Divorce granted abroad

A divorce that has been granted abroad can be recorded in the Finnish Population Information Systeon the basis of a notification. A legally valid court decision or some other document proving the divorce and photocopies of the passports must be attached to the notification.

If you have been granted a divorce by a foreign court of law, the divorce can also be registered in the Finnish Population Information System. This way your personal data will be up to date and using the services of the Finnish authorities will be easier. If you are a Finnish citizen, you have the obligation to notify the Finnish Population Information System of the divorce granted to you.

A divorce granted abroad can be recorded in the Population Information System on the basis of a foreign document, such as a legally valid court decision or an extract from a population register. An appendix compliant with Article 39 of the Brussels II a Regulation can also be attached to the court decision. No official translation of the court decision will then be required.

When the divorce has been recorded in the Population Information System, you will receive an extract from the Population Information System showing the divorce and the date it was granted.

If the Digital and Population Data Services Agency does not record the information you have submitted to it in the Population Information System, you will receive a decision stating it. You can make a claim for a revised decision concerning this register entry to a local register office within 30 days of having been informed of the decision. The instructions for making a claim for a revised decision are sent to you with to the decision.

Finnish citizens living in Sweden

The Swedish authorities notify the Finnish Population Information System of the divorce through official channels. If the person is a citizen of both Finland and Sweden, Sweden considers the person to be its own citizen only and will not forward the information. Persons with dual citizenship therefore have to submit the notifications themselves.

Do the following

• Deliver the documents concerning the divorce to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. If you are a Finnish citizen, you can also deliver the documents to the nearest Finnish diplomatic mission.
• You may need to have the documents legalised or translated. Read more about the possible requirement to have the document legalised and translated in the instructions for legalisation.

See separate instructions for legalisation

Instructions for submitting foreign documents

Frequently asked questions