Student Residence Permit and The Embassy

Most of the countries are taking a VISA (a sticker in the passport) as a residence pass in their country, but Finland choose to use personal identification permit, something like IC card for the foreigner. You though the function of residence permit is same as VISA? No, you are totally wrong. Once you holding their residence permit, you are a part of the Finland until the expiry date of your permit. You will have the same benefits as Finnish people, you can get the same treatment there, you won't be excluded in their events. It is also more convenient, you no need to bring your passport all they way you go because the VISA is in there (you won't choose to tear it out right?), you just carry the residence permit in your purse like how you bring your IC in Malaysia.

Actually the process of application is very fast, most of the time waste at queuing, you queue to wait for your turn. I queued for about three weeks, and they processed my visa at 12 Dec, accepted at 19 Dec, then it arrived Malaysia at 21 Dec. For US, they will send the passport to the address that you wrote when applying VISA, but for Finland, you have to visit the embassy again to collect your permit. You no need to bring any documents there because when you show them your face, they know who are you and will give you the permit after you sign on the photocopy of your permit as their reference. (Only applicable if the receptionist knows you haha!)

By the way, the embassy located at the Menara MCA, Jalan Ampang, Level 5. Once you go out from the lift, you will see a financial management office, next to it is Finland Embassy. The embassy looks like inner security room of a bank. Thick metal door with a doorbell. Once you ring it, the door will buzz and you need to pull it hard to open it (it is heavy). I lean my whole body on it to open it at the first time haha. There is only one Malaysian receptionist, and their inner office i could see a few Finnish and most of Malaysian. The embassy is just an office big, not something that I expected... a huge building with grand architecture design, royally looking...-- No. It is just an office with a heavy metal door.

Once your permit arrived, you should receive a call from the receptionist. She will tell you to pick up the permit at embassy. Just to be safe, call them every week to check if your permit arrived once you received an email for accepting your application. While mine have no problem... but my senior's case is, the embassy did not call him to pick up his permit, and he rushed there three days before his departure. (I called them so many times until they remember my name...)

It is a shame that I forget to take picture of the inner design of embassy, and I also wonder am I allow to take photo inside...? Should it remain confidential or what?