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
-
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
-
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.
-
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.
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.
Didn’t find what you were looking for on our website?
Contact us
You can find the average processing times on our website.
If your message contains personal or other confidential information, remember to use secure email. Choose the address [email protected] as the recipient.
Telephone service
Telephone service: 0295 536 320
Service hours: Mon–Fri 9–15
- Individuals
- Processing times
- Marriage
- Having or adopting a child
- Names
- Moving
- Guardianship
- Life changes while living abroad
- Moving while living abroad
- Registration of a child born abroad
- Marriage concluded abroad
- Partnership registered abroad
- Divorce granted abroad
- Registration of a name change performed abroad
- Gender recognised abroad
- Death abroad
- Registration of citizenship
- Notification of retaining Finnish citizenship
- Legalisation of foreign documents
- Submitting foreign documents
- As a foreigner in Finland
- Registration of a foreigner
- Guide for students
- Municipality of residence
- Family relationships and Marital Status
- Instructions on arriving in Finland from Ukraine
- Guide for employed persons
- Fast track service for specialists and growth entrepreneurs
- Instructions for legalisation
- Submitting foreign documents
- Foreigner’s move to Finland, in Finland and out of Finland
- Check your own personal details
- Elections and Right to vote
- Suomi.fi Web Service
- Citizen Certificate and electronic identity
- 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
- Public Service Info
- Address service
- Forms
- Digital support for citizens
- Organisations
- Certificates
- For social welfare and healthcare service providers
- For organisations
- Electronic sealing service
- Timestamping Service
- Electronic signature
- Service certificates
- Advisory service, support and revocation service
- Certificate Directory
- Test the use of a certificate
- Card Reader Software
- Information about certificates
- Population information services for organisations
- Public administration sampling and updating service
- Private sector information services
- PIS modified data interface
- Modified data update service
- Population Information System query interface
- Browser-based Population Information System query
- Resident sampling services for property management offices and maintenance companies
- Data extraction for municipalities
- Reform of personal identity code
- Conditions for using population information
- Maintaining the Population Information System
- Extracts from registers
- Suomi.fi services
- Services to promote digitalisation
- Digital support
- Digital security services
- Services of notary public
- Certification of purchase
- Right to officiate weddings
- E-services
- Finnish Authenticator identification service
- Certificates
- About the agency
- Digital and Population Data Services Agency
- Digital and Population Data Services Agency as an Employer
- Use our services electronically
- Contact
- Customer service for private customers
- Customer service for organisations
- Service locations
- Digital and Population Data Services Agency address, switchboard e-billing details
- Digital and Population Data Services Agency Management
- Marriage ceremony premises information
- Contact details for media
- International Affairs
- Invoicing
- Quality policy
- Equality plan for customers
- Data protection
- News
- Population Information System
- For media
- Brochures and publications
- Projects
- Foresight and research cooperation