School

Enrolling your children, international schools, childcare.

Checked on 23 October 2026

Sending my children to school in Finland: compulsory school, enrolment, languages and French or international schools

In Finland, school starts in the year a child turns 7, after one compulsory year of esiopetus (pre-primary, generally at age 6); perusopetus (basic education, 9 grades) is free, canteen included, and after it every young person must continue training until they obtain an upper secondary qualification or turn 18. You enrol your child with your municipality, generally in the local catchment school (lähikoulu), where teaching is in Finnish or Swedish, with a preparatory class and Finnish or Swedish as a second language (S2) lessons if the child does not yet speak the language. In Helsinki, you also have the École française Jules-Verne (nursery and primary, AEFE-approved), the Franco-Finnish school and international schools.

Costs: Public school, canteen and textbooks are free; private and French schools: fees set by each school
Timeframes: Enrolment in the first grade of Finnish school generally in January for the August start; during the year, contact the local school directly

Steps

Find the catchment school for your future address (municipality service or catchment area map).
Normal start in grade 1: at the start of the year the municipality sends a notification (by post or in Wilma, the online school-family space); enrolment is generally done in January, often in Wilma. For pre-primary, enrolment in January or February.
Arriving during the year or in grades 2 to 9: contact the head of the catchment school directly (in Helsinki, the city states it this way), with the help of your municipality's education services.
If your child does not speak Finnish or Swedish: ask for valmistava opetus (preparatory class, generally one year, with an individual learning plan), then S2 lessons (Finnish or Swedish as a second language) and, if the municipality organises it, a lesson in their mother tongue.
A school other than the catchment school (option class, teaching in English, bilingual, Swedish-language school): separate application, sometimes with an aptitude or language test.
French or international school: direct enrolment with the school; for an approved school, apply for a school grant from the French consulate (subject to means testing), separately from the enrolment.
After grade 9: general upper secondary school (lukio, 2 to 4 years, Finnish baccalaureate) or vocational training (about 3 years); a preparatory programme (TUVA) helps young people whose language is not yet sufficient.

Documents

The child's identity document and proof of address or municipality of residence.
School reports and certificates from the previous country (translated if needed into Finnish, Swedish or English) to place the child.
Wilma login details provided by the school.
For adults' qualifications: apply for recognition to Opetushallitus (OPH, Finnish National Agency for Education) for a regulated profession (teacher, early childhood educator…) or a public post that requires a level of education; Valvira for health and social care. The decision is paid for and can take several months.

Costs and timelines

Free: pre-primary (about 4 hours a day, meals included, free transport beyond 5 km), basic education, canteen and upper secondary school (lukio).
Paid: morning and afternoon care for grades 1 and 2 (depending on the municipality), private and French schools (each school's fees).
Calendar: the school year starts in August and ends at the end of May or beginning of June; summer holidays in June and July. 45-minute lessons, about 20 lessons per week in grades 1 and 2.
École française Jules-Verne (Helsinki): from the first year of nursery (petite section) to the last year of primary (CM2), 8 approved levels, 94 pupils according to the AEFE; fees to be requested from the school.
Recognition of qualifications (OPH) in 2026: €495 per application (€100 processing fee and €395 decision fee), for applications received since 01/01/2026 (OPH, 02/01/2026).

Common pitfalls

Believing that school ends at 16. Since the reform of compulsory education, young people must keep training after grade 9 until an upper secondary qualification or the age of 18 (except in Åland, see below).
Waiting until the start of term to get organised. Enrolments for pre-primary and grade 1 take place as early as January-February.
Ignoring Wilma. Absences, marks and messages go through it: report an absence the same morning.
Choosing an unapproved private school. In Helsinki, the city states that unauthorised private teaching is equivalent to home education.
Thinking that everything is done in English. Public teaching is in Finnish or Swedish; English-language streams are limited and selective.

What changes by country of origin

French citizens: École française Jules-Verne (nursery and primary, AEFE-approved); the Franco-Finnish school of Helsinki (Helsingin ranskalais-suomalainen koulu), a bilingual school (the city of Helsinki lists it among private, State-funded schools), from pre-primary to upper secondary, in French and Finnish following the Finnish curriculum; admission by language test in Finnish and French (free); school transport at the parents' expense, as it is not the catchment school. Its website does not mention tuition fees: ask the school; AEFE school grants for French pupils in an approved school. For secondary education in French, enquire with these schools (the AEFE indicates "No" for CNED at all levels of Jules-Verne).
Other languages: in Helsinki, the European School, the International School of Helsinki, the English School, the Deutsche Schule and the Finnish-Russian school; bilingual Finnish-English, Finnish-Spanish, Finnish-Estonian streams, etc. in some public schools.
Swedish speakers: Swedish-language public schools in bilingual or Swedish-speaking municipalities.
Åland Islands: the archipelago has its own school laws and curriculum; school is compulsory there from the autumn of the year a child turns 7 until the end of basic education (at most ten years); the Åland law (2020:32) does not provide for an obligation to train until 18 as in the rest of Finland: it only gives the right to attend basic school until 31 July of the year the child turns 18. Basic education there is free. Teaching is in Swedish.

