The question comes up constantly, and older guides answer it with offices and documents that are out of date. The authority is now DVV, and what it asks for is a certificate from your own country's authorities, not a notarised declaration you write yourself. What follows is the current order of events for a foreign national marrying a Finnish citizen in Finland.
Before the wedding: the examination of impediments
You cannot get married in Finland until the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV — Digi- ja väestötietovirasto) has examined whether there are any impediments to the marriage under Finnish law: an existing marriage or registered partnership, too close a family relationship, being under 18 years of age, or one partner being the other's adopted child. This examination is required and is free of charge.
You can request this no earlier than four months before the wedding date, and you should do so early: with a foreign partner, DVV quotes 3–5 weeks for processing, compared to 1–2 weeks when both partners are already in its register.
What the foreign partner needs
The key document is a marital status certificate (siviilisäätytodistus) showing that you are single, divorced or widowed. It must be less than four months old when DVV receives it, and there are two ways to obtain one:
- From your country's embassy or consulate — this certificate does not need to be legalised.
- From the population register authority in your home country — this may need legalising, depending on the country.
The legalisation rules are as follows:
- Nordic countries: no legalisation, no translation.
- EU countries: public documents usually need no legalisation. Ask for the multilingual EU standard form to be attached and you will not need a translation either.
- Apostille Convention countries: an Apostille.
- Everyone else: legalised twice — by that country's foreign ministry and then by a Finnish (or other Nordic) embassy.
DVV accepts documents in Finnish, Swedish or English. Documents in any other language may need a translation by an authorised translator in Finland or an official translator abroad; the translation itself does not need legalising for this purpose.
How to request it
If you both have a Finnish personal identity code and online banking credentials, you can request the examination online: one of you starts the process, and the other confirms it by email within a week. Otherwise, fill in DVV's request form, sign it together and post it with the original certificate, any legalisation and translation, and a copy of the foreign partner's passport to DVV, P.O. Box 1003, FI-00521 Helsinki — or take everything to a DVV service location.
Decide on your surname before you send the form. You can each keep your own, take one of your surnames, or combine them (e.g. Virtanen-Smith). A brand-new surname needs a separate, fee-paying name application.
The certificate you receive is valid for four months. If a DVV officiant conducts the marriage, you do not need to bring it; any other officiant will need it before the ceremony.
The wedding
A civil wedding takes place at DVV or a district court, and is free of charge during office hours on their premises; elsewhere, such as at home or a hired hall, a fee is charged. Both of you must be present, with at least two witnesses aged 15 or over. A religious ceremony is arranged with the relevant religious community. A marital contract (avioehtosopimus) is optional and only takes effect once DVV has registered it.
After the wedding: the residence permit
The foreign spouse of a Finnish citizen can obtain a residence permit on family ties if the Finnish spouse lives in Finland or is moving there. The key points are:
- No income requirement. Unlike the families of foreign residents, the spouse of a Finnish citizen does not have to prove a specific income.
- You can apply from inside Finland, provided you are there legally — on a valid visa or a visa-free stay of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period. You then prove your identity at a Migri service point instead of an embassy.
- You must be at least 21 when the permit takes effect, for applications made on or after 16 June 2025. If you have joint custody of a child together, you can instead obtain a permit as the child's parent before turning 21.
- The Finnish spouse must also complete a form, the spouse supplement LIITE_PUOLISO. If you apply in Finland, add form MP_1.
The fee is €750 online or €800 on paper, current as checked. The legal maximum processing time is nine months. The permit carries an unrestricted right to work, but only once it has been granted.
A permit granted on family ties depends on the family tie: if the marriage ends, Migri can reassess the permit.
Once the permit is approved, register with DVV for a personal identity code and a municipality of residence if the permit card did not come with one — see first steps after moving to Finland. The other grounds for a permit are detailed in residence permit conditions, and the bigger picture is in the immigration overview.
