After arrival

Degree students

Bank

Opening the Finnish bank account, ATM card (Visa Electron), how to use the ATM,
paying the bill (internet bank).

Register office in your town (maistraatti)

Degree students must get the Finnish social security number from the register office. They also need to register their permanent home municipality in their town if they want to. The registration office marks automatically the home municipality temporarily in Kemi, Tornio or Rovaniemi. Students who study in Finland two years or more, they have the right to get the permanent home municipality to the study locality. If the student has the permanent home municipality in Kemi, Tornio or Rovaniemi, his/her healthcare costs will be the same as the local citizens in the area. Without the permanent home municipality the student has to pay the actual healthcare expenses from the treatments, which will be much more expensive than with the permanent home municipality.

In the registration office the students must remember to ASK them to mark the home municipality as permanent to Kemi, Tornio or Rovaniemi. To do this, the student must have with them passport and study certificate. The registration is free of charge.

We advise you to take a certificate of the registration. This certificate costs 4,50€. With this certificate you can prove that you are a permanent resident in your town when you use local health care services, for example.

Exchange students

Bank

You must open the Finnish bank account if you get a grant from Lapland UAS (N2N-, First-Programmes). The grants for students are always paid to a Finnish bank account, never in cash.

Civil registries

You must get a Finnish social security number after arrival. The number is needed for registration purposes in all Finnish higher education institutions. To get the number you need to register at the local Register Office. You need to inform your Finnish social security number to your faculty's student's affairs office. They will add the number to your student information in WinhaWille. The social security number is also needed if you...

You intend to stay in Finland for at least a year (a Finnish “municipality of residence” will be registered for you) or
You intend to work and receive a salary (even though your stay will last less than a year)
You plan to apply to go on exchange during your studies or apply any grants from the university

On the basis of registration, you will be assigned the same kind of personal identity number as a Finnish citizen has. The personal social security number is used for identification purposes, needed in such places as banks, hospitals, libraries, tax office and the register offices of different authorities.

You obtain your personal social security number from the local Register Office after you register. The registration is free of charge. You have to have your passport, a valid residence permit and study certificate with you when you register. When you have received your Finnish social security number please inform it to the international services. They can add it for you in Winha.

Local Register office (maistraatti) in Rovaniemi

Lähteentie 2 (P.O. Box 8183)
96101 Rovaniemi
Tel. 029 553 9661
Fax. 029 553 9229

Open: Monday to Friday 9.00 – 16.15

Local Register office (maistraatti) in Kemi

Keskuspuistokatu 20-22, 3rd floor
94100 Kemi
Tel. 029 553 9661

Open: Monday to Thursday 9.00 – 15.00, Friday 9.00 – 16.15

Students in Tornio must visit the register office in Kemi. Local Register Offices website

Brochure about registering in Finland.

Check lists

After arrival checklist