Hey New EU based student! We’ve prepared a guide to help you get through the process of immigrating to your new home in Finland. As an EU resident, your process is quite straightforward, lucky you! Follow these steps to settle in easy - and feel free to ask your tutors or OSA for help if you need it!
<aside> 🏦 Who’s Who in Government Agencies
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*Available at the International House - a one-stop shop for most immigration concerns.
Bringing folks along? Check out our Family Supplement
Once you’ve arrived, Where do I… can help you figure out where to buy what you need
Check your inbox for a link to register as a student at the University of Helsinki! You will need to pay the Student Healthcare Fee as well as your HYY (that’s the Helsinki Student Union) fees, but that’s it. It’s easy to pay by bank transfer from your home bank. More info is available on the UH website.
As soon as you’re accepted, you are eligible to apply for housing through HOAS, which is how most of our students find a place. This process can take a while depending on your situation, but international students have priority when it comes to finding places. As an EU resident, you are not eligible for a furnished room from HOAS (also, you don’t want one). HOAS doesn’t seem right for you? Checkout Unihome or BOTH!
<aside> ☝🏽 Helsinki is compact and has excellent public transit! In your HOAS application, don’t be afraid to apply to areas that seem far away - you’ll still be able to get to school quickly and easily, with good access to services all around
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Most likely, your home government will continue to cover you as your study - check with your local health office. It is important that you know where to find your European health card if so - often it is just on the backside of your nomal health card. Additionally, you will have to send a picture of it to Kela, but no worries, they will e-mail you about it.
If you live outside the EU, you will need to arrange for private health insurance - Swisscare is cheap and will do what you need. If you are over 26, contact Kela to arrange for health insurance in Finland.
Your acceptance certificate and EU passport are enough to show your right of residence at Migri! Make sure to register to the Finnish Population System - As an EU citizen, you will recieve your Finnish Identity Number (your birthdate and a four digit code, DDMMYY-XXXX) from Migri. Please note that only EU registrations can be done at the International House Migri office - if you have more Migri business, you will need to visit the Malmi branch.
Only visit the DVV after Migri. The DVV will allow you to register your place of domicile. Make sure they register you for at least two years! Less than two years is considered temporary and does not allow the same access to benefits.
You will need your Certificate of Student Status for many of these appointments - the easiest way to find it is on the My Profile tab of Sisu. You will need to activate your University of Helsinki Username to access this.
<aside> ☝🏽 Migri appointments can be hard to get - try and book one now for your arrival in Helsinki. Appointments are often cancelled last minute, so check the website regularly, especially around 11:00 and 23:00 EEST. You can also go to the Migri office when it opens to wait for an appointment, but this may take hours. You have 90 days to register after you arrive!
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Your username is your key to accessing many University services - including the online learning platforms, class registration, and library materials. You should have received information on how to activate it by email, but you can find out more on the IT Helpdesk website.
Your student card is digital! Finland uses the Frank app to prove student status, and this entitles you to lots of cheaper prices around the city. Most importantly, it gets you student prices at the University cafeterias. A physical card is available, but there is no real reason to get it. Stay digital! Frank offers some discounts in-app, but most are not worth paying attention to.
Once you have your Finnish ID number, make sure to inform the school! You can go to the main library, Kaisatalo, during student service hours and have it added to your account.
If you will be staying in Finland for more than two years or plan to work, you will need to get a Tax Card through Vero. Kela benefits can be tricky to qualify for, and the online form is only available in Finnish or Swedish. However, paper forms are available in English and can be downloaded from the website!
Bank accounts in Finland are hugely important as they are the easiest source of Strong Verification, the Finnish government system of Two-Factor Authentication. You will need to use Strong Verification to access many services, including healthcare.
Finland is highly reliant on cards to pay - many places simply do not accept cash, so it’s important to have an account that does not charge fees!
It is also possible to use your home bank without fees as there is V-Pay/ Visa Pay everywhere. You won’t be able to use strong authentication, but there are some CE students who have made it through fine so far.
<aside> ☝🏽 Finnish Banks are tricky! Many only allow visits by appointment, and only a couple have English services.
S-Pankki allows drop-in appointments to set up accounts in one day
OP and Danske have functioning apps in English but take some time to set up an account
Wise is a great service to make bank transfers for fair price across currencies
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HSL is a great way to get around town, but it can be pricey - student status entitles you to discounted rates. HSL requires proof of residence in Helsinki (provided by DVV) and proof of student status (through Frank App). If you have both, you can go to the service point at the main train station or present them at the welcome fair (your tutors will tell you more).