Iranian couple suspected of paying over €30,000 for Finnish residence permits

An Iranian couple is suspected of paying more than €30,000 to obtain Finnish entrepreneur residence permits, according to a report by Finnish broadcaster Yle.

The Finnish Border Guard suspects a man and woman living in Finland of fraud and facilitating illegal entry. Investigations revealed that the pair allegedly helped the Iranian couple acquire ownership or partnership in a restaurant, enabling them to apply for entrepreneur residence permits.

The case came to light in spring 2025 when the Iranian couple arrived at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport presenting Finnish-issued entrepreneur residence permits. However, an inspection found that they were not actually owners or partners in the restaurant business, despite documents submitted to the Finnish Immigration Service two months earlier indicating otherwise.