Guide: temporary residence in Finland

In this guide, you will find information about population registration, housing, social security, bank accounts, insurance and registering your children for day care, pre-school or school in Finland if you are staying or working in Finland temporarily. 

On the page Guide: summer or seasonal work in Finland, you will find information about temporary work in Finland, such as taxation, employment terms, unemployment insurance and pensions in Finland.

If you are planning to move to Finland for a longer period, you can find information on our page Guide: moving to Finland.

As a Nordic citizen, you do not need a residence permit to live in Finland. You can stay in Finland for up to six months without having to register in the population register in Finland. However, you can notify a temporary move if you wish. Read more on the page Population registration in Finland.

However, please remember to have your mail redirected to your new address in Finland, and inform the authorities in your country of origin of your new address. 

You can get a Finnish personal identity code even if you are only staying in Finland temporarily. However, you must be legally resident in Finland and there must be a reason for your registration. Such a reason could be, for example, studying or working in Finland or another similar reason. Read more on the website of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. 

To get a personal identity code, you must register in person either at a Digital and Population Data Services Agency service point, at a Tax Administration office or at the Finnish Immigration Service when applying for the right of residence or a residence permit.

Read about personal identity codes in Finland on the page Personal identity code in Finland.

To use e-services, you will need an electronic identifier (e-ID). To get a Finnish electronic identifier, you must have a Finnish personal identity code. If you cannot obtain a Finnish electronic identifier, you can use the Finnish Authenticator identification service. Read more on the page Electronic identification (e-ID) in Finland.

If you have an eIDAS identifier from another EU country, you can use it for authentication in Finland. On the Suomi.fi website you can find a list of countries whose identifiers can be used for authentication in Finland. Note, however, that the range of services offered by public authorities is much more limited than with a Finnish identifier.

If you want online banking codes with your bank account, you need to register your personal data and address in the Population Information System at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. Read more on the website of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

For information on housing in Finland, see Housing in Finland. 

To receive housing allowance in Finland, you must be living in Finland permanently. So if your stay in Finland is not considered permanent, you cannot get housing allowance in Finland. Find out more in the Act on Residence-Based Social Security in Cross-Border Situations.

Landlords may require you to have a Finnish personal identity code in order to make a tenancy agreement. Check with your landlord what information is required to make a tenancy agreement. Read more about tenancy agreements on InfoFinland.fi.

Landlords usually require you to take out home insurance for a rental property. Read more below in the section Insurance in Finland.

It is important that you know which country's social security system you are covered by. If you do not know which country's social security you are covered by during your temporary stay in Finland, read more on Which country's social security are you covered by? For information on social security in Finland, see the page Finnish social security if you live or work in Finland. 

If you get a social security benefit in your country of origin, check before coming to Finland whether the benefit will be paid to you even if you are staying abroad. Also remember to inform the social security authorities about your temporary stay in Finland and when you return to your country of departure.

Read about your right to healthcare in Finland on the page Right to healthcare services in Finland.

A Finnish personal identity code is not required to open a bank account, but you must be able to prove your identity reliably. The best way to verify your identity is with a valid passport or official ID card, which you should have with you when you visit your bank branch in person to open an account. 

When you open a bank account, the bank may check your credit history and ask you to explain what you intend to use your account for. 

Read more about bank accounts in Finland on the page Bank accounts in Finland.

Home insurance is often a condition for renting an apartment. You can get home insurance in Finland even if you are living in Finland temporarily. For information on insurance in Finland, see the page Insurance in Finland.

If you have private insurance in your home country, contact your insurance company to find out how being abroad will affect your cover. 

Read about getting a mobile phone contract in Finland on the page Buying goods and services in Finland.

On the pages Vehicles in Finland and Driving licences in Finland you can find information about using a vehicle registered abroad in Finland and your right to use a driving licence issued abroad in Finland.

On the page Travelling to Finland with dogs or cats you can find information about bringing your pet to Finland.

On the page Do I need a passport when travelling to Finland? you can find information about the travel documents you need when travelling to Finland.

In Finland, municipalities must organise early childhood education for a child whose municipality of residence within the meaning of the Municipality of Residence Act is the municipality in question, or if the child lives in the municipality because of the work, studies, illness or similar reasons of the child's guardians, even if the child does not have a municipality of residence in Finland or the child's municipality of residence is another municipality under the Municipality of Residence Act. In addition, in urgent cases or where circumstances otherwise so require, the municipality must provide early childhood education for a child residing in the municipality who is not a resident of the municipality. Find out more in the Municipality of Residence Act.

Municipalities are obliged to provide pre-primary and primary education for children of compulsory school age living in the municipality. A certain degree of permanence of residence is required, but a home address or registration in the Population Information System, for example, cannot be regarded as necessary conditions. If the situation is unclear, the assessment is made on a case-by-case basis. Find out more in the Basic Education Act.

Different municipalities may have different ways of registering a child for nursery, pre-primary or primary education. For more information, contact your municipality of residence in Finland.

Read more about day care, pre-primary education and basic education in Finland on the pages Day care in Finland, Pre-primary education in Finland and Basic education in Finland.