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• Municipality of Residence
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• About Finland

 

Municipality of Residence

A foreigner arriving in Finland will be granted a temporary or a permanent municipality of residence by the municipal authorities in registry offices.

Registering as a Resident or a Permanent Municipality of Residence

To receive the right for a municipality of residence, citizens of EU and ETA countries must reside in Finland for at least one year. People coming outside EU or ETA countries are required a minimum of two years of studies in Finland to get a right to municipality of residence.

The right to municipality of residence entitles to certain municipal services, of which the most essential to foreign students are municipal health care and hospital services and the eligibility to receive discount on bus fare cards.

Other Practices

Finnish personal identity number is received automatically when you are granted a permanent municipality of residence. Person with a temporary municipality of residence is also eligible for receiving a personal identity number, if it is needed in banking, for tax reasons or for some other justified reason.