Finnish Personal Identity Code and Municipality of Residence Registration for Newcomers
The henkilötunnus · personbeteckning is Finland's eleven-character personal identity code.
A kotikunta · hemkommun is the municipality of residence that drives healthcare, schooling, and the broader range of Kela benefits. Both are issued by DVV, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. Five eligibility routes apply — non-EU residence-permit holder, EU/EEA/Swiss citizen with Migri registration, Nordic citizen, family member of an EU citizen, and repatriating Finnish citizen — each with distinct prerequisites.
Estimated time
Online preliminary submission to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV) is immediate. The in-person appointment must take place within one month of submission and typically lasts twenty to thirty minutes. Indicative processing after the appointment is two to three weeks for personal identity code requests connected to work or study, and three to four weeks for other grounds. Municipality of residence registration runs in parallel when applied for at the same visit.
Cost
€0 (DVV does not invoice this registration)
What You Need
Tap to check off items as you gather them
Additional Items
- Migri residence permit fee — paid to the Finnish Immigration Service before or at the time of the permit application, not at the DVV visit. Current Migri fee schedule applies; verify the live amount on the Migri processing-fees page.
- Migri EU registration certificate fee — paid to the Finnish Immigration Service for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens staying longer than three months. Current Migri fee schedule applies.
- Authorised translation costs — paid privately to authorised translators for civil-status documents in languages other than Finnish, Swedish or English. DVV does not invoice this.
- Apostille or consular legalisation — paid to the country of origin's competent authority. DVV does not invoice this.
- Travel to the DVV service location — some applicants travel to a regional centre. Not a DVV-set cost.
- Eleven-character code format — the henkilötunnus is an eleven-character identifier in the pattern DDMMYY-XXXX (with a separator character in the seventh position that encodes the century). The same code is used by every Finnish authority and by most private institutions, including banks, telecommunications operators and employers.
- Statutory basis routed to research_sources — the Act on the Population Information System and the Digital and Population Data Services Agency's Certificate Services governs the personal identity code; the kotikuntalaki · lagen om hemkommun (Municipality of Residence Act) governs the municipality of residence. Specific section numbers are tracked in the citations rather than in the procedural body because the Acts are amended on a multi-year cycle.
- Maistraatti legacy — maistraatti was the pre-2020 local register office. Some older university handbooks and third-party expat blogs still reference maistraatti by name; the institution merged into DVV on 1 January 2020 and the term is no longer the current authority name.
Step-by-Step
- 1
Identify Your Eligibility Route
Expat New Arrival- (Applicant) Read the five DVV eligibility paths before booking: a non-EU residence-permit holder presents a Migri residence permit card; an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen staying longer than three months presents a Migri registration certificate of right of residence; a Nordic citizen (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark) moving for at least six months registers directly with DVV under the Inter-Nordic Population Registration Convention without a Migri step; a third-country family member of an EU citizen presents a Migri residence card for a family member of an EU citizen; a repatriating Finnish citizen presents evidence of Finnish descent or prior Finnish residence.
- (Applicant) Confirm whether your route also qualifies you for a kotikunta in addition to the personal identity code. A continuous (A) permit, a permanent (P) permit, Nordic citizenship for at least six months, EU registration certificate, residence card as family member of an EU citizen, or a temporary (B) permit with one of the additional conditions all qualify; a tourist or visa-free stay does not.
- (Applicant) Check whether Maahanmuuttovirasto · Migrationsverket (Migri) already generated a personal identity code in connection with your permit. Many recent permit decisions include the code automatically — in which case the DVV visit is for kotikunta registration only.
💡 Tip: The eligibility route drives both the document checklist and which DVV form you submit first. A non-EU permit holder with a fresh Migri permit but no code follows the full foreigner-registration path; a non-EU permit holder whose Migri decision already includes the code follows the kotikunta-only path.
