Registering as a resident

All foreigners cannot have their address stored in the Population Information System. The registration can only be made if the conditions for registration are met.

You should also keep in mind that obtaining a personal identity code does not automatically register you as a resident of a specific locality, i.e. you will not receive a municipality of residence. A municipality of residence (kotikunta) can be a major city or a small municipality. You need a municipality of residence to use the services of a wellbeing services county, city or municipality.

Municipal services include schools, early childhood education and immigrant integration services. Services of the wellbeing services county (hyvinvointialue) include health services and social services.

A personal identity code is a number sequence with 11 characters, formed on the basis of your date of birth and gender.

You need a personal identity code when dealing with authorities, banks and employers, for example. No one else can have the same personal identity code. You will receive a personal identity code if you are registered in the Population Information System.

You can receive a personal identity code if you reside legally in Finland. Legal residence can be based, for example, on a residence permit, the freedom of movement in the EU, a visa or exemption from visa. In addition, it is a prerequisite that one of the following conditions is met:

• You need a personal identity code for working or studying in Finland or other similar reasons.
• Your family member already has a registered address in Finland.
• The Finnish Immigration Service has granted you a residence permit or a residence card or registered your EU citizen’s right of residence in Finland.

You can ask for registration and a personal identity code from

• the Digital and Population Data Services Agency
• the tax office if you need a personal identity code for tax purposes, such as for a tax card. Not all tax offices issue personal identity codes. You can check which tax office can provide you with a personal identity code on the Tax Administration website.

Usually, the Finnish Immigration Service also issues a personal identity code when making a decision on a residence permit, an EU citizen’s right of residence or the right of residence of an EU citizen’s family member.

If you have received a personal identity code from the Finnish Immigration Service or the Tax Administration but you want your address and family relationship data to be stored in the Population Information System, you need to request their registration from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

When your personal data is registered, an address is also stored for you. The address can be temporary, permanent or just a postal address.

Temporary address

A temporary address is temporarily in effect, and you have been registered as a resident at that address for a certain period of time. A temporary address is usually valid for one year at a time.

Permanent address and municipality of residence

When the Digital and Population Data Services Agency registers a permanent address for you, it registers you as a resident at that address until further notice. The address is valid until you submit a notification of move to another address. At the same time, a municipality of residence in Finland is also stored for you.

If you have a municipality of residence in Finland,

• you are usually entitled to use the services provided by your residential area
• you can get a Finnish identity card (henkilökortti) and driving licence (ajokortti) 
• you can use the services provided by the authorities and receive monetary benefits or allowances.

You should find out whether you and your family members have the right to a municipality of residence in Finland. The right to a municipality of residence in Finland is determined according to the Act on the municipality of residence. You can check at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency whether you have the right to a municipality of residence in Finland.

Read more on the InfoFinland page: Municipality of residence in Finland.

Postal address

If a postal address is registered for you, you will not be registered as a resident at that address. A postal address can be used if you do not have a permanent address, you live in a hotel or you wish to collect your mail from a post office.

If you do not have a personal identity code, you must visit the Digital and Population Data Services Agency in person.

If you already have a personal identity code, you can register a temporary address in Finland by submitting a notification of move at a post office or online. In the notification of move, you can only indicate the address.

If you want the Digital and Population Data Services to store information about your marital status (for example, marriage) and family relationships, you must submit the official certificates.

If you want your municipality of residence to be stored in the Population Information System, you usually need to visit the Digital and Population Data Services Agency in person. In some cases, however, it is not needed. Check the website of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency to see if you need to visit it.

Before visiting the agency, make an appointment on the website of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. Before visiting the agency, you can fill in the Registration Information of a Foreigner form on the Digital and Population Data Services Agency website. You can also fill in the form at the service location.

When visiting the service location of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, please bring along the documents according to your situation:

• a valid passport or an official EU citizen’s photo identity card
• a residence permit card or other proof of legal residence in Finland
• a certificate of registration of an EU citizen’s right of residence
• an account of work or studies in Finland (e.g. an employment contract or certificate of studies)
• if necessary, the original, legalised and translated certificates of family relations and other documents required by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency when entering the data into the Population Information System.

Storing other data into the Population Information System

The Digital and Population Data Services Agency will enter your basic data into the Finnish Population Information System. Such information includes your name, date of birth, gender, citizenship, place of birth, native language and address.

In addition, data on marital status, spouse, children and parents, for example, can be entered there. If you want this information to be registered in the Finnish Population Information System, you must submit the relevant documents and their appendices to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. The document must be original or reliably certified and, if necessary, legalised and translated.

You need to provide the Digital and Population Data Services Agency with the original document or a copy that has been reliably certified as a true copy. A copy can be reliably certified as a true copy by the authority that issued the document or by a public notary in the country in question.

The document must be legalised or the Digital and Population Data Services Agency cannot enter your information in the Population Information System. If your country has joined the Hague Convention, you need to get an Apostille certificate for your document.

You do not need an Apostille certificate if you have a public document issued by an authority of an EU country. However, you may need to fill in a standard form used for translation aid and submit it with the public document. For more details about such standard forms, contact the authorities of the country from which you apply for the certificate. Another option is to have the document translated by an authorised translator who has been approved by an EU country.

Please note that documents must be in Finnish, Swedish or English. If your document is in another language, you must have it translated into Finnish, Swedish or English. The document can be translated by an authorised translator. If the translation is done abroad, the translation must also be legalised.

For more information on how to legalise documents, please contact the Digital and Population Data Services Agency or the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of your own country.