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. 

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. 

What if your family member also moves to Finland?

If they already have a Finnish personal identity code, they can 

• apply for a municipality of residence 
• report their temporary address. 

If they do not yet have a Finnish personal identity code, they can

• request the registration of their personal data. 

Report your temporary address with a notification of change of address. Fill in the notification at a post office or in a Post-in-Shop service. 

1. Fill in the Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s section of the form. Fill in Posti’s section if you also want to provide the address for mail delivery.  

• Select the option “Temporary change of address in Finland or to Finland”.  
• Enter the date on which you are filling in the form as the date of the change of address, for example. We cannot register a date that goes back more than one month.   
• Also enter the end date of the temporary change of address, for example, one year after the date of the change of address. You can extend the validity of the address later if necessary.  
• Leave the section “Home municipality after the move” blank.   
• Enter your personal identity code and name and the details of those who have moved with you.   
• Enter from where and to where you moved. If your address does not change, enter your current address in both sections.   
• Enter your email address and phone number so that you can be contacted.  
• Remember to sign the form.  

2. We will not send you a confirmation when your address has been registered. 

1. Fill in and print out the form below. 

The registration of a foreigner - Main form 

2. If necessary, fill out forms on your family relationships.
You must also present us with an official certificate showing the information. Saving the information requires that you present original and legalized certificates of your family relationships. Read the detailed instructions on the legalisation and translation of documents. 

3. Bring the form to our service location in person. Check with your educational institution or tutor whether they have organised the registration to be done jointly with other students. If they have not, book an appointment for the registration of a foreigner´s personal data service. 

Book an appointment 

4. Bring the following documents with you:   

• filled and printed form
• a valid passport or official photo identity card issued to a citizen of an EU Member State, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland or San Marino
• 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
• 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 other personal data in the Population Information System, such as your marital status or family relationships, include the original, legalised and (if required) translated certificates verifying this information. Translations must also be legalised. Read the detailed instructions on the legalisation and translation of documents. 

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 once you have all the necessary attachments, such as a study or attendance certificate.

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.

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.