⚠️ Watch out: If none of the five routes applies — for example a short tourist or visa-free stay — DVV cannot register a personal identity code. The chain is upstream-permit then DVV then bank account then Kela then tax card; the chain cannot start without the upstream step.
- 2
Submit the DVV Preliminary Form Online
Expat New Arrival- (Applicant) Open the DVV form portal at lomakkeet.dvv.fi and select the English-language Request a Finnish identity code and registration of personal data form for the personal identity code route, or the equivalent municipality-of-residence form for the kotikunta-only route.
- (Applicant) Complete the form with passport details, Migri document references where applicable, current and intended address, and the grounds for registration (employment, study, family or other). The form does not require strong identification and can be filled in from outside Finland.
- (Applicant) Submit the form and save the reference number for the in-person appointment. Print the confirmation page to bring to DVV.
💡 Tip: Submit the preliminary form only once the in-person appointment is booked or the appointment slot is at most one month away. The one-month window starts from submission, and a lapsed window means resubmitting the form from scratch.
- 3
Book the DVV In-Person Appointment
Expat New Arrival- (Applicant) Open DVV's online booking system and choose Book an appointment for one person if registering only yourself, or Book an appointment for multiple people or a family for two to five people. Families of six or more must book two consecutive appointments.
- (Applicant) Select a DVV service location. In the Helsinki capital region the DVV desk inside International House Helsinki at Lintulahdenkuja 2 D, 00530 Helsinki serves residents of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen, Kirkkonummi and Sipoo, Monday to Friday 09:00 to 16:00, using the same DVV appointment system as other DVV locations.
- (Applicant) Confirm the appointment within the one-month window starting from preliminary-form submission; submit the preliminary form after the appointment is confirmed if the slot is more than a few days away.
💡 Tip: Peak newcomer seasons — August to September and January — push appointment availability at Helsinki, Espoo and Tampere out to four to six weeks. Outside peak seasons a slot is usually available within two to three weeks at the major locations.
- 4
Attend the DVV Appointment In Person
Expat New Arrival- (Applicant) Attend the appointment in person with the printed preliminary-form reference, your valid passport or accepted national photo identity card, the Migri residence permit card or registration certificate or residence card as applicable, the proof of grounds for registration (employment contract, certificate of studies, family certificate or evidence of Finnish descent), and any civil-status documents you want recorded — properly legalised and translated.
- (Applicant) Every applicant attends in person, including infants. Children's passports and any foreign-language birth certificates must accompany the child to the appointment, even when the parents are the ones speaking with DVV staff.
- (Digi- ja väestötietovirasto · Myndigheten för digitalisering och befolkningsdata) Verify the identity documents, the Migri-issued legal basis, and any supporting employment, study, family or descent evidence. DVV records the data into the Population Information System and confirms which records will be created — personal identity code, kotikunta, or both, depending on the eligibility route.
⚠️ Watch out: If the appointment falls outside the one-month window starting from preliminary-form submission, the preliminary submission is discarded and the form must be re-submitted from scratch. Book the appointment first and submit the form only once the slot is confirmed within the window.
- 5
Wait for DVV to Process the Registration
Expat New Arrival- (Digi- ja väestötietovirasto · Myndigheten för digitalisering och befolkningsdata) Process the registration from the day of the in-person visit. Indicative processing time is two to three weeks for personal identity code requests connected to work or study, and three to four weeks for other grounds — family-based, retirement-based or other categories that may require additional document verification.
- (DVV) Where the kotikunta is applied for at the same appointment, the municipality-of-residence registration runs in parallel on the same timetable. Contested or B-permit-with-additional-condition cases may take longer because the eligibility assessment requires fuller documentation review.
- (Applicant) Wait for DVV to send the written confirmation of the personal identity code and, where applicable, the kotikunta to your address in Finland.
💡 Tip: Use the processing window to line up the next steps — research Verohallinto's tax-card application, identify a bank to approach once the code arrives, and read Kela's Moving to Finland page so the post-DVV applications can move quickly.
