Names
Every person with a place of residence in Finland and whose details have been entered into the Population Information System can change their forename or surname in Finland. Finnish citizens who live abroad and have a place of residence in a country other than Denmark, Norway or Sweden can also change their name in Finland. Registering a name changed outside Finland.
Forename
Everybody must have a forename. You can have a maximum of four forenames. Names combined with a hyphen are considered as one name. Forenames must meet the requirements laid out in the Act on Forenames and Surnames.
Surname
When born, a child is given the surname of his or her parents if the parents have a common surname. If the parents have different surnames, they must state which parent’s surname or compound surname the child will receive when submitting the details of the child to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency or the parish for registration.
If the parents do not have a common surname or a common compound surname but they already have a common child in joint custody, the new child will be given the surname of his or her sibling.
Contact us
If your message contains personal or other confidential information, remember to use secure email. Choose the address [email protected] as the recipient.
PLEASE NOTE! When submitting details of your children (such as their names), select [email protected] as the recipient in the secure mail. Read more about notification of a child's name.
Telephone
Telephone number +358 295 539 080
Telephone service from Monday to Friday 9-12
Service locations
- Individuals
- Marriage
- Examination of impediments to marriage
- Marriage ceremony
- Prenuptial agreement
- Notification of a marriage concluded abroad
- Divorce granted abroad
- Registration of the act applicable to the matrimonial property regime
- Registration of a deed of division of property
- Dissolution of cohabitation
- Removal of marital rights to property
- Extracts issued of the register on the right to officiate at weddings
- Having or adopting a child
- Names
- Moving
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- Suomi.fi Web Service
- Citizen Certificate and electronic identity
- Guardianship
- Continuing power of attorney
- Appointment of a guardian
- Duties of the guardian
- Guardianship for a minor
- Who can act as a guardian?
- Actions that require the permission of the guardianship authority
- Appointing a substitute guardian
- Termination of guardianship
- Giving up the guardian’s task
- Guardianship authority's means of supervision
- Looking after the interests of an absent person or the future owner of the property
- Restrictions to competency and declaration of incompetence
- Extracts from the Register of Guardianship Affairs
- Certificates from the Population Information System
- Population information in the Population Information System
- Registration of a gift notification
- Services of notary public
- Certification of purchase
- Citizens’ initiative
- Death and estate inventory
- Living abroad
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- About the agency