Registration of a foreign student in the Population Information System 

In Finland, a personal identity code is used to identify persons. The code consists of your birth date and four unique characters. A personal identity code is needed, for example, when dealing with the authorities, opening a bank account and paying wages.   

It is likely that you have been given a Personal Identity Code in the following situations: 

• You have a residence permit or residence card issued by the Finnish Immigration Service. 

• The Finnish Immigration Service has registered your right of residence.  

If you have not yet received your Personal Identity Code, we will grant it to you at the same time as we register your data in the Finnish Population Information System. You can read more about the personal identity codes on our website.

Your address will be recorded together with your personal data. The address can be temporary, permanent or only used as a postal address.  

Postal address  

You can register a postal address, which means that you are not registered as living at that address. A postal address can be used if you do not have a permanent address or if you want to collect your mail from a post office. 

Temporary address  

A temporary address is valid for a limited time, and you are registered as living at that address for a certain time period. A temporary address is usually valid for one year at a time.  

Permanent address and municipality of residence 

If a permanent residence is entered for you, it means that you are registered as living at that address until further notice. Submit a notification of move also when you emigrate permanently after your studies.

When a permanent address is recorded, your municipality of residence in Finland is also recorded. However, you can only receive a municipality of residence and associated permanent address if you meet the conditions for receiving a municipality of residence.

Municipalities offer various services to the people living in them, such as public healthcare and child day-care. If you have a municipality of residence, you usually have the right to use the services provided by this municipality. Sometimes a municipality of residence is also needed to receive financial benefits or subsidies. In some municipalities, it may be necessary to receive a student discount on public transport. 

We can register a municipality of residence and permanent address for you even if you still live in a hotel or Airbnb as long as you meet the conditions for obtaining a municipality of residence.

Can I obtain a municipality of residence and permanent address?

You can receive a municipality of residence if you have entered the country and plan to live in Finland for more than a year.  

In addition, at least one of the following conditions must be met: 

• You are a citizen of a Nordic country.
• You are a citizen of an EU member state and you have received a positive decision from the Finnish Immigration Service to register your right of residence.    
• You are a citizen of some other country and your residence permit is a continuous A-type or permanent P-type permit. 
• You are a citizen of some other country and your residence permit is a temporary B-type permit, which is valid for at least one year. In addition, you must have a study certificate stating that your studies will last at least two years. Please note: The studies must be vocational or higher education studies that lead to a degree. For example, studies at an upper secondary school or comprehensive school are not sufficient grounds for the municipality of residence. If you work alongside your studies, a two-year employment contract is also valid.  

If your family member has a municipality of residence in Finland, you can also obtain a municipality of residence and permanent address for yourself provided that the family relationships are registered in the Population Information System. 

You can also receive a municipality of residence under certain other conditions. See the municipality of residence page for more details.

We do not automatically register your marital status and family relationship information in the Population Information System. Saving the information requires that you present original and legalized certificates of your family relationships. You may also need a translation of the certificate. Registration of family relationships is needed, for example, to apply for some benefits and for parents to be able to manage their children’s affairs in Finland. 

 

How to register your family relationship

Check in advance whether you need legalization of documents. 

• Legalisation is not required for public documents issued by EU countries nor for extracts issued by Nordic countries. 
• Documents from states that have acceded to the Apostille Convention are legalised through the Apostille legalisation process. 
• Documents issued by other countries are first legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country of origin and then by the Finnish diplomatic mission or diplomatic mission of another Nordic country.  
• You can find more detailed instructions in our  legalization guide. 

Find out if you need a translation of the documents. 

• We can accept documents in English, Finnish and Swedish. Documents in other languages must be translated. You do not need to translate transcripts from Nordic countries. 

• Translations for some languages can be obtained from an authorised translator in Finland or another EU country, in which case the translation is valid as such. 
• Translations made by other translators must be legalised by Apostille  or, in the two-stage procedure, in the same way as the family relationship document itself. 

If you already have a Finnish personal identity code, you can register a temporary address in Finland by submitting a notification of temporary move to Finland to the post office.  

If you already have a personal identity code and the Finnish Immigration Service has granted you the right of residence of an EU citizen or an EU family member's residence card in the last 12 months, you may submit a notification of permanent move to the post office. 

1. Complete the registration notice of a foreigner.  

1. Completing the electronic form requires identification. Citizens of some EU countries can identify themselves using eIDAS identification. In other cases, you will need the Finnish Authenticator application on your phone. Start by registering your UID and following the instructions given. See the instructions page for more instructions on registering a UID and using the Finnish Authenticator application.
2. Open the electronic form: Electronic form for students
3. Select "identification methods for foreigners". Then select either the eIDAS authentication or the Finnish Authenticator application, depending on your authentication method. 
4. Fill in the form carefully. Mandatory fields are marked in red/with an asterisk. Attach an image of your study certificate and passport or an EU citizen’s electronic photo ID card to the form, as well as your residence permit, if you have one.  

We recommend that you use the electronic form, as it is the fastest method to initiate your matter. You can complete the electronic registration form in advance. You can fill in the form at the earliest 3 months before you visit us. However, do not fill out the form until you have all the necessary attachments, such as a study certificate or an attendance certificate.

If you cannot use the electronic form, you can use the form below. Fill in the attachments if necessary. Print out the paper form in advance and bring it with you to the appointment.