- 6
Collect the Code and Open the Newcomer Stack
Expat New Arrival- (Applicant) Receive the written extract from the Population Information System (väestötietojärjestelmä · befolkningsdatasystemet) confirming your eleven-character personal identity code. Keep the letter — it is the most common proof requested when opening a bank account or signing a long-term contract before any Finnish identity card has been issued.
- (Applicant) Apply to Verohallinto · Skatteförvaltningen (the Finnish Tax Administration) for a tax card (verokortti · skattekort) using the personal identity code, register with Kela for benefit eligibility if you qualify on residence or employment grounds, open a Finnish bank account, and apply for Suomi.fi e-Identification credentials via Mobiilivarmenne · Mobilcertifikat or your bank's online-banking credentials.
- (Applicant) Where the kotikunta was issued, use it as the basis for healthcare registration with the wellbeing services county for your municipality and for any school-enrolment process for accompanying children. The kotikunta — not the personal identity code alone — is what unlocks public-healthcare access and the broader benefit range at Kela.
💡 Tip: Most downstream services accept the DVV extract letter as proof of the personal identity code. A Finnish identity card or driving licence is not a prerequisite for the bank, tax or Kela steps, although those credentials are useful in everyday transactions later.
Local Tips from the Community
- Book the in-person DVV appointment first, then submit the online preliminary form once the slot is confirmed. Appointment availability at busy locations such as Helsinki, Espoo and Tampere can stretch to four to six weeks during peak newcomer seasons (August-September and January), and the preliminary submission lapses if the in-person visit does not happen within one month of submission.
- Check your Migri permit decision letter carefully before booking with DVV. Many non-EU permit decisions now generate a henkilötunnus automatically as part of the Migri permit grant — in which case the DVV visit is for municipality-of-residence registration only, and the document checklist is shorter.
- Translate and legalise civil-status documents before arriving in Finland. DVV accepts Finnish, Swedish and English without further translation; all other languages require translation by an authorised translator and legalisation of the original (apostille for Hague Convention countries; consular legalisation otherwise). Translations done in the country of origin must still meet DVV's authorised-translator standard, and home-country translations are sometimes rejected.
- In the Helsinki capital region, the DVV desk inside International House Helsinki (Lintulahdenkuja 2 D, 00530 Helsinki) serves residents of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen, Kirkkonummi and Sipoo. Same DVV staff, same appointment system, and Kela, Vero, Migri and the international employment office co-located in the same building.
- The personal identity code does not automatically grant a kotikunta. People with a short B-permit can hold a henkilötunnus but no municipality of residence, in which case Kela's broader benefit range and the wellbeing-services-county healthcare entitlement do not yet apply.
What Could Go Wrong
Submit the online preliminary form: The applicant has no Migri residence permit or EU registration certificate yet
Recovery: Resolve the upstream Migri step first — for non-EU applicants apply for a residence permit via Enter Finland; for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens staying longer than three months register the right of residence via Enter Finland or at a Migri service point. DVV cannot register a non-Nordic foreigner without the Migri document. Nordic citizens skip the Migri step and register directly with DVV under the Inter-Nordic procedure.
Book the in-person DVV appointment: The next available appointment at the chosen DVV location is more than one month from the preliminary submission
Recovery: Book the appointment first, then submit the online preliminary form once the slot is confirmed so the one-month window is preserved. In the Helsinki capital region the DVV desk inside International House Helsinki uses the same DVV appointment system; consider alternative service locations if the primary one is fully booked during a peak newcomer season.
Attend the in-person visit with civil-status documents: Foreign-language marriage certificate or birth certificate is not legalised or not translated by an authorised translator
Recovery: DVV records family-status changes only on originals translated by an authorised translator (Finnish, Swedish or English are accepted as-is) and legalised by apostille (Hague Convention countries) or consular legalisation. Arrange translation and legalisation before re-attending. A home-country translation that does not meet DVV's authorised-translator standard is not accepted; redo it in Finland if needed.
