Finland runs on a single number. Your employer needs it to pay you, the bank needs it to open an account, and Kela needs it before it will look at you. So, your first job after arriving is getting into the population register — and the order of everything else follows from that.

1. Personal identity code and registration (DVV)

The Population Information System is maintained by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV — Digi- ja väestötietovirasto). It holds your personal details, family relationships and address, and it issues the personal identity code (henkilötunnus).

Check first whether you already have one. Migri usually issues a code together with a residence permit or an EU registration. If yours did not come with one:

  1. Fill in DVV's online form requesting a personal identity code (no Finnish login needed). You can include children under 18 moving with you.
  2. Book an appointment and visit DVV in person within one month of sending the form. Everyone being registered must attend, including children.
  3. Bring your passport or EU identity card, your residence permit card or EU registration certificate, proof of work or study (an employment contract or certificate of student status), and certificates of marriage or your children's births if you want those relationships registered.

Registration is free. DVV quotes 2–3 weeks for codes requested for work or study, and 3–4 weeks otherwise, counted from the date of the visit. Some tax offices can also issue a code if you need one for a tax card.

Reading the code

The code has 11 characters. DVV's own example is 131052-308T:

The code does not prove who you are on its own. Keep it to hand, but treat it like any other personal data.

Foreign certificates for family relationships may need to be legalised and, unless in Finnish, Swedish or English, translated. Legalisation usually happens in the country that issued the document, so sort it out before you leave.

2. Municipality of residence

A code does not automatically make you a resident of a particular town. For that, you need a municipality of residence (kotikunta), which gives you the municipality's services, including public healthcare, and lets you get a Finnish ID card and a driving licence. You can apply on the same DVV form.

You qualify if you have arrived, are here legally, intend to stay for at least a year, and meet one more condition — for example, a continuous (A) or permanent (P) permit, Nordic citizenship, a registered EU right of residence, or a family member who already has a municipality of residence. A temporary (B) permit valid for at least a year counts only with an extra link, such as at least two years of work or degree studies. If you do not qualify yet, register a temporary address instead.

3. Tax card (Vero)

Before your first payday, get a tax card (verokortti) from the Finnish Tax Administration (Vero) and give it to your employer about two weeks before you are paid. Without one, your employer must withhold 60% of your pay.

If you already have a personal identity code, send form 5042e by post; you do not need to visit a tax office. Otherwise, Vero will register you first (form 6150e, signed in person). Cards are normally issued within 1–3 working days once Vero has everything.

The rules depend on how long you stay. For six months or less with a Finnish employer, you are usually a non-resident taxed at source, typically at 35%, and file no Finnish tax return. For stays longer than six months, you are taxed like a resident on a progressive scale and will receive a pre-completed tax return each spring.

4. Kela

Kela (Kansaneläkelaitos, the Social Insurance Institution) runs Finland's residence-based benefits and health insurance. It decides case by case whether you live in Finland permanently — looking at how long you are staying, your family, your work and where your home is. If you only work here, you are covered for fewer benefits, and only if you earn at least €800.02 a month.

Before applying, you need a personal identity code, a bank account (Kela does not pay in cash) and, if you need one, a residence permit. Then notify Kela of your move in the OmaKela e-service (in Finnish and Swedish only) or on form Y 77e, and apply for the benefits you need. What those might be is in Kela benefits.

If Kela covers you, you get a Kela card (form SV 157e if you need to ask). It proves your right to Kela reimbursement at private doctors and dentists. It is not an ID card, and the photo version is no longer issued.

5. Bank account

Salaries, benefits and bills are all paid electronically, so you need a Finnish account early. Bring a passport or an official identity card; a driving licence is not accepted as proof of identity. The bank is required to ask what you will use the account for, and will want your personal identity code and address — opening an account is much easier once you have the code.

Ask for online banking credentials at the same time: they are what you use to log in to Kela, Vero and most public services. The requirements for them are stricter than for the account itself, so do not be surprised if they come later.

6. Employment services and integration

Since 1 January 2025, public employment services have been run by municipalities and municipal employment areas rather than the state TE offices; the national online service is Job Market Finland (Työmarkkinatori). If you are looking for work, register as a jobseeker: EU and EEA citizens can do so online with Finnish banking credentials, everyone else at their municipality's Employment Services office. Bring your ID, residence permit, proof of your personal identity code, and work and school certificates translated into Finnish, Swedish or English.

If you have lived in Finland for less than three years and are unemployed (among other situations), you are entitled to an assessment of your integration service needs and an integration plan, drawn up with you for up to a year and, in general, two at most. It can include Finnish or Swedish courses, training and job-search help. You can ask for the assessment yourself.

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