Identification in authorities’ e-services to change – Around 2.8 million people will be prompted to activate Suomi.fi Messages once they have identified themselves
As of 12 May 2025, 2.8 million people will be prompted to activate Suomi.fi Messages when they identify themselves in public administration e-services. The aim of the current change is to encourage people to switch over to receiving official mail primarily electronically.
“The activation of Suomi.fi Messages saves time for both citizens and the authorities when the messages are sent quickly and securely to the right recipient. At the same time, it reduces the costs and environmental impacts related to paper mail. The goal is for more and more citizens to transition to digital communications with authorities smoothly and securely,” says Project Manager Annette Hotari from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.
How will the activation prompt change identification?
Suomi.fi Messages will not be activated automatically for anyone on 12 May 2025. Instead, the user can decide on the activation of the service by themselves.
- The activation prompt will be displayed to adults who have not yet activated Suomi.fi Messages.
- The person will see the prompt for the activation of Suomi.fi Messages whenever they use strong identification to identify themselves in a public administration e-service with Suomi.fi e-Identification.
- The activation requires that the user enters their email address and confirms it within an hour. The user will be sent a notification to their email each time they have received new mail in Suomi.fi Messages.
- If they wish, they can skip the activation of Suomi.fi Messages and continue identification in the normal manner. It is also possible to activate Suomi.fi Messages later.
Illustration of how identification in public administration e-services will change as of 12 May 2025:
How can electronic messages be read?
- It is possible to read the official messages received in Suomi.fi Messages in the Suomi.fi mobile application or by logging in to the Suomi.fi Web Service and going to "Messages" there.
- Identification takes place with online banking codes, a mobile certificate or the electronic certificate on an ID card.
- The user will be sent a notification to the email they have provided in the service whenever a new message arrives in Suomi.fi Messages. Notifications of incoming messages will also be received through the Suomi.fi mobile app if the app has been downloaded.
- The user can later switch back to receiving paper mail by changing the settings for Suomi.fi Messages. The instructions can be found in the Suomi.fi Web Service.
It is possible to activate Suomi.fi Messages at https://suomi.fi/messages or by downloading the Suomi.fi mobile application.
Further information
- Digital and Population Data Services Agency, Project Manager Annette Hotari, tel. +358 295 535 028, [email protected]
- Maria Juka-Lahdenperä, Service Owner of Suomi.fi Messages from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, tel. +358 295 535 334, [email protected]
Links
More information on Suomi.fi Messages: https://www.suomi.fi/instructions-and-support/messages
Further information on Suomi.fi e-Identification: https://www.suomi.fi/instructions-and-support/identification/what-is-suomifi-e-identification
What is Suomi.fi Messages?
Suomi.fi Messages is a secure electronic mailbox that replaces official paper mail. The service is used by several authorities, and its use is constantly increasing. Incoming messages can be read using the Suomi.fi mobile application or by logging in to the Suomi.fi Web Service at https://suomi.fi. This way, you can read incoming mail wherever you are.
Notifications of incoming messages are sent to the email address that you have provided to the service. Users of the Suomi.fi mobile application will also receive notifications directly through the app.
You can access Suomi.fi Messages by downloading the Suomi.fi mobile application or by logging in at https://suomi.fi/messages. Identification takes place with online banking codes, a mobile certificate or the electronic certificate on an ID card. By activating Suomi.fi Messages, you will also receive mail from various authorities electronically.
More information on Suomi.fi Messages: https://www.suomi.fi/instructions-and-support/messages
What does the transition to digital communication with authorities mean?
Finland will gradually move towards electronic communications with the authorities. From the beginning of 2026, official mail will chiefly be delivered digitally to everyone who uses electronic services. Persons of adult age who log into the authorities’ electronic e-services can use Suomi.fi Messages in connection with Suomi.fi e-Identification without separate consent, unless the service is already in use.
Those who cannot use digital services will continue to receive official mail on paper, unless they choose otherwise. A person can also cancel the reception of electronic messages with just a notification, after which mail will be sent by paper mail once again. If a person who has selected paper mail continues to use the e-services, an electronic mailbox will be created again for them after the deadline.
The transition to digital communication will bring significant benefits. This will save tens of millions of euros per year for society and make everyday life easier for citizens. Official mail will be available faster than before, can be found in one place and always be available.
Read more: https://dvv.fi/en/digital-first-project
