How do you get a henkilötunnus in Finland in 2026?

Migri’s guidance is clear: when you are granted a residence permit or residence card, or when Migri registers your EU right of residence, your personal information is in most cases registered automatically in the Population Information System and you receive a henkilötunnus. Registration only works if the decision is positive, you are not already in the system, and a Finnish authority has verified your identity. Spell your name on the application exactly as on your passport so the register matches the travel document.

If Migri cannot register you at decision time, or if you arrive through a path that never triggered automatic registration, book a DVV foreigner-registration visit after you are in Finland. InfoFinland and DVV both say you need legal residence plus a concrete ground such as work, studies, family already registered in Finland, or a Migri permit or EU registration. Bring passport or EU photo ID, residence papers, and employment or study proof when asked.

Verohallinto can also issue a personal identity code at certain tax offices when you need one for a tax card or other tax purposes. Not every tax office does this. Check the Tax Administration’s current list before you travel to a counter that cannot help.

Migri states that a henkilötunnus does not automatically give you a municipality of residence. InfoFinland repeats the same warning: if Migri or the Tax Administration gave you the code, you usually still register a temporary or permanent address with DVV. Only when DVV stores a permanent address and kotikunta do municipal and wellbeing-services-county gates open for services such as public health care and early childhood education.

A temporary address can keep you contactable without full municipal residence. A postal address alone does not make you a resident of that street. Ask DVV whether you qualify for kotikunta under the municipality-of-residence rules before you assume Helsinki or Tampere daycare and health centres will treat you as a local.

Book the appointment on dvv.fi and complete the foreigner registration form beforehand when DVV offers it. Bring original identity documents, residence permit card or EU registration certificate, and work or study papers. If you want marriage or family relationships stored in the Population Information System, bring legalised and translated certificates as DVV instructs.

Nordic citizens who skipped Migri still use DVV for personal data and the move. Non-EU movers should finish the Migri permit path far enough to show lawful stay before expecting population registration. Once the code exists, banks and Suomi.fi identification become realistic; see Open bank account and Set up Suomi.fi.