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Finnish Personal Identity Code and Municipality of Residence Registration for Newcomers
Document Checklist
passi · pass
Valid passport
Required for: All applicants. Non-EU and non-Nordic applicants present the passport as the primary identity document; EU citizens may use either a passport or a national photo identity card.
Accepted alternative: For citizens of Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, San Marino and EU member states, an official photo identity card issued by the home country is accepted in lieu of a passport.
DVV verifies the original document at the in-person visit. A clear photocopy is helpful for the file but does not replace presentation of the original.
oleskelulupakortti · uppehållstillståndskort
Residence permit card, registration certificate, or residence card from Migri
Non-EU applicants: Residence permit card issued by Maahanmuuttovirasto · Migrationsverket (Migri, the Finnish Immigration Service) following an approved permit application via Enter Finland or a Finnish mission abroad.
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens staying longer than three months: Registration certificate of an EU citizen's right of residence issued by Migri after registration via Enter Finland or at a Migri service point.
Third-country family members of an EU citizen: Residence card for a family member of an EU citizen issued by Migri.
DVV cannot register a non-Nordic foreigner without one of these documents. The Migri decision is the upstream legal basis; a tourist or visa-free stay alone does not entitle a person to a personal identity code.
Proof of grounds for registration
Work-based: Employment contract or assignment letter from a Finnish employer covering the intended stay. A contract or assignment of at least two years also supports municipality-of-residence registration.
Study-based: Certificate of admission from a Finnish higher-education institution. Studies of at least two years also support municipality-of-residence registration.
Family-based: Certificate of marriage or registered partnership with a Finnish citizen or a resident already holding a kotikunta, or other evidence of the qualifying family relationship.
Repatriating Finnish citizen: Evidence of Finnish descent or prior Finnish residence — for example a Finnish birth certificate, a parent's Finnish citizenship document, or a prior period of registration in the Population Information System.
DVV must be satisfied that the applicant has a genuine basis to be recorded in Finland. The proof requirement is heavier for the kotikunta than for the personal identity code, and for the B-permit route the document set is the most demanding.
Civil-status documents (if recording family-status changes)
Examples: Marriage certificate, registered-partnership certificate, divorce decree, or birth certificates of children being registered at the same appointment.
Originals required: DVV records family-status changes only on the basis of original certificates. Photocopies are not accepted in this category.
Language and legalisation: Finnish, Swedish and English are accepted as-is. Other languages require translation by an authorised translator and legalisation of the foreign-language original (apostille for Hague Convention countries; consular legalisation otherwise).
DVV does not provide translation services. Arrange translation and legalisation before the appointment — often before arrival in Finland — to avoid a second visit.
Completed pre-arrival online preliminary form (printout with reference)
Personal identity code form: Available on the DVV form portal at lomakkeet.dvv.fi. The form does not require strong identification and can be filled in from outside Finland; a reference number for the appointment is generated on submission.
Municipality-of-residence form: Also available on the DVV form portal. Where personal identity code and kotikunta are applied for at the same appointment, the data captured online is reused at the visit.
Submission of the preliminary form does not by itself create the personal identity code. The in-person DVV visit is the registration event. The form is a pre-population step that speeds the appointment because staff do not need to enter the data manually.
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