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If you don’t have a Finnish personal identity codeand didn’t receive it with a possible residence permit card, apply for it before applying for a tax card.

1. Make an appointment (if you have not done so already) and register at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV) in order to get the Finnish personal identity code. You can see instructions for this below in section 3. Local registration and municipality of residence at DVV.
2. After this, follow the instructions below in the section "Instructions for those who have a Finnish personal identity code".

NB. If you do not get a Finnish personal identity code during your visit to DVV, contact your International Staff Services contact person for further instructions!

1. Read the instructions:  (but don’t make the application using the paper forms).
2. If you have Finnish e-identification codes, you can submit the tax card application online in . If you don’t have the codes, apply for a tax card by . During the phone call, you will need the following information:
   1. Finnish personal identity code
   2. Salary, holiday bonus and possible other allowances (see "Calculating your income during the tax year" below)
   3. Period of employment
   4. Employer
   5. Address where your tax card will be sent to
3. Make sure that you have submitted your Finnish personal identity code to the International Staff Services (ISS). If you have done that, there’s no need to submit your tax card. The payroll receives your tax card information automatically from the Tax Administration.

Calculating your income during the tax year

For the tax card application, you’ll need to calculate your income during the tax year. Here are some tips for that:

• Only include the income you earn after moving to Finland.
• A tax year in Finland is January-December, so calculate your total income until the end of the year.
• In addition to your salary, don’t forget to include any possible holiday bonus and other taxable benefits in the total income. Calculate your holiday bonus using the .
• It is recommended to round up your calculations slightly to avoid paying back taxes next year.

This action is for those who haven't registered at DVV before. Even if you’ve already received a personal identity code with your residence permit or tax card or a temporary code from the university, you still need to complete this step.

Follow the instructions to request a registration and/or apply for a municipality of residence:  and .

In order to get the Finnish personal identity code you need to have grounds for registering. For non-EU citizens, the residence permit is sufficient grounds. 

For EU citizens the grounds can be:

• family ties,
• education (need prove that you are enrolled in),
• work (need a signed copy of your work contract) or
• EU registration

EU citizens, please note that you can apply for the municipality right only after you have the EU registration completed. If you need a Finnish personal identity code straight away, you can apply this first (don’t apply for a municipality right at the same time). You can apply for the municipality right later online, after you have the EU registration completed.

If there is something unclear or you have any questions when filling out the application, please, contact DVV easily before submitting the application. This will make your application process smoother and quicker.

Make the registration as soon as possible and no later than within one month of moving to Finland.

More information:

This action is for those who have lived in Finland before and have already completed a registration of a foreigner’s personal data in the Population Information System (DVV).

Make a notification of move:.

This step is mandatory.

When you receive a grant, contact the Tax Administration by calling their .  Inform them about your grant and follow their instructions.

This step is optional.

If your grant is taxable, you can pay the taxes in advance to avoid paying a larger amount next year.

• If you stay in Finland for more than six months, you can submit an application for a tax-prepayment calculation  (see e-identification), or . If you don’t pay taxes on your grant in advance, you will have to pay them next year after you have received a tax decision. Read more about that in tax return and tax decision in the Extending your stay in Finland page.
• If you stay in Finland for less than six months, you can submit  to the Tax Administration in order to receive a calculation of advance taxes.

This action is for citizens of the EU and EEA countries, Switzerland, and San Marino.

If open a Finnish bank account, you can activate strong electronic identification to your net banking codes with your home-country passport or identity card. Note that you need to have a municipality of residence before you can do that, so you have to complete the DVV registration before this step.

Once you’ve been granted a municipality of residence, contact your Finnish bank to activate strong electronic identification. Once activated, you can use your net banking codes to log into other official online services.

If you don’t have a Finnish bank account or a municipality of residence in Finland, explore other options for e-identification:

This action is for citizens of other countries than EU/EEA countries, Switzerland, and San Marino.

To start using e-identification in Finnish online services, it’s recommended to apply for a foreigner’s identity card from the Finnish Police.

1. Apply for a foreigner’s Finnish identity card

Note that you need to have a municipality of residence to apply for an identity card, so complete the DVV registration before this step.

• When you have a municipality of residence, apply for an identity card by following these instructions: .
• Since you can’t yet log in to the Police’s online service, you should make the application in person at a police station. Either book an appointment or visit a police station without an appointment during their opening hours. See locations and opening hours: .
• Remember to have your taken before visiting a police station.

More information: 

2. Activate e-identification

The easiest way to activate e-identification is to connect it to your net banking codes. After receiving an identity card, contact your Finnish bank and to activate strong electronic identification. Once activated, you can use your net banking codes to log into other official online services.

If you don’t have a Finnish bank account or a municipality of residence in Finland, explore other options for e-identification:

All Finnish banks are regulated by strict legislation and offer good services. However, there might be differences in the services offered and the fees charged. Choose a bank that best suits your needs in terms of location, service fees, etc. Here are some banks in Jyväskylä: 

Some pages are not in English. You can use them, e.g., with a .

Most banks require you to make an appointment in advance to open a bank account and to get service in English. Contact a bank to book an appointment and ask what documents you need to bring with you.

If you receive a salary or grant from the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥, send your new bank account information to the International Staff Services (ISS) as a secure email. See  (log in to HelpJYU before clicking the link to see the correct page).

This action is required from employees and recommended for those who have a municipality of residence in Finland.

the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, provides a  (national health insurance card) that is connected to the Finnish social security. Please note, Finnish national health insurance is not an insurance as such, but a name for the Finnish public health care system.

