included. I've heard that because of this, a second-hand furniture market has developed, but we purchased everything from IKEA.
A balcony in hygge style
How to Avoid Violating Russian Laws
The homeland is not ready to let go easily; it demands accountability and threatens criminal liability in its absence.
The tax authorities want to know about accounts opened outside the Russian Federation.
Here are a few quotes from Article 12 of Federal Law No. 173-FZ dated 10.12.2003 "On Currency Regulation and Currency Control." I tried to remove some legal jargon to focus only on the relevant content.
… residents are required to notify the tax authorities at their place of registration about opening (closing) accounts (deposits) and about changes in account (deposit) details… no later than one month from the corresponding opening (closing) or change of details of such accounts (deposits) in banks located outside the territory of the Russian Federation…
— part 2
Individuals - residents must report to the tax authorities at their place of registration regarding the movement of funds in accounts (deposits) in banks outside the territory of the Russian Federation...
— part 7
The requirements... do not apply... to individuals - residents whose stay outside the territory of the Russian Federation during the calendar year totals more than 183 days, as well as to individuals - residents... in the case of recognition... of such individuals as non-tax residents of the Russian Federation during the corresponding tax period.
— part 8
I moved to Finland on December 2, 2018, and opened an account on December 4, 2018. I have no idea how this information affects my status as a tax resident of the Russian Federation, and what it means that "the total duration of stay will exceed 183 days" — why is it in the future tense? In 2019, I plan to spend (and will spend) more than 183 days in Finland — do I need to report the account opening? We decided it was better to notify, as we cannot predict how this will turn out later.
I can report the account opening and the movement of funds in that account through the taxpayer's personal account. I was unable to do this within a month after opening since I found out only in March. My first attempt to send the notification was on March 25, 2019, for which I received an automatic denial within 20 minutes:
Reasons for denial:
0500200000 — The value of the element is not defined according to the set of search elements
0500200001 — The value of the format file element does not match the one specified in the reference guide SPPFD / SFND (5.03 indicated, 5.04 expected)
I only found out about this denial a week later, as I had not logged into my personal account. For the second attempt on April 1, I received the same denial. After googling the error, I realized that the tax authority had some issues with their document management system (it seems to be made in SKB Kontur, as their tech support can be found online).
The next attempt was on April 15. It seemed to me that the form had slightly changed, which meant they might have updated something and fixed the problem. After half an hour, I had not received any denial message. Nor did I receive any after an hour. Or a day. Instead, I received it on April 20, five days later:
Reasons for denial:
0200100000 — The file name structure does not meet the format requirements
0200100001 — The file name does not comply with the structure defined by the criteria of the SPFFD / SFND directory
On the same day (April 20), I sent another notification, and, to my surprise, two days later (April 22), I received a response stating that my appeal was registered with the tax office and would be reviewed within a month. I will keep you updated: as of now (July 25, 2019), the appeal is still in the status of 'Registered.' Perhaps this means the application has already been processed and everything is fine. If the situation changes, I will update this information in the article (if I don't forget).
The report on the movement of funds in accounts can also be submitted in the personal account. It needs to be done by June 1, but honestly, I found out about this while studying the materials for this article, so I only submitted it in July. The status is the same: 'Registered.' The report must specify how much money was available at the beginning of the reporting period, how much was added over the whole period, how much was withdrawn, and how much remained at the end. No receipts or proofs need to be attached.
A logical question arises: 'Why inform them at all? If I don’t inform them, they won’t know.' Answer: I don’t know. I’ve heard that banks cooperate with each other, and Finnish banks can report information about their clients to the countries of which these clients are citizens. I have also heard about a fine of 2,000 rubles for untimely notification (I can't find the proof).
The Ministry of Internal Affairs wants to know about permits for residence in another country
Federal Law No. 62-FZ dated May 31, 2002 (as amended on December 27, 2018) 'On Citizenship of the Russian Federation,' Article 6 'Dual Citizenship,' Part 3:
A citizen of the Russian Federation (except for citizens of the Russian Federation who permanently reside outside the Russian Federation), who also holds another citizenship or a residence permit or any other valid document confirming the right to permanent residence in a foreign state, is obliged to submit a written notification of the existence of another citizenship or a document granting permanent residence in a foreign state to the territorial authority of the federal executive body in the field of internal affairs within sixty days from the date of acquiring such citizenship or obtaining a document for the right to permanent residence in a foreign state.
A citizen of the Russian Federation, who has not submitted a notification while being outside the Russian Federation, is obliged to submit such notification no later than thirty days from the date of entry into the Russian Federation.
— part 3
So, there are several questions. What does it mean to be 'permanently residing outside the Russian Federation'? What is the criterion for permanence? If I occasionally come to Russia on weekends, am I permanently residing in Finland? What does 'right to permanent residence in a foreign state' mean? Is a type A permit for 2 years a right to permanent residence or not? In general, it's again unclear.
