Work in Finland

Read instructions for arriving in Finland to work here: you need a tax card and/or an individual tax number. To apply for the card and the number, you need a Finnish personal identity code.

The service where applications are processed is congested. Please take into account that tax offices may not be able to give you a tax card and/or a tax number immediately. The processing time, on the condition that all your information and documents are made available to the Tax Administration, is normally from 1 to 3 business days.

First, make an appointment for visiting the tax office, and get the identity code at the tax office. Appointments can be booked in MyTax or through the telephone service number +358 29 497 050. Without an appointment, the waiting times are longer.
Personal identity codes can be obtained at the following tax offices: Helsinki (Hämeentie), Ivalo, Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Kemi, Kittilä, Kokkola, Kuopio, Lahti, Lappeenranta, Maarianhamina, Oulu, Pori, Rovaniemi, Seinäjoki, Tampere, Turku and Vaasa.
No identity codes can be obtained at other local tax offices than those listed above.
It is required that you visit the Tax Administration’s office in person.
The processing time, on the condition that all your information and documents are made available to the Tax Administration, is normally from 1 to 3 business days.

It is within the Tax Administration’s jurisdiction to issue Finnish personal identity codes only for reasons relating to taxes and only if grounds exist, as defined by law, for the Tax Administration to enter the applicant’s personal data into the Population Information System.

Tax offices that provide Finnish personal IDs

If you have a Finnish personal identity code and you are able to log in to MyTax, you can use MyTax to have your tax number entered into the Public Register of Tax Numbers. See guide on how to add the number to the register yourself

First, make an appointment for visiting the tax office, and get the identity code at the tax office. Appointments can be booked in MyTax or through the telephone service number +358 29 497 050. Without an appointment, the waiting times are longer.
Personal identity codes can be obtained at the following tax offices: Helsinki (Hämeentie), Ivalo, Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Kemi, Kittilä, Kokkola, Kuopio, Lahti, Lappeenranta, Maarianhamina, Oulu, Pori, Rovaniemi, Seinäjoki, Tampere, Turku and Vaasa.
No identity codes can be obtained at other local tax offices than those listed above.
It is required that you visit the Tax Administration’s office in person.
The processing time, on the condition that all your information and documents are made available to the Tax Administration, is normally from 1 to 3 business days.
If you are a citizen of a country that is not part of the EU or the EEA, or if you have no citizenship, the Tax Administration will perform a check to make sure that you have a residence permit that also gives you the right to work in Finland. The decision letter you have received about your residence permit indicates whether you have the right to work. The right to work also shows on your residence permit card.
The Immigration Service (Migri) issues the permits.

Foreign employees can get identity codes at a tax office

Tax offices that provide Finnish personal IDs

When you come to Finland to work, your tax treatment depends on the length of your stay. The treatment also depends on the country of the employer, i.e. whether you work for a Finnish employer or for a foreign one. Additionally, special tax rules apply to certain professions and types of work.