Register the municipality of residence on a temporary (B) permit: A B-permit shorter than one year does not by itself qualify for a kotikunta
Recovery: DVV can still register the personal identity code on the B-permit. For municipality-of-residence eligibility on a B-permit, the additional condition route applies — for example an employment contract or assignment of at least two years from arrival, studies of at least two years at a Finnish higher-education institution, a prior period of kotikunta in Finland, continuous residence in Finland for at least one year, or Finnish descent. Document the qualifying condition and apply via the kotikunta form.
Use the personal identity code at downstream services: The applicant has a personal identity code but no kotikunta, and Kela has not triggered the expected benefit coverage
Recovery: Kela's broader benefit range and the wellbeing-services-county public-healthcare entitlement depend on the kotikunta, not the personal identity code alone. Apply for the municipality of residence via the DVV form portal and a DVV appointment, supplying proof of the qualifying basis. Where Kela coverage based on employment applies, the wage threshold and employment grounds are assessed separately.
Costs
| Item | Amount | Payment | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DVV registration of personal identity code at foreigner-registration appointment | €0 | — | DVV does not invoice the applicant for the personal identity code when applied for as part of the standard foreigner-registration appointment. The registration is integrated into a public service. |
| DVV registration of municipality of residence at foreigner-registration appointment | €0 | — | DVV does not invoice the applicant for the kotikunta registration when applied for at the same appointment as the personal identity code. Both records sit within the same Population Information System transaction. |
- Notes:
- DVV does not invoice the applicant for the personal identity code when applied for as part of the standard foreigner-registration appointment. The registration is integrated into a public service.
- Notes:
- DVV does not invoice the applicant for the kotikunta registration when applied for at the same appointment as the personal identity code. Both records sit within the same Population Information System transaction.
FAQ
General
Do I have to pay anything to DVV for these registrations?
DVV's standard foreigner-registration appointment, including the personal identity code and the municipality of residence registration, is not invoiced to the applicant. Costs that arrive alongside the process — the Migri permit or EU registration certificate fee, document translation and legalisation, apostille services from the country of origin — are paid to those other parties, not to DVV.
EU citizen moving for a six-month contract — what do I do?
Register your right of residence with Migri (required for any EU, EEA or Swiss stay longer than three months) via Enter Finland or at a Migri service point. Migri issues a registration certificate. Bring it to DVV with your passport or EU national photo identity card, your employment contract, and any civil-status documents you want recorded. DVV issues the personal identity code and, if the stay qualifies under the kotikuntalaki, the municipality of residence.
I have a Migri residence permit but no personal identity code. What now?
Either Migri did not generate one automatically in connection with your permit, or it was issued in a separate communication that arrived after the permit decision letter. Read the Migri decision end-to-end before booking with DVV. If no code appears anywhere in the decision, book a DVV foreigner-registration appointment and submit the online preliminary form within the one-month window.
I have a personal identity code but no kotikunta. How do I get one?
Submit the DVV municipality-of-residence preliminary form online via the DVV form portal, then book a DVV in-person appointment. Bring proof of the qualifying basis — an employment contract or assignment of at least two years, certificate of studies of at least two years, evidence of a family member already holding a kotikunta, or the relevant residence permit type. DVV cannot register a municipality of residence without one of the qualifying paths.
What is the difference between a personal identity code and a residence permit?
A residence permit from Migri is your legal right to be in Finland. A personal identity code from DVV is the identifier the Finnish system uses to find you in the Population Information System. The two are technically separate: the permit may be granted without an automatic code in older or specific categories, and a code from Migri or Verohallinto can in principle exist without a kotikunta if the stay is short.
Can I open a Finnish bank account before getting a personal identity code?
