Notification of a marriage concluded abroad

If you have got married abroad, please notify the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of it. The information about your marriage can then be registered in the Finnish Population Information System and your personal data will be up to date. A surname that has been changed in connection with concluding the marriage can be registered at the same time.

If you are a Finnish citizen, you have the obligation to notify any changes in your personal data to the Finnish Population Information System.

To have your marriage registered, you have to deliver the original marriage certificate issued by the foreign authority to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. When the information about your marriage has been recorded in the Population Information System, you will receive an extract from the Population Information System showing the names of the spouses and the date on which the marriage was concluded.

If the Digital and Population Data Services Agency does not record the information you have submitted to it in the Population Information System, you will receive a decision stating it.

You can make a claim for a revised decision concerning this register entry to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency within 30 days of having been informed of the decision. The instructions for making a claim for a revised decision are sent to you with to the decision.

Registration of a changed surname

A surname that has been changed in connection with concluding a marriage can also be registered at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. The change of surname should be indicated either in the marriage certificate or the personal identity document. However, if the new surname is not indicated in the marriage certificate or the personal identity document, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency can register the change of surname based on your notification subject to certain conditions. This is possible if your place of residence is in Finland.

Finnish citizens living in Sweden

The Swedish authorities forward the details of the marriage to be registered in the Finnish Population Information System through official channels. If the person is a citizen of both Finland and Sweden, Sweden considers the person to be its own citizen only and will not forward the information. Persons with dual citizenship therefore have to submit the notification themselves.

If you have concluded a marriage abroad, the details of the marriage can be registered in the Finnish Population Information System. This way your personal data will be up to date and using the services of the Finnish authorities will be easier. If you are a Finnish citizen, you have the duty to report your changed personal details to the Finnish Population Information System.

To have your marriage registered, you have to deliver the original marriage certificate issued by the foreign authority to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. When the information about your marriage has been recorded in the Population Information System, you will receive an extract from the Population Information System showing the names of the spouses and the date on which the marriage was concluded.

If the Digital and Population Data Services Agency does not record the information you have submitted to it in the Population Information System, you will receive a decision stating it. You can make a claim for a revised decision concerning this register entry to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency within 30 days of having been informed of the decision. The instructions for making a claim for a revised decision are sent to you with to the decision.

Registration of a changed surname

A surname that has been changed in connection with concluding a marriage can also be registered at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. The change of surname should be indicated either in the marriage certificate or the personal identity document. However, if the new surname is not indicated in the marriage certificate or the personal identity document, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency can register the change of surname based on your notification subject to certain conditions. This is possible if your place of residence is in Finland.

Finnish citizens living in Sweden

The Swedish authorities forward the details of the marriage to be registered in the Finnish Population Information System through official channels. If the person is a citizen of both Finland and Sweden, Sweden considers the person to be its own citizen only and will not forward the information. Persons with dual citizenship therefore have to submit the notification themselves.

Do as follows

Deliver the original documents, legalised if necessary, related to your marriage and copies of your passports to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. If one or both of you are Finnish citizens, you can also deliver the documents to the nearest Finnish diplomatic mission.

Notify a marriage concluded abroad 

You may need to have the documents legalised or translated. 

See separate instructions for legalisation

Frequently asked questions