Henkilötunnus (Finnish personal identity code)

The henkilötunnus identifies a person in Finland's Population Information System, and many employers and services ask for it. It has 11 characters: your date of birth as DDMMYY, a century sign, a three-digit individual number and a control character. The individual number is odd for men and even for women.

The century sign changed in 2023. The Finnish Government added new intermediate characters so there would be enough codes: Y, X, W, V and U alongside the hyphen for people born in the 1900s, and B, C, D, E and F alongside A for those born from 2000. Existing codes did not change.

You meet the code early in a move to Finland, because many services and employers rely on it. Migri says you can receive a code only once, and it does not expire, so if you lived in Finland before, use the code you already have on your application.

A personal identity code is not the same as a municipality of residence (kotikunta). Migri warns that receiving the code does not register you as a resident of a town, and you apply for that separately with DVV.

1. Through Migri. Migri says that if you are granted a residence permit, or register as an EU citizen, you are registered in the Population Information System automatically, provided a Finnish authority has verified your identity. The code may then appear on your residence permit card.
2. Through DVV. If you did not get one that way, fill in DVV's online form, then visit a DVV service point in person within one month. Bring your passport, residence permit or other proof of legal residence, and proof of work or study.

DVV says processing takes about two to three weeks for work or study cases, counted from the visit, and some service points can issue the code during the visit. Migri's fast-track pages say applicants who proved their identity at a visa application centre book a DVV visit to get their code.

Finland uses two different numbers for a health professional. The henkilötunnus identifies you as a person in the Population Information System. Your right to practise sits in Terhikki under an 11-digit registration number, which LVV says is not the same as the professional's unique identifier. When an employer or LVV asks for your identity code, give the henkilötunnus; when someone wants to check your licence, point them to JulkiTerhikki. If your name changes, both records need updating.

• No code before the first payday. Ask your employer how to handle pay and tax until it arrives.
• Confusing the code with the professional registration number. Your right to practise appears in JulkiTerhikki under a separate 11-digit registration number.
• Forgetting the municipality of residence, which is a separate application to DVV.

See our Finland guide for the full route.