Changing forename

Everyone must have at least one and no more than four forenames. Names combined with a hyphen are also considered as one name.  

You can change your forename in Finland, if  

  • you live in Finland and your data has been entered in the Finnish Population Information System. 
  • you are a Finnish citizen and live abroad outside Norway, Sweden and Denmark. If you live in Norway, Sweden or Denmark and would like to change your name, please contact the authorities in your country of residence. 

You can apply for a change of forename with us when you want to 

  • change your forenames 
  • change the order of your forenames 
  • add or remove forenames 
  • add or remove a hyphen in your forename. 

The initial letter in the name must be a capital and the other letters cannot be capitals (for example, Anne and Riitta-Liisa will be accepted, but not ANNE or Riitta-liisa). When writing the name on the application, remember to make a clear distinction between the letters that should be in upper case and those that should be in lower case. 

Change of name abroad 

You do not need to submit an application for a name change to us if you have had your forename changed by a decision of the authorities of another country. Instead, you can ask us to record your new name free of charge. 

How to notify us of a name that has been changed abroad 

Notification and change of your child's name 

If your child's name has not yet been recorded in the Population Information System, it is a matter of notification of the child's personal details. Instead of submitting an application for a name change, notify us of the personal details of your child according to the instructions on a different page.  

The name of a minor child entered in the Population Information System can be changed using the instructions on this page. 

Price

The processing fee for the application for a change of forename is EUR 100 per change of name or per person applying for it.

How we process your application 

1. Submitting the application 

Use the instructions below to apply.  

We will not send a separate message to acknowledge receipt of your application. 

2. Processing the application 

We will not start processing your application until you have paid the processing fee. In the electronic name change service the processing fee is determined automatically based on the application. We will process the applications in the order we have received them. Applications that have been paid directly in connection with applying may therefore progress faster. Please note! The fee will not be returned even if you cancel your application, or we reject the application. 

We may ask you to provide additional information about the name you would like to adopt or any missing documents. Sometimes we also request an opinion from the Names Board. In that case, it will take longer to process your application.  

Unfortunately, you will not be able to monitor the progress of your application. However, you can find the average processing time on this page.  

3. Resolution of the case 

Once we have processed your application, you will receive a written decision by post, email or Suomi.fi Messages if you use the service. Your new name will be entered into the Population Information System on the day the decision is made, if the name you have applied for is approved.  

After the name has been changed, you will automatically receive a new Kela card in the post. However, you will have to renew your passport, electronic ID card and driving licence in your new name yourself.  

If you are not satisfied with the decision, you have the right to appeal against it to an Administrative Court.

Do the following

  1. Electronic name change service

    You can apply for a name change for yourself in this service, if

    • you are over 15 years old, and
    • you have a permanent address in mainland Finland, or
    • you are a Finnish citizen living permanently abroad in a country other than Norway, Sweden or Denmark.

    You can apply for a name change for your child in this service, if

    • you are the child’s guardian, and
    • the child is under 18 years old.

    Name change service

    Strong identification is required for using the service. Please also note that the processing fee is paid when submitting the application.

    In the service you can add attachments in PDF format. The list of necessary attachments can be found at the name change service under 'Toimi näin' (Finnish version) / 'Gör så här' (Swedish version).

    We resolve certain name change cases automatically. You can find more information about the automatic resolution procedure here. 

Downloadable form

  1. You can also use a printable online form to submit the application.

    1. First, upload the blank form to your device and save it. 
    2. Open the form in Adobe Reader. You can download the program free of charge from Adobe's website. After completing the form, save it to your device. 
    3. If you wish to continue filling in the form later, open it again in Adobe Reader. When you save the form, you can choose to replace the previous version with the new version. If you do not want to replace the previous version, you must save the form with a new name. 

    Send the filled-in form to us with all the signatures by post to the following address: Digital and Population Data Services Agency, P.O. Box 1003, 00531 Helsinki, or use encrypted e-mail.

    After we have received your application, we will send you an invoice. The application can be processed only if you pay the invoice. We will primarily send the invoice electronically. You can find more information about invoicing here.

    Applying for a name change using a form

Processing times

Changing forename and surname

  • The name change service may resolve your application automatically, if you are applying for your own previous surname or common first names for yourself. In this case, the processing time is less than a day.
  • In other cases, the processing time is 7–10 weeks. The processing time depends on how quickly you pay the application fee.
  • If we need any supplements from you or a statement from the Names Board, the processing time may be 2–6 months.

Changing surname upon marriage 

Explore the options on the Surname upon marriage page, and if needed, ask our marriage experts about the processing time.

Notification of a child´s name

You can find the current processing time at the Processing Times page under Having or adopting a child > Notification of a child's name.

Frequently asked questions

Contact us

You can find the average processing times on our website. 

You can manage forename- and surname-related matters with us in the following ways:

Email

Contact us primarily by email.

Use secure mail to send the email so that your information is encrypted. Select [email protected] as the recipient in the secure mail. In your message, enter at least your personal data and the matter that your message is about.

Please note! When you are notifying a child’s names or the child's other information, select [email protected] as the recipient of the secure mail. Read more about notification of a child's name.

Send secure email

Telephone

Telephone service number is 0295 539 080
Service hours: Mon–Fri 9–15

You can find the average processing times on our website. 

Posting the documents

You can also post the required documents to us to the following address: the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, P.O. Box 1003, 00531 Helsinki, Finland

Acts related to the matter

 

Population of Finland 5 652 833