Apply for a right to the Finnish social security by applying for a Kela card. You can make the application after DVV has granted you a municipality of residence or if you are an employee, you have received a Finnish personal identity code and your first salary has been paid.

To make the application, follow these instructions to apply for a Kela card (.pdf).

See Kela's short video .

This action is for those who receive a grant from Finland.

Mela, the pension insurance company, offers pension insurance for recipients of scientific or artistic grants. If your grant meets certain criteria, it’s mandatory to insure it at Mela.

Read more about the insurance and apply for it, if needed: .

This action is for all newcomers who plan a long-term stay in Finland or otherwise think they might benefit from the session.

International Staff Services (ISS) organizes an After-arrival info and Q&A session related to the topics on this page.

The sessions are held live in the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥. See Maps and visitor information.

Upcoming After-arrival info and Q&A sessions

• Thursday, 3 April 2025 at 9:00–10:30 a.m. Helsinki time, Room C411 in the main building C
• Monday, 5 May 2025 at 9:00–10:30 a.m. Helsinki time, Room S304 in Seminarium building
• Thursday, 5 June 2025 at 9:00–10:30 a.m. Helsinki time, Room S304 in Seminarium building

An option for changes is reserved. Refer to this page for most up-to-date information.

The sessions are organized monthly for international newcomers, and the content is always the same; it correlates with the information on this page. Participate in the earliest possible session after your arrival in Jyväskylä. Read the page carefully before joining a session. There is no need to register for the events; you can just join in. You are free to attend to as many sessions as you like.

Join us to learn about actions needed to be taken when settling in Finland and meet other newcomers. In addition to the arrival information provided by the ISS team, a representative from the University’s Centre for Multilingual Academic Communication (Movi) provides important information on Finnish language studies. An international colleague who has already moved to Finland is also there to share his experiences.

After the sessions, it is possible to take part in a tour of the renewed  and learn about the architecturally award-winning building as well as services offered to students and researchers. The tour takes about half an hour (approximately 10:45–11:15 a.m.).

The sessions cover the issues on a general level. If you have specific questions regarding your own personal situation, please email your unit's ISS contact person.

These actions are for employees only.

1. Your unit’s assistant is your go-to person for all practical matters related to the unit. They can help you, for example, with your workspace and ordering access rights and devices.
2. Complete the comprehensive online orientation course that covers essential work-related administrative topics, such as key information for a new employee, holiday and absence policies, and occupational healthcare. Complete the course independently on the Moodle platform. You’ll receive a course link and a course enrollment key from your unit’s assistant or via the Vasara system’s orientation task.
3. After activating your JYU account:
   1. Update your new Finnish contact information in Mepco HR Portal, .
   2. Familiarize yourself with the and its . There you can follow the university's internal news and find instructions related to HR.

These actions are for non-employees only.

Your unit’s assistant is your go-to person for all practical matters related to the unit. They can help you, for example, with your workspace and order access rights and devices. Also, they prepare your Agreement on Conducting Research Using the University’s Premises and Equipment if needed.

If you are grant researcher, familiarize yourself with the and its . There you can follow the university's internal news and find instructions grant researchers. You can log in after you have activated your JYU account.

This action is for all newcomers who plan a long-term stay in Finland or wish to study Finnish.

Finnish courses at our university

We highly recommend all international staff, grant researchers, doctoral students and long-term visitors to participate in the Finnish language courses organized by the Centre for Multilingual Academic Communication (Movi). These courses are free of charge and commence at the start of the autumn and spring semesters. Studying Finnish will aid your integration into the Finnish society, our work community, and your daily life in Jyväskylä.

If you already have some knowledge of Finnish, you’re welcome to join the advanced Finnish courses designed for degree students.

The basic Finnish course for staff members is also open to spouses. You can add them to your registration form by clicking the ‘+ Add participant’ button. If you encounter any issues with registration, please reach out to the course teacher.

For assistance in selecting a suitable course and for more information on courses provided by Movi, please contact Mikko Jäkälä.

Information on Finnish language courses and registration for them:

Communication and language courses for students

Finnish courses outside of the university

In addition to the courses offered by the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥, there are other Finnish as a second language courses available in Jyväskylä.

Finnish courses outside of the university:

Other communication and language courses at the university

Movi also offers other communication courses, including English language courses. For more information, refer to the previous links.

In addition, Movi organizes courses for Doctoral Students focusing on scientific communication. For more information, see:

Research communication courses at Movi for doctoral students

Online dictionary

As part of the University network, staff have access to the , which includes over 10 languages, a thesaurus, and our university dictionary.

Make sure to familiarize yourself with the local health care system, see the In-depth information page.

If you are not an employee (and thus not entitled to occupational health care) and you didn’t receive a municipality of residence (and thus not entitled to public health care), you’ll need to apply for an entitlement to medical care when moving to Finland. Follow the instructions to apply for entitlement to medical care (.pdf). Remember, an insurance is still necessary, see the Pre-arrival arrangements page.

Start your journey by exploring the Jyväskylä – at the hearth of Finland page. It’s a great resource to learn more about your new country and city of residence.

Read also the and maps and visitor information for local transportation, campus map etc.

Explore .

Familiarize yourself with . It's contains useful information about Finnish work culture, media and cultural events and hobbies, for example.

In addition, these Facebook groups are good sources of information, and you can ask your fellow foreigners for advice there if need be:  and .

is a valuable resource for newcomers and their family members. The Info Center can provide assistance and guidance to help you integrate into Jyväskylä. Don’t hesitate to reach out to them.

This page provides comprehensive information for citizens and other residents on family life, social security, health, education, and more. It also includes resources on preparing for incidents and crises. Additionally, you can find support for managing personal finances, for example.