Register with the authorities: exchange and visiting studies

Citizens of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) do not need to apply for a residence permit or a visa to come to Finland. 

In general, you do not need to apply for a Finnish personal identity code, unless you want to open a Finnish bank account or apply for a job in Finland. 

If you want to apply for a Finnish personal identity code, follow these instructions:

Complete the registration notice of a foreigner as an electronic form as soon as you have an address in Finland and you have IT user account of the University of Helsinki and you can form a certificate of student status from Sisu. Link to the registration form and instructions of DVV. 

After arriving in Helsinki, you can finish the process by either booking an appointment for Digital and Population Data Services Agency in their reservation system or visiting their room at the Check-in Event of the Orientation week.  

Your identity code will be sent to you as a secure email. Please remember to check your spam folder and open the email soon after receiving it, as it usually expires after few weeks and cannot be reopened. Note down your identity code so you remember it.

If you have not received your personal identity code within 2 months, you can send an email to DVV to ask about the process at international@dvv.fi 

Once you have received your Finnish personal identity code please update it in the student register. You can do it by visiting the Student Services. Bring with you proof of your new identity code and your official ID.

You can also send the last four digits of your personal identity code by email to studentinfo@helsinki.fi, along with your student number.

Right to reside in Finland

Citizens of EU/EEA countries or Switzerland do not need a residence permit or visa, but if your stay in Finland lasts longer than three months without interruption, you need to apply for a right to reside in Finland at the Finnish Immigration Service MIGRI after your arrival. 

You can exit Finland before three months have expired in order to avoid having to register with Migri. The calculation of the 3-month residence always restarts from the moment when you return to Finland after traveling outside its borders.

If you do not travel outside of Finland, follow these instructions:

Start by filling out an application online in MIGRI's Online Service within three months of your arrival. Select the option “Right of residence”. Do not select the option “Residence permit application for studies” as that one is for non-EU citizens only.

In your registration application, you need to have your Certificate of student status (downloaded from Sisu) and a document where you have written how you get by on your own funds and that you have no need to apply for social assistance in Finland. You are not required to have a specific amount of money. 

You can also choose to apply for a Finnish personal identity code when you apply for your right of residence. 

Make sure that you have all the necessary attachments for your application and bring them with you when you visit the service point. You can visit the service point by appointment or at the Check-in Event during orientation week. 

You can book an appointment beforehand in the appointment system.

Finnish personal identity code

Exchange students do not need to apply for a Finnish personal identity code. However, it may be required if you want to open a Finnish bank account or apply for jobs in Finland. 

If you want to apply for a Finnish personal identity code, follow these instructions:

Before orientation week, complete the registration notice of a foreigner as an electronic form as soon as you have an address in Finland and you have IT user account of the University of Helsinki and you can form a certificate of student status from Sisu. Link to the registration form and instructions of DVV. 

During the Check-in Event, visit the DVV officials to complete your registration. 

In case you cannot participate in the orientation week, you can get the identity code when you register your right to reside in Finland at MIGRI or by booking an appointment time on Digital and Population Data Services Agency's website 

If you want to open a Finnish bank account, you also need to submit a notification of a temporary move to Finland. You can do this by visiting your local post office or with the DVV officials during orientation week. Usually students EU/EEA countries or Switzerland do not need a separate bank account during their exchange stay in Helsinki. 

Your identity code will be sent to you as a secure email. Please remember to check your spam folder and open the email soon after receiving it, as it usually expires after few weeks and cannot be reopened. Note down your identity code so you remember it.

If you have not received your personal identity code within 2 months, you can send an email to DVV to ask about the process at international@dvv.fi 

Once you have received your Finnish personal identity code please update it in the student register. You can do it by visiting the Student Services. Bring with you proof of your new identity code and your official ID.

You can also send the last four digits of your identity code by email to studentinfo@helsinki.fi, along with your student number.

Residence permit for studies

As a citizen of a non-EU/EEA country, you need to apply for residence permit before arriving in Finland if you study in Finland for longer than three months.  You can start your application when you receive your acceptance letter to University of Helsinki. We recommend you start the process as early as possible. 

If you have a residence permit for studies in another EU country, you may not need a residence permit to Finland but instead you must submit a mobility notification. Please check that your residence permit is valid for the whole duration of your exchange stay in Finland. 

Finnish personal identity code

Exchange students do not need to apply for a Finnish personal identity code. However, it may be required if you want to open a Finnish bank account or apply for jobs in Finland. 

If you want to apply for a Finnish personal identity code, follow these instructions:

Check whether your residence permit card has a Finnish personal identity code. It is a number sequence with 11 characters, formed on the basis of your date of birth. If you have this code, you do not need to do any other registration process with the authorities after your arrival in Finland. It can be under the title "henkilötunnus". 

If your residence permit card does not include a personal identity code, you can apply for the code at the Check-in Event of the orientation week, from the representatives of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. 

Before the event, complete the registration notice of a foreigner as an electronic form as soon as you have an address in Finland and you have IT user account of the University of Helsinki and you can form a certificate of student status from Sisu. Link to the registration form and instructions of DVV. 

In case you cannot participate in the orientation week, you can get the identity code by booking an appointment time on Digital and Population Data Services Agency's website.

If you want to open a Finnish bank account, you also need to submit a notification of a temporary move to Finland. You can do that by visiting your local post office or the DVV officials during the Check-in Event. 

Your identity code will be sent to you as a secure email. Please remember to check your spam folder and open the email soon after receiving it, as it usually expires after few weeks and cannot be reopened. Note down your identity code so you remember it.

If you have not received your personal identity code within 2 months, you can send an email to DVV to ask about the process at international@dvv.fi 

Once you have received your Finnish personal identity code please update it in the student register. You can do it by visiting the Student Services. Bring with you proof of your new identity code and your official ID.

You can also send the last four digits of your personal identity code by email to studentinfo@helsinki.fi, along with your student number.