Official sources (15) ›

Checked on 23 October 2026

Day care in Finland (varhaiskasvatus): right to a place, enrolment and 2026 fees

In Finland, every child has the right to a place in varhaiskasvatus (early childhood education and care: day care or childminder) from the start of the month in which they turn 9 months old until they start school. You apply to your municipality at least four months ahead (two weeks if you have just found a job or a place in studies), and the fee depends on your income, the size of the family and the hours of care. Since 1 August 2026, the maximum full-time fee is €335 per month for the youngest child.

Costs: Full-time municipal day care: at most €335 per month for the youngest child since 1 August 2026 (€134 for the second), depending on income
Timeframes: Apply at least 4 months before the start; 2 weeks if a parent finds a job or a place in studies

Steps

Choose the type of care: päiväkoti (day care centre), ryhmäperhepäivähoito (small group at a childminder's) or perhepäivähoito (childminder in their own home), public or private.
Submit the application to your municipality at least four months before the date you want; if a parent starts work or studies, the municipality must find a place within two weeks.
Without an official municipality of residence, you are treated as a resident of the municipality where you live for municipal day care.
Declare your income to the municipality's fees service: without a declaration, you pay the maximum fee.
Sign the service agreement (hours of care, for at least three months in Helsinki); report any change in income or family.
Private care: ask the private day care directly; if your child has a municipality of residence in Finland and the day care is approved by the municipality, apply to Kela for the private day care allowance (yksityisen hoidon tuki) or to the municipality for a service voucher (palveluseteli).
In the year they turn 6: enrol your child in compulsory pre-primary education (esiopetus), free for about 4 hours a day, in January or February (see FI-ECOLE-TOUS-001).

Documents

Proof of the parents' gross income (salaries, business income, capital income…).
Employment contract or proof of studies if you are asking for a place urgently.
The child's identity document and proof of address.

Costs and timelines

Municipal fees as of 1 August 2026 (reviewed every two years, next on 1 August 2028): at most €335 per month full time for the youngest child; €134 (40%) for the second; 20% of the youngest child's fee, at most €67, for the following ones. Fees below €32 are not invoiced.
Calculation: 10.7% of the family's monthly gross income above a floor (for example €5,635 for a family of 3 people, maximum fee reached at €8,762), reduced according to the hours (in Helsinki: 100% beyond 7 hours a day, 80% from 5 to 7 hours, 60% up to 5 hours).
5-year-olds: 4 free hours a day, on weekdays, from August of the year the child turns 5 until the following 31 July (in Helsinki, children born in 2021 since 1 August 2026; same rule in Espoo, where a 5-year-old who attends day care at most 20 hours a week pays nothing). The free hours are deducted automatically from the fee; extra hours are paid.
Private day care: free pricing; Kela's allowance depends on income and the municipality, is taxable and is paid directly to the provider.

Common pitfalls

Leaving it too late. Four months' notice: start the application as soon as you know your arrival date.
Not declaring your income. The maximum fee applies automatically.
Forgetting August. If your child starts school in August, day care is due until the start of term unless you cancel.
Believing that day care is a school. No lessons or subjects: play, outings, naps, three meals a day, and support in Finnish or Swedish for children with another language.
Hiring a home carer without realising it. You then become an employer, with the obligations that go with it.

What changes by country of origin

All nationalities: same right to a municipal place; Kela's allowance for private care requires a municipality of residence in Finland and is not paid abroad.
Languages: English-language day care centres (often private) in big cities, and sometimes in German, French or Spanish; Swedish-language day care centres in bilingual municipalities; Swedish immersion in some towns.
Åland Islands: childcare (barnomsorg) falls under the Åland law 2020:32 and the municipalities. Right to a place from the month a child turns 9 months old, as elsewhere in Finland. Maximum fee set by the Åland law: €240 per child per month full time, at most 60% of that amount part time; each municipality sets its own scale and may offer free months; the pre-primary year (förundervisning, at least 4 hours a day) is free; no fee below a certain family income (Ålex, law 2020:32, art. 21 to 24). Ask your municipality for the scale.

