The personal identity code
The personal identity code is a means of identification for individuals that is more specific than a name. Several people may have the exact same name but there are no two persons with exactly the same personal identity code. The personal identity code is meant to be permanent.
The personal identity code is used to identify persons in the registers and information systems of different authorities as well as in data communication between them. Some private sector actors such as banks, insurance companies, and private healthcare service providers may also need your personal identity code to ensure that information is registered for the correct person.
A personal identity code is issued to a person who is registered in Finland’s Population Information System. Personal identity codes were introduced in Finland in the 1960s.
Parents of children born in Finland do not need to take any measures to obtain a personal identity code for the child. The hospital enters the necessary details of all births into the Population Information System, and when the child’s birth is registered, a personal identity code is issued to the child.
Finnish citizens born abroad are issued a personal identity code after the Digital and Population Data Services Agency has registered the child in the Population Information System at the parents’ request.
Children adopted from abroad to Finland usually receive a personal identity code after arriving in Finland. However, children adopted from some countries will receive a personal identity code before they enter Finland.
A personal identity code is issued to a foreign citizen moving to Finland from abroad after they have been registered in the Population Information System at their own request or at the time they are granted a residence permit.
The personal identity code is meant to be permanent. It can only be changed if a person’s date of birth or gender has been registered incorrectly or if the person is legally confirmed to be a different gender. Additionally, in very exceptional cases, the personal identity code can be changed to protect a person, if their health or safety is threatened, or if another person has repeatedly misused the original code.
Frequently asked questions
The personal identity code is necessary to apply for pensions and other benefits, among other things. It is also needed for the payment of salaries and wages to ensure that the money is paid to the correct person.
A responsible use of the personal identity code reduces the possibility of errors in registers and, thus, improves the protection of the individual’s privacy.
The personal identity code or a combination of the personal identity code and the name may not be used as the only means of identifying a person, but other personal data is also needed for reliable identification (Section 29(5) of the Data Protection Act (1050/2018)).
The personal identity code indicates the person's date of birth and the gender as recorded in the Population Information System.
The personal identity code does not contain any other personal data, such as the person’s nationality, municipality of residence or right of residence in Finland. You cannot prove your identity only by stating your personal identity code.
Anna Suomalainen’s personal identity code is 131052-308T. The first part – 131052 – tells us the day, month and year of her birth, in the form ddmmyy. Thus, her date of birth is 13 October -52.
The separator after the date of birth tells us the century in which she was born. In Anna’s case, the sign is a hyphen (-), which means she was born in the 1900s, i.e., 1952. For people born in the 19th century, the separator is a plus sign (+), for people born in the 20th century, a hyphen (-) or the letter Y, and for those born in the 21st century, the letter A. In the future, other separators can also be introduced to ensure there are enough personal identity codes (see section 2 of the Decree on the Population Information System, in Finnish).
The individual number, which for Anna is 308, distinguishes between persons with the same date of birth. Men have an odd number and women an even number. In practice, all individual numbers issued are between 002 and 899.
The control character is a number or a letter and the final character in a personal identity code. It is established by dividing the nine-digit number consisting of a person’s date of birth and individual number by 31.
The control character is determined on the basis of the remainder according to the table to the left:
Remainder = control character
30 = Y
When calculating the remainder which is equal to the personal identity code’s control character with a calculator and when the result is a decimal number, the remainder is established as follows: the decimals following the whole number are multiplied by 31 and the resulting number is rounded to the nearest whole number according to the following example.
Anna Suomalainen’s personal identity code is 131052-308T. The T is derived by taking the number 131052308 and dividing it by 31. The result of the division, depending on the precision of the calculator, may appear as 4227493.8064516129032258064516129.
When the series of numbers following the full number 0.8064516129032258064516129 is multiplied by 31 the result is 24.9999999999999999999999999. This is rounded to the closest full number, which in this case is 25. The control character for 25 is T.
If a child is born at home or in a place other than a healthcare unit, but with the assistance of a doctor, midwife, public health nurse, nurse or other healthcare professional, this healthcare professional must then notify the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of the birth of a live child.
The notification is submitted with the Notification of Birth to the Population Information System form. The notification is filled in and sent to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency no later than the day after the birth or no later than a day after the healthcare unit or healthcare professional has been notified of the birth. If the healthcare unit has permission to submit information on the birth electronically, the paper form is generally not used. Forms are available at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.
If a child is born without the assistance of a healthcare professional, the mother or custodian of the child must notify a healthcare unit or healthcare professional of the birth, and these instances must then notify the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of the birth. Forms are available at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.
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