In practice the answer for a standard current account is no — banks need the code to apply Know-Your-Customer rules and to report to Verohallinto · Skatteförvaltningen (the Finnish Tax Administration). A few banks offer limited-functionality accounts that open on a passport and upgrade once the code arrives. Kela reinforces the dependency: before applying for benefits you must have a Finnish personal identity code and a bank account.
Nordic-country move — is the procedure different?
Yes. Citizens of Iceland, Norway, Sweden or Denmark moving to Finland for at least six months register directly with DVV under the Inter-Nordic Population Registration Convention. No Migri step is required first. Both the personal identity code and the kotikunta are issued in a single DVV transaction.
Can I pre-register from outside Finland?
Yes — the preliminary online forms can be filled in from outside Finland. The personal identity code form has accepted online preliminary submissions since May 2024 and the municipality-of-residence form since March 2023. The in-person DVV visit must take place after arrival and within one month of the online submission; the online step does not by itself create the records.
What if I move within Finland after registration?
A move within Finland is notified separately via the change-of-address procedure (muuttoilmoitus · flyttningsanmälan), filed with DVV — often through Posti's combined notification that updates DVV and postal delivery at the same time. The kotikunta updates to reflect the new address; the personal identity code does not change.
Do children need their own personal identity codes?
Yes. Every person in the Population Information System has their own eleven-character code, including infants. DVV's rule is that everyone who requests a personal identity code must visit in person within one month of submitting the form, including children. Families of two to five share one appointment slot; families of six or more must book two consecutive appointments.
After This Process
- → Apply to Verohallinto · Skatteförvaltningen for a tax card (verokortti · skattekort) once the personal identity code is in your possession — most newcomers need the tax card within the first weeks of starting work in Finland.
- → Register with Kela (Kansaneläkelaitos · Folkpensionsanstalten) using the Moving to Finland form so eligibility for residence-based or employment-based benefit coverage can be assessed.
- → Open a Finnish bank account — banks require the personal identity code to apply Know-Your-Customer rules and to report to Verohallinto. The DVV extract letter is the most common proof during the gap before any Finnish identity card.
- → Activate Suomi.fi e-Identification credentials via Mobiilivarmenne · Mobilcertifikat through your mobile operator, or via your bank's online-banking credentials, so downstream e-services accept your authentication.
- → Where the kotikunta was issued, register for public healthcare through your wellbeing services county and, for accompanying children, contact your municipality's education office about school enrolment.
Sources
- Suomi.fi — DVV Foreigner Registration service page (citizen aggregator canonical) (suomi.fi ↗)
- InfoFinland — Registering as a Resident (KEHA Centre multilingual newcomer aggregator) (infofinland.fi ↗)
- InfoFinland — Municipality of Residence in Finland (infofinland.fi ↗)
- Kela — Moving to Finland (kela.fi ↗)
- Verohallinto — Arriving in Finland (vero.fi ↗)
- International House Helsinki — Registration, Personal Identity Code, Change of Address (ihhelsinki.fi ↗)
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More in Finland
7 sources cited last accessed 2026-05-21
T1 official portal · T2 embassy/consulate · T3 news · T4 community — higher tier wins on conflict. methodology →
- T1Suomi.fi — DVV Foreigner Registration service page (citizen aggregator canonical for the DVV foreigner-registration service) 2026-05-21
Suomi.fi citizen-aggregator service page hosts the canonical foreigner-registration entry point for DVV. The page identifies the Digital and Population Data Services Agency as the responsible authority, lists the personal identity code and municipality of residence as the two records issued at the foreigner-registration appointment, and links the online preliminary forms on the DVV form portal. The service is described as integrated into the Population Information System with no fee invoiced to the applicant at the standard foreigner-registration appointment.