The registration of a foreigner - Main form 

Appendix A: Marriage or registered partnership 

Appendix B: Child 

Appendix C: Parents

2. Check with your educational institution or tutor whether your educational institution will arrange an organised joint visit to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, or whether you need to book a personal appointment.  Only book a personal appointment if there is no joint visit from your educational institution. You can book a personal appointment in the "International registrations" service at www.dvv.fi/ajanvaraus. Remember to cancel your appointment if you cannot come. You can change or cancel your booking on the booking page. Enter the reservation code in ‘Reservation code’ in upper right corner. 

3. Please bring the following documents with you:

• A valid passport or an identity card with a photograph.  

• Study or attendance certificate. Generally, you can print the certificate on the educational institution's own website or ask for a printout from the Student Affairs Office. An acceptance letter is not a sufficient study certificate. 

• A certificate of registration of an EU citizen's right of residence, if you have registered your right of residence with the Finnish Immigration Service. Registration of the right of residence is required in order to obtain a municipality of residence for non-Nordic citizens. If you already have a Finnish personal identity code and you have received a decision on the registration of an EU citizen's right of residence in the past 12 months, you do not need to visit the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. Simply submit your notification of move to the post office. 

• If you want us to enter other personal data in the Population Information System, such as your marital status or family relationships, please include the original and (if required) translated certificates. Some of these certificates must be legalised. Remember to verify in advance if the certificates must be legalised or translated. 

4. Inquiries and email messages will not speed up the processing of notifications. We will contact you if we need further information.  

You will receive a confirmation email from us once your data has been registered. Check that the data has been entered correctly.  

If for some reason we do not record the information you have submitted in the Population Information System, you will receive a decision on this. Instructions for submitting a request for administrative review are attached to the decision.

1. Complete the registration notice of a foreigner.  

1. Completing the electronic form requires identification. Citizens of some EU countries can identify themselves using eIDAS identification. In other cases, you will need the Finnish Authenticator application on your phone. Start by registering your UID and following the instructions given. See the instructions page for more instructions on registering a UID and using the Finnish Authenticator application.
2. Open the electronic form: Electronic form for students
3. Select "identification methods for foreigners". Then select either the eIDAS authentication or the Finnish Authenticator application, depending on your authentication method. 
4. Fill in the form carefully. Mandatory fields are marked in red/with an asterisk. Attach an image of your study certificate and passport or an EU citizen’s electronic photo ID card to the form, as well as your residence permit, if you have one.  

We recommend that you use the electronic form, as it is the fastest method to initiate your matter. You can complete the electronic registration form in advance. You can fill in the form at the earliest 3 months before you visit us. However, do not fill out the form until you have all the necessary attachments, such as a study certificate or an attendance certificate.

If you cannot use the electronic form, you can use the form below. Fill in the attachments if necessary. Print out the paper form in advance and bring it with you to the appointment.

The registration of a foreigner - Main form 

Appendix A: Marriage or registered partnership 

Appendix B: Child 

Appendix C: Parents

2. Check with your educational institution or tutor whether your educational institution will arrange an organised joint visit to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, or whether you need to book a personal appointment. Only book a personal appointment if there is no joint visit from your educational institution. You can book a personal appointment in the "International registrations" service at www.dvv.fi/ajanvaraus. Remember to cancel your appointment if you cannot come. You can change or cancel your booking on the booking page. Enter the reservation code in ‘Reservation code’ in upper right corner. 

3. Please bring the following documents with you:  

• A valid passport.
• Study or attendance certificate. Generally, you can print the certificate on the educational institution's own website or ask for a printout from the Student Affairs Office. An acceptance letter is not a sufficient study certificate. 
• A residence permit, if you have been granted one, or a certificate of your right of residence, if you have submitted a mobility notification to the Finnish Immigration Service. 
• If you want us to store in the Population Information System other personal data, such as your marital status or family relationships, please include the original, legalized and (if required) translated certificates verifying this information. Translations must also be legalised. Read the detailed instructions on the legalisation and translation of documents. 

4. Inquiries and email messages will not speed up the processing of notifications. We will contact you if we need further information.  

You will receive a confirmation email from us once your data has been registered. Check that the data has been entered correctly.  

If for some reason we do not record the information you have submitted in the Population Information System, you will receive a decision on this. Instructions for submitting a request for administrative review are attached to the decision.

You can see the current processing time on our status page under "Registration of foreigner's personal data in the Population Information System". We will process the applications in the order we have received them. 

You can fill in the electronic registration form in advance. You can fill in the form at the earliest 3 months before using our services. However, do not fill in the form until you have all the necessary attachments, such as a study or attendance certificate.

A short-term course or training are sufficient reasons for obtaining a personal identity code, if one is needed to participate in the training. 

In some municipalities, acquiring a student discount may require a municipality of residence and a permanent address and/or studies of a certain type or length. For more information, contact the transport agency in your area. 

This information can be corrected when you come to your appointment. If you have already booked an appointment, you can ask our customer service department by e-mail or telephone to correct the incorrect information.

The processing of a registration can only be sped up for very exceptional and very weighty reasons. For example, opening a bank account is not a sufficient justification for speeding up the process. Cases are processed in their order of arrival. Making an appointment in advance, however, will speed up the initiation of the process.