Again, a reasonable question arises: 'Why is it necessary? Why not just ignore it and live peacefully?' The answer is: if it turns out (and is confirmed in court) that you did not submit the notification, there could be criminal liability: a fine of 200,000 rubles (or an amount equal to the salary or other income for the year) or up to 400 hours of compulsory labor. For submitting information late, there is an administrative fine of 500-1000 rubles. Source: I couldn't find more official proof. We often travel between Finland and Russia, and we wouldn't want to be taken off the train/bus at some point and face a fine. More than 60 days have passed since receiving the permit, and during that time, we occasionally came to Russia, so 30 days from the first entry into Russia have probably passed as well. However, a fine of 500-1000 rubles seems much less serious than criminal charges and 200k, so we decided to report it.
To submit information, you can either go personally to the Main Directorate for Migration Issues of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (GUVM of the Ministry of Internal Affairs) at your place of registration or visit a branch of Russian Post and handle everything there. Since my wife is registered in one of the districts of St. Petersburg, and I am registered in the Vsevolozhsk district of Leningrad region (a feature of some St. Petersburg new builds is that they are officially in the suburbs), we decided that GUVM at the place of registration wasn't an option. We prepared copies of all necessary documents in advance and went to the Russian Post office. The notification of dual citizenship is a separate service with its own fee, and the postal workers were familiar with it and helped us politely with everything. We received neither a fine nor any response from GUVM, but now we have the detachable part of the notification inserted into the passport, allowing us to cross the border with a clear conscience.
This is not my office, this is a LAN party at
About Crossing the Border
Usually, when crossing the Finnish border, they ask about the purpose of the visit, its duration, and the hotel (with proof). So it felt a little uneasy because we were traveling on a tourist visa without a return ticket, with a hostel reservation for a week, working without a work permit. In practice, it turned out that there were almost no problems, although it depends on which border guard you encounter.
Trip 1
My third interview was on Monday morning; I traveled to Helsinki on Sunday on the morning Allegro, as the daytime and evening trains were already sold out. The return ticket was for Monday afternoon. When I showed the hotel reservation and tickets, the Finnish border guard asked if this was a regular trip or a business trip. I was traveling on a tourist visa and didn't know the rules for business trips, so I said I was a tourist just going to stroll for a few days. At the same time, I had no idea which service booked the hotel (it was provided to me by the company), so there may have been something in the reservation header that could have given me away. Nevertheless, there were no issues, and I arrived without any problems.
Trip 2
For our relocation, we decided to take Allegro tickets, as it is easier and more comfortable to go through customs there. The border guards check documents and belongings while the train is in motion, which saves additional time compared to a car border crossing. It's also more convenient because if you are traveling in a group, they check and interview everyone at once, so only one person can speak and answer questions. We had two suitcases with us, but they weren't checked; they simply asked if we had anything to declare. We stated that we were going to work, mentioning that we didn't have a permit yet, but we had a certificate from EnterFinland and an employment contract. The border guard checked the papers, spent some time verifying something or taking notes on his tablet, and then let us through.
Trips 3 and 4
We traveled by bus, so we crossed the border on foot in a live queue. When, in addition to the employment contract, the six-month rental agreement appeared, it became even easier and faster. Perhaps it was because some information about us was already with the border guards. My wife was in line behind me and simply said that we were together; she wasn't checked at all.
Trip 5
Again by bus. The Finnish border guard looked at the certificate from EnterFinland and the employment contract, saying: “Are you aware that since you applied for a permit and are waiting for a decision, you are currently not allowed to work?” I referred to that article from Migri, which states that you can work for 90 days without a permit. I'm not sure I convinced him, but in the end, he still let me through, as my work does not affect the decision to cross the border, and we were fine with the tourist visa and rental agreement.
After that, we received the permits. We needed to return to St. Petersburg to pick them up at the consulate, but crossing the border from Finland to Russia almost always goes without questions. When showing the permit at the Finnish border, they do not ask about the purpose of the visit. They have also stopped stamping the passport and only scan the barcodes on the permit and passport (the Russian border still stamps).
D&D in the office every two weeks. Our game designer is an excellent master.
Conclusion
Now for some personal evaluative judgments in conclusion. When I was contacted by Games Factory Talents in September 2018, I felt scared. We had already considered moving, but our actions were limited to casually monitoring job vacancies. In this mode, the move feels easy and effortless, like something distant and unreal. But when a real opportunity arises, the attitude changes significantly. It’s not just stepping out of your comfort zone, as with a job change — here you are completely taken out of your familiar environment. Everything changes: people, language, culture. I even started to wonder if it was really necessary.
In the end, we decided that we could go for an interview and gain experience communicating with a foreign company. This does not obligate us to anything, and we are not necessarily required to agree afterward. When I was invited for a second interview, I still tried to think this way — it doesn’t obligate us to anything. But when I was invited for a third, it became more complicated; a decision needed to be made. A positive decision would lead to months of preparation and significant changes, while a negative one would lead to possible reflection and regret over a missed opportunity.
Now that we have sorted out all the paperwork, settled into a permanent apartment, and my wife has found a job, all these difficulties seem justified. Our quality of life has improved, there is less anxiety, and we have more free time to spend on ourselves. We believe this was a great opportunity, and we took full advantage of it.
Source: habr.com
