The first Finnish office you visit will probably be quiet, tidy and slightly intimidating. Nobody will rush you, nobody will small-talk, and everything will work exactly as the website said it would. That is the good news about moving to Finland: the system is clear. The bad news is that it is also strictly ordered, and doing the steps in the wrong sequence can cost you weeks.
This guide gives you the sequence for an EU citizen, then shows where Swiss, Nordic and British arrivals differ.
What do you do first when moving to Finland?
You separate two questions that other countries blur together. The first is your right to stay. The second is your registration as a resident. Different agencies handle them.
- Maahanmuuttovirasto, Migri (the Finnish Immigration Service) registers the right of residence of EU citizens who stay more than three months. It also handles residence permits for other nationalities.
- Digi- ja väestötietovirasto, the DVV (Digital and Population Data Agency) enters you in the population information system, issues your henkilötunnus (personal identity code) and, if you settle for at least a year, a kotikunta (municipality of residence).
- Verohallinto, Vero is the Tax Administration. It issues your verokortti (tax card).
- Kela is the Social Insurance Institution. It decides if Finnish social security covers you.
The order that works is Migri, then the DVV, then Vero, then the bank, then Kela, then your municipality for school, daycare and employment services. Almost everything depends on the personal identity code, so that is the real bottleneck.
How does EU registration work in your first three months?
You can stay up to three months without registering. The InfoFinland page on EU citizens adds that the three months are counted from your last departure from Finland, so a weekend back home resets nothing in your favour.
If you stay longer, you apply to Migri for the registration of your right of residence; InfoFinland says the application must be submitted within three months of the day of arrival at the latest. The fee in 2026 is €53, online through the Enter Finland service or on paper. You then visit a Migri service point to prove your identity with your original documents. You need a ground for residence: a job, self-employment, studies, family ties, or enough resources not to depend on social assistance. Migri sets no fixed amount for resources.
Two details trip people up. If you are an employee or a student, the registration can only be granted once the job or studies have actually started, so do not file too early. And you can start working before the decision: an EU citizen does not need to wait for the paper. For a deeper look, read residence in Finland for EU citizens.
How do you get a Finnish personal identity code?
You fill in the DVV's online registration form (no electronic identification needed), book an appointment and visit within a month of submitting it, children included. Registration is free. The code arrives in 2 to 3 weeks if you came to work or study and 3 to 4 weeks in other cases, counted from your visit.
Bring a valid passport or EU identity card, your Migri registration certificate, and proof of work or studies. Family documents issued outside the Nordic countries and the EU usually need legalisation and a translation. The details are in our guide to the Finnish personal identity code.
Do you wonder whether your own papers will pass the DVV counter, or in which order to book your appointments? Moovy can check your situation, list the documents to bring and draft the Finnish or Swedish version of any message you need to send.
What is on your checklist for moving to Finland once you have the code?
Three things, in this order.
- Tax card. Apply to Vero with your code. Working without one means your employer withholds 60 per cent of your pay. The money comes back later, but your first months will be thin.
- Bank account and codes. You need a passport or identity card; a driving licence is not accepted. The account is the easy part. Online banking codes are what unlock Finnish public services, and they have stricter conditions. See opening a bank account in Finland and digital ID in Finland.
- Kela. Notify your move in OmaKela, the online service, and ask for the Kela card and benefits. Kela wants the personal identity code and a bank account first, because it does not pay in cash.
Which municipality and health system will you belong to?
If you move for at least a year, ask for a municipality of residence on the same DVV form. This matters more than it looks. Public healthcare is organised by the hyvinvointialue (wellbeing services county), and your access follows your kotikunta. A simple change-of-address notification does not give you one. Without it, you are not a normal user of municipal services, including public health centres.
Until you are registered, carry a physical European Health Insurance Card. Kela states that digital cards are not accepted. More in healthcare in Finland for expats.
What changes if you are Nordic, Swiss or British?
- Nordic citizens (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden) do not apply to Migri. They register their details with the DVV.
- Swiss and Liechtenstein citizens follow the same Migri then DVV route as EU citizens.
- British citizens are third-country nationals since Brexit. Newcomers need a residence permit, and only people covered by the Withdrawal Agreement keep their earlier rights. Read moving to Finland from the UK.
What can you do without a personal identity code?
More than people fear, and less than they hope. You can usually open a bank account, buy a prepaid SIM card without an identifier, and get urgent medical care (billed afterwards if you have no entitlement). You cannot get a tax card, Kela benefits, a regular phone subscription or online banking codes.
For work, ask Vero or the DVV for the identity code in the same visit as the tax card. Vero says the code can sometimes be issued by Migri or the Tax Administration as well.
What are the common mistakes?
- Waiting for the three months to run out. Plan the Migri application as soon as you know your stay is longer than three months.
- Confusing Migri and the DVV. One registers your right of residence, the other registers where you live. You need both.
- Forgetting the municipality of residence. Without it, no regular public healthcare and no Finnish identity card for residents.
- Staying under a year and expecting a kotikunta. Under one year you generally do not qualify, with exceptions such as a work contract or longer studies; the DVV can confirm your case.
- Skipping the language choice. The DVV asks whether you want to be served in Finnish or Swedish.
How long does the whole move to Finland checklist take?
There is no single official timetable, because each office has its own delay. The DVV says the personal identity code arrives 2 to 3 weeks after your visit if you came to work or study, and 3 to 4 weeks otherwise. The tax card comes only after the code, and Kela only after the code and a bank account. So start the Migri application and the DVV form in your first days, because everything else waits behind them. Online banking codes can take longer than the account itself, because banks apply stricter conditions to them.
A few practical habits help. Keep digital and paper copies of every certificate you receive, because Kela, the bank and your landlord will each ask for them. Book DVV and Migri appointments as early as you can, because the DVV counts its delay from your visit. And write down the Enter Finland login you create, because Migri decisions are delivered there and stay visible for a year.
None of this is hard once you know the order. It is a country where the rules are written down and followed, and where a well-prepared newcomer is processed without drama.