Read the instructions for citizens of EU countries, Switzerland or Liechtenstein and citizens of other countries on our website.
What is a municipality of residence?
Finland is divided into several administrative regions called municipalities. A municipality of residence is usually the municipality where you live.
When you have a municipality of residence,
- you usually have the right to use the services provided by your municipality of residence, such as public health care or children’s day care
- you can get a Finnish identity card and a driving licence
- services provided by authorities or receive financial benefits or subsidies.
When can a Nordic citizen receive a municipality of residence?
You can get a municipality of residence if the following conditions are met:
- You have arrived in Finland.
- You are planning to live in Finland for at least one year.
To get a municipality of residence, you must visit a service location in person.
Do as follows
I do not yet have a Finnish personal identity code
I already have a Finnish personal identity code
1. Fill in and print out the form “Changing a temporary address into a permanent address” in advance.
Changing a temporary address into a permanent address
2. Book an appointment for the “Registration of a foreigner´s municipality of residence and permanent address” service in our booking service.
3. Bring your valid passport or identity card with a photograph. When visiting, tell us your personal identity code or personal identity number used in another Nordic country so that we can notify the registration authority of your country of origin that you have moved to Finland.
Frequently asked questions
If information on your family relationships have not yet been recorded and you want to report them at the same time, bring an original signed and/or stamped extract of the family relationship information that you have received from an authority in another Nordic country (for example, Personbevis or Utdrag ur folkeregister). For more detailed instructions and the correct form, see our page “Life changes while living abroad”.
You can request a municipality of residence by filling in a notification of change of address if you already have a Finnish personal identity code.
Fill in the notification of change of address in either of the following ways:
- online if you have Finnish online banking IDs or a mobile certificate
- in person at a Posti service point or at our service location.
Note that everyone moving from another Nordic country must also visit our service location in person and present proof of their identity, including children.
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Customer service
You can find the average processing times on our website.
Please use secure email if your message contains personal or otherwise confidential information. Please choose this address as the recipient: [email protected]
Telephone
Telephone service number is +358 295 536 320
Service hours:
- Mon 9-15
- Tue-Fri 9-12