Official sources (7) ›

These guides give the general rules. Your situation can change the answer: Moovy looks at it with you and tells you when you need a professional.

School

Enrolling your children, international schools, childcare.

Checked on 23 October 2026

Sending my children to school in Finland: compulsory school, enrolment, languages and French or international schools

Costs: Public school, canteen and textbooks are free; private and French schools: fees set by each school
Timeframes: Enrolment in the first grade of Finnish school generally in January for the August start; during the year, contact the local school directly

Steps

Find the catchment school for your future address (municipality service or catchment area map).
Normal start in grade 1: at the start of the year the municipality sends a notification (by post or in Wilma, the online school-family space); enrolment is generally done in January, often in Wilma. For pre-primary, enrolment in January or February.
Arriving during the year or in grades 2 to 9: contact the head of the catchment school directly (in Helsinki, the city states it this way), with the help of your municipality's education services.
If your child does not speak Finnish or Swedish: ask for valmistava opetus (preparatory class, generally one year, with an individual learning plan), then S2 lessons (Finnish or Swedish as a second language) and, if the municipality organises it, a lesson in their mother tongue.
A school other than the catchment school (option class, teaching in English, bilingual, Swedish-language school): separate application, sometimes with an aptitude or language test.
French or international school: direct enrolment with the school; for an approved school, apply for a school grant from the French consulate (subject to means testing), separately from the enrolment.
After grade 9: general upper secondary school (lukio, 2 to 4 years, Finnish baccalaureate) or vocational training (about 3 years); a preparatory programme (TUVA) helps young people whose language is not yet sufficient.

Documents

The child's identity document and proof of address or municipality of residence.
School reports and certificates from the previous country (translated if needed into Finnish, Swedish or English) to place the child.
Wilma login details provided by the school.
For adults' qualifications: apply for recognition to Opetushallitus (OPH, Finnish National Agency for Education) for a regulated profession (teacher, early childhood educator…) or a public post that requires a level of education; Valvira for health and social care. The decision is paid for and can take several months.

Costs and timelines

Free: pre-primary (about 4 hours a day, meals included, free transport beyond 5 km), basic education, canteen and upper secondary school (lukio).
Paid: morning and afternoon care for grades 1 and 2 (depending on the municipality), private and French schools (each school's fees).
Calendar: the school year starts in August and ends at the end of May or beginning of June; summer holidays in June and July. 45-minute lessons, about 20 lessons per week in grades 1 and 2.
École française Jules-Verne (Helsinki): from the first year of nursery (petite section) to the last year of primary (CM2), 8 approved levels, 94 pupils according to the AEFE; fees to be requested from the school.
Recognition of qualifications (OPH) in 2026: €495 per application (€100 processing fee and €395 decision fee), for applications received since 01/01/2026 (OPH, 02/01/2026).

Common pitfalls

Believing that school ends at 16. Since the reform of compulsory education, young people must keep training after grade 9 until an upper secondary qualification or the age of 18 (except in Åland, see below).
Waiting until the start of term to get organised. Enrolments for pre-primary and grade 1 take place as early as January-February.
Ignoring Wilma. Absences, marks and messages go through it: report an absence the same morning.
Choosing an unapproved private school. In Helsinki, the city states that unauthorised private teaching is equivalent to home education.
Thinking that everything is done in English. Public teaching is in Finnish or Swedish; English-language streams are limited and selective.

What changes by country of origin

French citizens: École française Jules-Verne (nursery and primary, AEFE-approved); the Franco-Finnish school of Helsinki (Helsingin ranskalais-suomalainen koulu), a bilingual school (the city of Helsinki lists it among private, State-funded schools), from pre-primary to upper secondary, in French and Finnish following the Finnish curriculum; admission by language test in Finnish and French (free); school transport at the parents' expense, as it is not the catchment school. Its website does not mention tuition fees: ask the school; AEFE school grants for French pupils in an approved school. For secondary education in French, enquire with these schools (the AEFE indicates "No" for CNED at all levels of Jules-Verne).
Other languages: in Helsinki, the European School, the International School of Helsinki, the English School, the Deutsche Schule and the Finnish-Russian school; bilingual Finnish-English, Finnish-Spanish, Finnish-Estonian streams, etc. in some public schools.
Swedish speakers: Swedish-language public schools in bilingual or Swedish-speaking municipalities.
Åland Islands: the archipelago has its own school laws and curriculum; school is compulsory there from the autumn of the year a child turns 7 until the end of basic education (at most ten years); the Åland law (2020:32) does not provide for an obligation to train until 18 as in the rest of Finland: it only gives the right to attend basic school until 31 July of the year the child turns 18. Basic education there is free. Teaching is in Swedish.

