 Population
Information System
Notification
Of Move
Immigrants
from Nordic Countries
Related
Web Sites
Registration
in the Population Information System
Everyone registered in the
Population Information System is given a personal
identity number (henkilötunnus). The number
is used for identification purposes, for example in banks,
hospitals and the registers of different authorities. Life
in Finland is rather more complicated without this, so it's
well worth getting even if you are not required to!
Register
Offices (Maistraatti) are the local population registration
authorities in Finland. They maintain
the population register and local information services. Registered
data includes names, births, deaths, as well as foreigners’
registration notifications and Notifications Of Move.
The Population Information System also
forwards changes of address and other data to the Social
Insurance Institution (KELA). After entry into the Population
Information System a KELA card, which proves entitlement
to social security, can be applied for at the local KELA
office (more
info.)
Immigrants who intend to stay in Finland
for longer than one year must notify the local Register Office
of their permanent residence. The Register Office also needs
to see your passport, a valid residence permit and, if applicable,
a marriage certificate and birth certificates of children.
Other information that will be registered are e.g. name,
date of birth, citizenship, family relationships and address.
At the Register Office the immigrant has
to fill in and sign the form 'Registration Information
on a Foreigner' and make an official Notification Of
Move, which records your permanent residence
(i.e. address). After registration the immigrant is given
a Finnish personal identity number, which can then be acquired
one week after registration.
Foreigners staying in Finland less than
a year can also be entered in the Population Information
System if it is necessary for them in order to be able to
stay or work in Finland. In this case they are given a personal
identity number but they will not be registered as permanent
residents of a municipality. The Registration Office
can only register the information if the person comes personally
to the Office and shows his passport, or other document that
proofs his personal data and his citizenship. Before emigrating
to Finland, it is always advisable to contact the local registration
office in the home country for advice on what needs to be
done.
Contact Information: Population Register Centres
Postal address: P.O.Box 70, FI-00581 Helsinki, FINLAND
Office: Tynnyrintekijänkatu 1 C, Helsinki, Finland
Tel: +358 09 229 161
Fax: +358 09 2291 6795
E -mail: kirjaamo@vrk.fi
More Info: http://www.vaestorekisterikeskus.fi (Finnish,
English, Swedish)
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Notification
Of Move
By Finnish law you must submit a Notification
Of Move no later than a week after the
day of your move, and no earlier than a month before
the day of your move. You must always make the notification
if you move permanently into a new home or if your temporary
stay at another address is longer than three months.
The easiest ways to submit
a Notification Of Move are:
*NOTE: All changes of address
from Finland to abroad, and to Finland from abroad, must
be notified either over the Internet or by using a paper
form. Forms are available from your nearest local register
office or post office.
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Immigrants
from Nordic countries
From 1 January 2007, a new inter-Nordic
agreement on population registration has been applied to
moves within the Nordic countries – Finland, Denmark
(including the Faroe Islands and Greenland), Iceland, Norway
and Sweden.
If you are moving to Finland from a Nordic
country, you must inform the local registration authority
of your arrival and present identification (passport, ID
card issued by the police or other corresponding document)
to the authority. When your personal identity code or number
is known, your details are transferred electronically from
the registration authorities of the country of origin to
the Finnish authority.
The purpose of the new agreement is to ensure
that those moving within the Nordic countries are registered
in the population register of only one country at a time
and to prevent movers from not being included in any Nordic
population register.
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