Change of name abroad
If you change your forename or surname abroad, please notify us following the instructions on this page. We will record the name change 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 obligation to notify the Finnish Population Information System of your name change.
You can prove that you have changed your name abroad by means of a document showing your new name, such as a passport or a decision issued by a foreign authority. You can alternatively submit a certified copy of your passport.
If you got married abroad and changed your surname, we can record your new name in the Population Information System. Your new surname must be shown in your marriage certificate or proof of identity document. Read more about the notification of a marriage concluded abroad and the change of name in connection with it.
Do the following
1. Fill in the form below.
Change/correction/addition to register information - international matters
2. Find out whether the document must be legalised and/or translated if you certify your name that you changed abroad with a document issued by a foreign authority.
- You must present the certificate either as an original or as a certified copy
- If your document must be legalised, a copy of it must be requested of the legalised document. The copy is then also legalised.
- A certified copy can be issued either by a notary public or by the same authority that issued the original document
3. Deliver the documents as follows:
A) Through the Finnish mission
- If you are a Finnish citizen or a foreign citizen permanently residing in Finland
- Otherwise, you can ask the diplomatic mission whether it is possible to submit documents through them
B) By post
- Send the form and documents to Digital and Population Data Services Agency, PL 1003, 00531 HELSINKI, FINLAND. If your municipality of residence was in Åland before moving abroad, send the documents to Statens ämbetsverk på Åland.
C) By bringing the documents to our service location
NOTE. Only electronic documents that can be verified can be sent by email (for example, the document was originally issued electronically by a foreign authority). If necessary, the electronic document must also be legalised. An electronic document does not mean a scanned document.
See more detailed instructions for submitting documents.
4. Please note that inquiries and email messages will not speed up the processing of the notifications. We will contact you if we need more information. You will receive an extract from the Population Information System after your details have been recorded. Check that the information has been entered correctly. If for some reason we do not record the information you have submitted in the Population Information System, you will receive a decision on this. Instructions for submitting a request for administrative review are attached to the decision.
Price
Free of charge.
When the registration has been completed, we will inform you about it by posting an extract from the Population Information System to you.
This is how you get the document:
You will receive a notification of registration after your data has been saved.
You will receive a notification via encrypted email when your data has been saved. If you have enabled Suomi.fi Messages, you will receive a message there instead of via email. If you do not have Suomi.fi Messages or email, you will be notified by letter.
We will contact you if we need more information.
Check that all your details have been entered correctly. If the information you have provided cannot be entered in the Population Information System, we will send you a decision on the case. Instructions for submitting a request for administrative review are attached to the decision.
See also
Finnish citizens can deliver documents to: Digital and Population Data Services Agency, PL 1003, 00531 HELSINKI, FINLAND or visit a Finnish mission. If you submit the documents to the delegation for further dispatch to the Digital and population data services agency, the delegation will charge a fee for its service in accordance with its price list.
Frequently asked questions
Scanned copies of documents alone are not sufficient. You must also submit the original documents for the Digital and Population Data Services Agency to see. See also separate instructions for the legalisation and translation of documents.
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.
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