Change of name
You can use our services to manage matters related to changes of name.
You can change your forename and surname in Finland, if
- you live in Finland and your data has been entered in the Finnish Population Information System.
- you are a Finnish citizen and live abroad outside Norway, Sweden and Denmark. If you live in Norway, Sweden or Denmark and would like to change your name, please contact the authorities in your country of residence.
Remember to also notify us if you have changed your name abroad so that we can enter it in the Population Information System.
Forename
Everyone must have at least one and no more than four forenames. You can change your forename by following the instructions on our website. Please also notify us if you have changed your name abroad.
You can view other people's forenames in the name service. We also publish data on the most popular names of children born in Finland each year.
Surname
You can change your surname or modify its spelling. Please also notify us if you have changed your name abroad.
When you get married, your surnames will remain unchanged unless you notify us of changing them. You do not need to apply for a change of surname when you get married. Instead, you will notify the change of surname when you request an examination of impediments to marriage.
The child's names
When you notify us of the child’s names for the first time, it is a notification of the child’s personal details. Instead of submitting an application for a name change, notify us of the personal details of your child according to the instructions on a different page.
The name of a minor child entered in the Population Information System can be changed using the instructions on our website.
Contact us
You can manage forename- and surname-related matters with us in the following ways:
1. Email
Contact us primarily by email. However, please do not enquire about the processing time by email as it will lead to congestion in our service. As a rule, we process the applications in the order we have received them. You can find the average processing times on our website.
Use secure mail to send the email so that your information is encrypted. Select [email protected] as the recipient in the secure mail. In your message, enter at least your personal data and the matter that your message is about.
Please note! When you are notifying a child’s names or the child's other information, select [email protected] as the recipient of the secure mail. Read more about notification of a child's name.
2. Telephone
You can also contact us by phone on weekdays between 9.00 and 12.00. Our telephone number is 0295 539 080.
3. Posting the documents
You can also post the required documents to us to the following address: the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, P.O. Box 1003, 02151 Espoo, Finland
4. Using our services at a service location
If you cannot handle the matter in another way, you may book an appointment at one of our service locations. However, applications for a change of name do not require you to visit the service location in person and visiting a service location in person does not speed up the processing of your application.
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