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Henkilötunnus and DVV registration – how to get the personal identity code Finland runs on

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

A bank account, a tax card, a phone contract, a doctor’s appointment: in Finland they all start with an eleven-character code. You get it from Migri, DVV or the tax office, and getting a municipality of residence on top of it is a separate step that many newcomers miss.

Woman talking to a receptionist across a white counter in a bright office
Photo: STOCKEROcr/Adobe Stock

The henkilötunnus (personal identity code) is issued when you are entered in the Population Information System, kept by DVV (Digital and Population Data Services Agency; Myndigheten för digitalisering och befolkningsdata in Swedish). Two things changed in 2026: on 1 June International House Helsinki moved to Ratapihantie 7 in Pasila, where DVV’s desk is open Monday to Friday 9.00–16.15, and DVV’s Espoo office closed permanently. An unused appointment costs 50 euros.

Three things are easy to confuse: the code, which identifies you; the kotikunta (municipality of residence), which gives you rights; and Suomi.fi e-Identification, which proves who you are online.

What is a henkilötunnus and what does it reveal?

The code has eleven characters. DVV’s example, 131052-308T, reads like this: 131052 is the date of birth, day-month-year; the hyphen is the century separator; 308 is the individual number, even for people registered as women and odd for men; T is the control character. Since 1 January 2023 the separator can also be a letter – Y, X, W, V or U for the 1900s, A to F for births from 2000 on – under section 2 of the Decree on the Population Information System (128/2010).

The code is permanent. It shows only your date of birth and gender, not nationality, municipality or right of residence, and under section 29 of the Data Protection Act (1050/2018) it cannot on its own prove your identity. Its legal basis is section 11 of the Act on the Population Information System (661/2009).

How do you get a personal identity code in Finland? Three routes

If Migri (Finnish Immigration Service; Migrationsverket in Swedish) grants you a residence permit, a residence card or EU registration and a Finnish authority verified your identity, the code comes with the decision; if you proved your identity at a VFS centre abroad, you book a DVV appointment after arrival. Otherwise you go to DVV, or – for tax purposes only – to a tax office.

RouteWhoHowTime and cost
Automatically from MigriAnyone granted a residence permit, residence card or EU registration, identity verified by a Finnish authorityNothing to do; the code arrives with the decisionNo separate fee
DVVEveryone else residing legally with grounds: work, studies, a family member with a registered address, or a Migri decision; all childrenOnline form without login, then a visit within one month – every person, children includedFree; 2–3 weeks for work or study, 3–4 weeks for others
Tax officeWorkers who need a code only for a tax card or tax numberForm 6150e plus 5057e or 5042e; appointment on 029 497 010Usually 1–3 business days; only Helsinki Pasila, Kuopio, Oulu, Rovaniemi, Seinäjoki, Tampere, Turku and Mariehamn; not for children under 15

Source: DVV, Migri and the Finnish Tax Administration, read 24 September 2026.

For the DVV visit bring a valid passport or an official photo identity card of an EU, Icelandic, Norwegian, Liechtenstein, Swiss or San Marino citizen, your residence permit card or EU registration certificate, an employment contract or certificate of studies and, to have family relationships recorded, original certificates that are legalised and translated – an Apostille for Hague Convention countries, none for EU public documents. Registration cannot be sped up except for very weighty reasons; opening a bank account is not one.

Nordic citizens follow the Nordic population registration agreement: each person, children included, visits DVV within one month of moving with a passport or ID card showing nationality, and giving your Nordic personal number lets DVV fetch your data electronically.

Kotikunta: why a municipality of residence is a separate application

A code from Migri or the tax office does not give you a kotikunta. You must usually also apply for a municipality of residence with DVV’s online form – not with a change-of-address notification – and a visit usually follows. The rules are national: section 4 of the Municipality of Residence Act (201/1994) requires that you have arrived, intend to live in Finland for at least a year and stay legally, plus one of the conditions below.

Your situationKotikunta?
Nordic citizenYes
EU citizen with Migri’s registration decision, or holder of a residence cardYes – but only after the positive decision, unless a family member already has a kotikunta
Continuous (A) or permanent (P) residence permitYes
Family member of someone with a kotikuntaYes
Temporary (B) permit valid at least a yearOnly with proof of permanence: Finnish descent, an earlier kotikunta, work or degree studies of at least two years, or one year of continuous temporary residence
Staying under a year, or temporary protection in the first yearNo – a temporary address instead; temporary protection holders apply after a year

Source: DVV and Finlex (Municipality of Residence Act 201/1994), read 24 September 2026.

The kotikunta can start from the day its conditions are met, but not more than one month before you submitted the form. With it come the municipality’s services, from schools to employment services, and the health and social care of the hyvinvointialue (wellbeing services county), plus a Finnish identity card and driving licence. Kela (Social Insurance Institution) decides separately whether you live in Finland permanently, but your right to public healthcare follows the DVV registration.

Later moves inside Finland are reported to DVV at the earliest one month before and at the latest one week after moving day, under section 7 of the Act, and a move abroad for more than a year ends your kotikunta.

Foreigner’s identity card and Suomi.fi: proving who you are

With a kotikunta and a valid permit, card or registration you can apply to the police for a foreigner’s identity card: 53 euros online or 59 at a station, usually valid five years or until your permit expires, never a travel document. Have a passport photo taken at a studio, apply in the police online service with Suomi.fi identification and collect the card – in Helsinki at the Police Department at Pasilanraitio 11, not International House. The chip carries a Citizen Certificate for online identification and electronic signatures, activated before use, and the card is accepted for opening a bank account.

Suomi.fi e-Identification is the shared strong identification for public e-services, free for private individuals. Bank codes are the practical key, but banks apply stricter rules to them than to the account, and under Finanssivalvonta’s guidance a bank may refuse strong identification if you have no code or are not in the Population Information System.

TokenWho can get itStrong identification?
Online banking codesBank customers with a code and registrationYes, if issued to you personally
Mobile certificateDNA, Elisa or Telia customers who already have banking codes; not on prepaidYes
Identity card with Citizen CertificateForeigners with a kotikunta and a valid permit, card or registrationYes, after activation
eIDAS token from another EU countryCitizens of 21 countries, among them Sweden, Germany and EstoniaYes, in services open to foreign users
Finnish Authenticator appForeigners aged 18 or over without a code, using a passport or an EU, EEA, UK or Swiss IDNo – it works only in some services

Source: DVV, Suomi.fi and Finanssivalvonta, read 24 September 2026.

For proof of address, DVV issues a certificate of personal residence information: 25 euros per document, in seven to fourteen days. The registration itself and the code are free.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Check whether Migri’s decision already gave you a codeWhen the decision arrives
2Otherwise submit DVV’s online form for every family memberRight after arrival
3Visit DVV with original documents, everyone presentWithin one month of the form
4Apply for a kotikunta with the online formAs soon as your permit or registration allows
5Order the foreigner’s identity card onlineOnce the kotikunta is registered
6Activate the Citizen Certificate, or ask your bank for codes usable in Suomi.fiWhen the card or account arrives
7Questions: DVV’s line for foreign citizens is +358 295 536 320Mon–Fri 9–15

Source: DVV and the Finnish Police, read 24 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 24 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.