Your rights and obligations in Finland

• Everyone has the right to equal treatment. No one must be treated differently based on gender, age, religion or handicap, for example.
• Everyone has the right to freely express their opinions verbally or in writing.
• People are allowed to hold meetings and demonstrations and participate in them. The police must be notified of all demonstrations in advance.
• No one can be sentenced to death or tortured.
• All people can choose their place of residence and freely travel within the country.
• Everyone has a right to the protection of their privacy. No one is allowed to read another person’s letters or listen to someone else’s phone calls.
• Everyone is free to choose their own religion. Should you not want to, you do not need to choose any religion.

Even if you are not a Finnish citizen, you may have the right to vote in some elections.

Read more about foreigners’ voting rights in Finland on the InfoFinland web page Elections in Finland.

• All persons living or residing in Finland must adhere to Finnish legislation.
• People between the ages of approximately 7 and 18 have compulsory education.
• Often, those working in Finland must pay taxes to Finland from their salary.
• Everyone is obligated to testify in court should they be summoned to do so.
• Parents have the responsibility to take care of their children.
• Everyone is obliged to lend their aid in the event of an accident.

Read more on taxation in Finland on the InfoFinland web page Taxation.

In addition to these, Finnish citizens have a number of rights and obligations that do not apply to foreigners living in Finland.

Read more on the rights and obligations of Finnish citizens on the InfoFinland web page Finnish citizenship.