suomi.fi - T1InfoFinland (KEHA Centre — multilingual newcomer aggregator) 2026-05-21
Newcomer aggregator describes the documents required at the DVV foreigner-registration visit — a valid passport or an official EU citizen's photo identity card, a residence permit card or other proof of legal residence in Finland, proof of the grounds for registration (employment contract, certificate of studies, family certificate or evidence of Finnish descent), and original, legalised and translated certificates of family relations. The page explains that when a personal identity code is received the applicant is not yet automatically registered as a resident in a specific municipality, and that the municipality of residence is a separate determination based on the Municipality of Residence Act.
infofinland.fi - T1InfoFinland (KEHA Centre — Municipality of Residence in Finland page) 2026-05-21
Municipality of residence eligibility breakdown — a Nordic citizen moving for at least six months is automatically eligible without a Migri step; an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen must first register the right of residence with Migri; continuous (A) and permanent (P) residence permits qualify automatically; a residence card for a family member of an EU citizen qualifies; a temporary (B) residence permit valid for at least one year qualifies when combined with an additional condition (employment or assignment of at least two years from arrival, studies of at least two years at a Finnish higher-education institution, a prior period of municipality of residence in Finland, continuous residence in Finland for at least one year, or Finnish descent).
infofinland.fi - T1Kela (Kansaneläkelaitos · Folkpensionsanstalten — Moving to Finland page) 2026-05-21
Kela's Moving to Finland page states the ordering dependency: before applying for benefits the applicant must have a Finnish personal identity code and a bank account. The personal identity code is described as issued by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. Kela further requires a residence permit granted by the Finnish Immigration Service for non-EU applicants. An employment-route wage threshold of EUR 800.02 per month is published as the lower bound for employment-based Kela eligibility — this threshold is statutory and is routed to the Kela slot in this corpus for full procedural elaboration.
kela.fi - T1Verohallinto · Skatteförvaltningen (Finnish Tax Administration — Arriving in Finland) 2026-05-21
Verohallinto describes the authority topology for the personal identity code: the Digital and Population Data Services Agency issues Finnish personal IDs, and in some cases IDs can be issued by the Finnish Immigration Service or the Finnish Tax Administration. The Finnish authority's official Swedish-language name is Skatteförvaltningen — a Finland-specific institution distinct from any similarly-named tax authority of a neighbouring Nordic country. Verohallinto also confirms the six-month residence test that triggers full Finnish tax liability and the registration step for construction or shipyard workers.
vero.fi - T2International House Helsinki — Registration, Personal Identity Code, Change of Address (City of Helsinki international-newcomer service) 2026-05-21
International House Helsinki hosts a DVV service desk at Lintulahdenkuja 2 D, 00530 Helsinki, operating Monday to Friday 09:00 to 16:00, mainly by appointment using the same DVV reservation system as other DVV locations. The desk serves residents of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen, Kirkkonummi and Sipoo. The personal identity code is described as an eleven-character identifier required for banking, phone subscriptions, employment, and everyday transactions in Finland. Fast-track DVV handling is available for applicants whose Migri permit was processed under the specialist or growth-entrepreneur fast track.
ihhelsinki.fi - T1DVV (Digi- ja väestötietovirasto · Myndigheten för digitalisering och befolkningsdata — foreigner registration canonical, cited via Suomi.fi + InfoFinland aggregators because the dvv.fi domain blocks programmatic access) 2026-05-21
DVV is the national agency operating the Population Information System and issuing personal identity codes and municipality of residence registrations. DVV was formed on 1 January 2020 by merging the previous local register offices (maistraatti) and the Population Register Centre. Online preliminary forms have been accepted since May 2024 for the personal identity code and since March 2023 for the municipality of residence; the in-person appointment must take place within one month of online submission, otherwise the preliminary submission lapses. Indicative processing is two to three weeks for personal identity code requests connected to work or study, and three to four weeks for other grounds. Statutory basis for the personal identity code is the Act on the Population Information System and the Digital and Population Data Services Agency's Certificate Services; statutory basis for the municipality of residence is the kotikuntalaki · lagen om hemkommun (Municipality of Residence Act).
dvv.fi