After arrival

Make a notification of move. This must be done within one week of your move to Vaasa at the latest.

Register your information in the Population Information System in the local Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV) You will be issued a Finnish personal identity code for identification purposes.

Also your right to have a municipality of residence will be determined upon your visit to the Local DVV office.

If you are an EU citizen and your stay in Finland exceeds 3 months, register your residence at the Finnish Immigration Services.

Obtain a tax card from the local tax office.

In order to obtain strong identification online banking codes, you will also need a Finnish identity card issued by the police. Finnish ID cards may be applied from the police: poliisi.fi/en/identity-card

If your stay in Finland and at the University of Vaasa is short-term, just a few months, opening a bank account in Finland is not necessary. Especially within the EU / Euro countries, The Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) allows fast and secure transactions, which has made it relatively easy to use a foreign bank account while working in Finland.

However, if you have a longer work contract and will be staying in Finland for several months, it might be convenient to open a Finnish bank account.

When opening a bank account you will need a passport and an employment contract / an employment statement from the employer as well as an extract from the population information system (from the Digital and Population Dataservices Agency DVV).

When opening a bank account, you can also get a cash card, which enables you to withdraw money from the cash points (marked OTTO or NOSTO).

Cheques are not in use in Finland anymore, so bills are usually paid by using the online bank service or a self-service payment point. Online bank access codes to your account are usually issued only after income has been deposited to the account. In order to obtain strong identification online banking codes, you will also need a Finnish identity card issued by the police. Finnish ID cards may be applied from the police: poliisi.fi/en/identity-card

Banks in Vaasa:

Aktia Pankki, Vaasanpuistikko 16, 65100 Vaasa
www.aktia.fi
+358 010247010

Danske Bank, Rewell Center 202, 65100 Vaasa
www.danskebank.fi 

+358200 2580

Handelsbanken, Hovioikeudenpuistikko 19, 65100 Vaasa
www.handelsbanken.fi
+358 104443232

Kvevlax sparbank/Koivulahden säästöpankki, Kauppapuistikko 20, 65100 Vaasa

www.saastopankki.fi

+358 10 7736777

Nordea Pankki, Alatori 3, 65100 Vaasa
www.nordea.fi/
+358 200 3000

Vaasan osuuspankki / Vasa andelsbank, Alatori 1, 65100 Vaasa
www.op.fi

+358 100 0500

POP Pankki, Kauppapuistikko 16, 65100 Vaasa
www.poppankki.fi
+358 20 7007 440

S-Pankki Vaasa, Prisma Vaasa, Jukolantie 1, 65300 Vaasa
www.s-kanava.fi/web/kpo/toimipaikka/prisma-vaasa-asiakasomistajapalvelu-ja-s-pankki/00001518636626
+358 10 765800

Ålandsbanken, Hovioikeudenpuistikko 11, 65100 Vaasa
www.alandsbanken.fi
+358 20 4293300

Apply for coverage in Finland's social security system and a Kela card, if your work contract in Finland is longer than four months.

Social Security

Moving to or from Finland +358 20 634 0200
Social security when moving to or from Finland and in other international situations
(See also Centre for International Affairs and Contact Point for Cross-Border Healthcare)

Information about Kela's benefits:
www.kela.fi/web/en

The Social Security in Finland is either based on permanent residence or work. If you are living in Finland permanently, you are covered by the National Health Insurance scheme of the Social Insurance Institution (Kela). You may also be covered by the National Health Insurance is you are working in Finland. For detailed instructions on social security when movin to Finland, please see Kela website

Permanent stay in Finland

If you move to Finland on a permanent basis, you can usually receive Kela benefits starting from the date of your move to Finland.

When you apply for a benefit Kela determines whether you are considered to be permanently resident in Finland or if you can become entitled to Kela benefits on the basis of your employment. The determination of residence is affected by, for instance, whether you are a returnee, whether you work in Finland for a long period of time or if you have close family ties to a person who is already resident in Finland. Kela can also consider the residence permanent if you have previously stayed in Finland for a year already.

Temporary stay in Finland

If your stay in Finland is temporary, you will normally not be entitled to benefits from Kela. You are usually not considered to have moved to Finland on a permanent basis, if you stay in Finland for a short period of time for instance as a student, a jobseeker, an au pair or a trainee. Asylum seekers are also not granted Kela benefits while the application for asylum is being processed.
If you are entitled to social security coverage in another EU country, you cannot at the same time be entitled to social security coverage in Finland and you can usually not receive benefits.

You are usually entitled to social security coverage in another country if:

• you are a posted worker from another EU or EEA country or from Switzerland
• you are a cross-border worker who lives in Finland or moves to Finland but you work in another EU or EEA country or Switzerland
• you are employed by a foreign government or an intergovernmental organisation, and
• you are not a Finnish citizen.
   

Kela applications

Applications for social security benefits are submitted to a Kela either by post or directly to the Kela office. Kela will make a decision based on your current situation, and sends a Kela card to prove that you are covered by the National Health Insurance. If you are covered by the National Health Insurance, Kela will reimburse part of your medical costs and part of the cost of medicines for which you have a doctor's prescription. 

For those covered by the National Health Insurance scheme, Kela pays financial support in different kinds of life situations, e.g.:

• National pension and other pension benefits
• Benefits when you get ill
• Benefits intended for families with children

Each application is assessed and handled individually, and the amounts of benefits change from case to case.