Population registration in Finland

The population register - the Finnish Population Information System - is a computerised national register that contains basic information about Finnish citizens and foreign citizens residing in Finland on a permanent or temporary basis. The information in the system is used throughout Finnish society’s information services and management, including public administration, elections, taxation, judicial administration, research and statistics. The Finnish Population Information System is maintained by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, and you can read about it on their website.

If you meet the conditions for population registration, your data are entered in the Finnish population register and you are given a Finnish personal identity code and municipality of residence. In certain situations, you can get a personal identity code even if you are not permanently resident in Finland. You can read more about the Finnish personal identity codes on the page Personal identity code in Finland.

Please note that a decision by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency does not automatically entitle you to Finnish social security and benefits paid by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela). Entitlement to these is decided when you apply for benefits. Read more on Kela’s website.

Please also note that if you notify a new address to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, it is not necessarily forwarded to all organisations that send you mail. If you want to make sure you receive all your mail at your new address, make sure you notify your new address to anyone who sends you mail regularly.

The instructions depend on which country you are a citizen of, which country you are moving to Finland from and how long you plan to live in Finland. Choose the guidance that matches your situation below. 

If you are a minor and you move to Finland, the same instructions apply to you as to adults. If you are under 15 years old, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency must always consult your guardians or representatives. You should therefore have a declaration with you signed by your guardians stating that you are moving to live in Finland.

Read the instructions on the website of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency on the registration of foreigners in the Population Information System. 

All persons permanently registered in the population register in Finland have a Finnish municipality of residence. Your municipality of residence affects, for example, your taxes and healthcare. Read more on the website of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

For information on Åland right of domicile and exemption from military service for persons moving permanently to Åland, see the page Population registration in Åland.

Under the Nordic agreement on population registration, a person living in the Nordic countries can only be registered in one Nordic country at a time. If you live or have a home in two different Nordic countries, the registration authority in the country of entry will decide whether or not to register you as a resident in the country of entry. 

The general rule is that the country of residence is the country with which the person has close ties, such as family, owner-occupied housing or employment. The registration authority in the country of entry decides on this after the person has visited the registration authority in their new country of residence to register their residence. In Finland, this registration authority is the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

For information on social security if you live in more than one country at the same time, see the page Which country's social security system are you covered by?

How you notify your move to Finland to the authorities in your country of origin depends on the rules in your country of origin. In Sweden and Denmark, a move to Finland must also be notified to the population register authorities in the country of origin. Find out more in the guides below.

Whenever you move from one home to another, you must notify the move to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. Read more on the website of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

If you change your address within Finland, it is also important to inform the population register authority in your country of origin of this, as a change of address is not automatically registered abroad. When your new permanent address in Finland is registered, make sure that your new address is also known to the registration authorities in your former country of residence. Read about the instructions for your country of origin on the website of the authorities in the country concerned.

If you move from Finland to another Nordic country, your move must be notified to the registration authority both in Finland and the country you are moving to. 

In Finland, this notification must be made to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency and to Kela. Find out more on the websites of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency and Kela.

The country you move to decides how to register your move. Find out more on the pages on population registration in the different countries.