International students

Registering with the authorities and opening a bank account

Remember to register with the Finnish authorities upon your arrival in Finland. The required registrations depend on your home country, so please check the relevant instructions below. After you have taken care of the registrations, remember to update your details in the student register.

You can also open a bank account (incl. strong authentication) and apply for a Finnish identity card after you have arrived in Finland. Strong authentication is needed for accessing many Finnish online services.

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Register your right of residence

Upon your arrival in Finland, you need let the authorities know of your stay and register your right of residence. Please check the process that applies to you depending on your home country.

Apply for a municipality of residence at DVV

You are required to apply for a municipality of residence if you are staying in Finland for more than a year. This applies to all nationalities. 

The registration is done at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV). Please see more information below and on DVV's information letter for foreign students.

Finnish personal identity code

The Finnish personal identity code (‘henkilötunnus’ in Finnish) is a means of identification in Finland, like a social security number in some countries. The code consists of 11 characters – your birthdate (DDMMYY) and five additional digits. The code is always unique. You can check your personal identity code on e.g. your residence permit card or the notification of registration that you receive from DVV.

The identity code is sensitive personal information, so please do not share it in social media or other open channels.

Update your information in the student register

After you have received your Finnish personal identity code and registered your Finnish address, remember to update them in Aalto's student register Sisu. It is important that you keep this information up-to-date, as it is not automatically updated.

To update your personal identity code, visit the student services. Remember to bring your identity card and the Finnish identity code with you. You can also send the information by encrypted mail from your Aalto email to [email protected]; please note the .s in the end for encrypting the message.

You can update your Finnish address in Sisu yourself. Instructions for this can be found in Sisu Help.

Opening a bank account

There are a number of banks in Finland, such as OP (Osuuspankki), Nordea, Danske Bank and Aktia. OP and Nordea are the biggest and most popular banks among international students.

Please note that practices vary between different banks. You should always make an appointment in advance at the bank where you want to open an account. It is also good to confirm that you have the necessary documentation with you to ensure you can get everything done in one go.

Finnish identity card

If you are planning to stay in Finland for a longer time (e.g. for the whole degree), it might be useful to get a Finnish identity card. The identity card can be used to verify your identity in various situations, meaning you don't have to carry your passport around. It is also needed to obtain full banking credentials (strong authentication). Please note that residence permit cards are not identity cards.

International students

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