Official sources (15) ›

Checked on 23 October 2026

Day care in Finland (varhaiskasvatus): right to a place, enrolment and 2026 fees

Costs: Full-time municipal day care: at most €335 per month for the youngest child since 1 August 2026 (€134 for the second), depending on income
Timeframes: Apply at least 4 months before the start; 2 weeks if a parent finds a job or a place in studies

Steps

Choose the type of care: päiväkoti (day care centre), ryhmäperhepäivähoito (small group at a childminder's) or perhepäivähoito (childminder in their own home), public or private.
Submit the application to your municipality at least four months before the date you want; if a parent starts work or studies, the municipality must find a place within two weeks.
Without an official municipality of residence, you are treated as a resident of the municipality where you live for municipal day care.
Declare your income to the municipality's fees service: without a declaration, you pay the maximum fee.
Sign the service agreement (hours of care, for at least three months in Helsinki); report any change in income or family.
Private care: ask the private day care directly; if your child has a municipality of residence in Finland and the day care is approved by the municipality, apply to Kela for the private day care allowance (yksityisen hoidon tuki) or to the municipality for a service voucher (palveluseteli).
In the year they turn 6: enrol your child in compulsory pre-primary education (esiopetus), free for about 4 hours a day, in January or February (see FI-ECOLE-TOUS-001).

Documents

Proof of the parents' gross income (salaries, business income, capital income…).
Employment contract or proof of studies if you are asking for a place urgently.
The child's identity document and proof of address.

Costs and timelines

Municipal fees as of 1 August 2026 (reviewed every two years, next on 1 August 2028): at most €335 per month full time for the youngest child; €134 (40%) for the second; 20% of the youngest child's fee, at most €67, for the following ones. Fees below €32 are not invoiced.
Calculation: 10.7% of the family's monthly gross income above a floor (for example €5,635 for a family of 3 people, maximum fee reached at €8,762), reduced according to the hours (in Helsinki: 100% beyond 7 hours a day, 80% from 5 to 7 hours, 60% up to 5 hours).
5-year-olds: 4 free hours a day, on weekdays, from August of the year the child turns 5 until the following 31 July (in Helsinki, children born in 2021 since 1 August 2026; same rule in Espoo, where a 5-year-old who attends day care at most 20 hours a week pays nothing). The free hours are deducted automatically from the fee; extra hours are paid.
Private day care: free pricing; Kela's allowance depends on income and the municipality, is taxable and is paid directly to the provider.

Common pitfalls

Leaving it too late. Four months' notice: start the application as soon as you know your arrival date.
Not declaring your income. The maximum fee applies automatically.
Forgetting August. If your child starts school in August, day care is due until the start of term unless you cancel.
Believing that day care is a school. No lessons or subjects: play, outings, naps, three meals a day, and support in Finnish or Swedish for children with another language.
Hiring a home carer without realising it. You then become an employer, with the obligations that go with it.

What changes by country of origin

All nationalities: same right to a municipal place; Kela's allowance for private care requires a municipality of residence in Finland and is not paid abroad.
Languages: English-language day care centres (often private) in big cities, and sometimes in German, French or Spanish; Swedish-language day care centres in bilingual municipalities; Swedish immersion in some towns.
Åland Islands: childcare (barnomsorg) falls under the Åland law 2020:32 and the municipalities. Right to a place from the month a child turns 9 months old, as elsewhere in Finland. Maximum fee set by the Åland law: €240 per child per month full time, at most 60% of that amount part time; each municipality sets its own scale and may offer free months; the pre-primary year (förundervisning, at least 4 hours a day) is free; no fee below a certain family income (Ålex, law 2020:32, art. 21 to 24). Ask your municipality for the scale.

Official sources (7) ›

These guides give the general rules. Your situation can change the answer: Moovy looks at it with you and tells you when you need a professional.

School

Sending my children to school in Finland: compulsory school, enrolment, languages and French or international schools

Steps

Documents

Costs and timelines

Common pitfalls

What changes by country of origin

Day care in Finland (varhaiskasvatus): right to a place, enrolment and 2026 fees

Steps

Documents

Costs and timelines

Common pitfalls

What changes by country of origin

Other topics

School

Sending my children to school in Finland: compulsory school, enrolment, languages and French or international schools

Steps

Documents

Costs and timelines

Common pitfalls

What changes by country of origin

Day care in Finland (varhaiskasvatus): right to a place, enrolment and 2026 fees

Steps

Documents

Costs and timelines

Common pitfalls

What changes by country of origin

Other topics