Electronic identification (e-ID) in Finland
With electronic identification, you can confirm your identity in various electronic services, such as Kela and the tax authorities, and when paying for purchases online. The forms of e-ID that individuals can use in Finland are online banking codes, the Citizen Certificate or Mobile ID. Foreigners can authenticate for some Finnish services using eIDAS authentication tools or the Finnish Authenticator service.
Finnish electronic identification tools
The forms of e-ID that individuals can use in Finland are online banking codes, the Citizen Certificate or Mobile ID. Read below to find out more about whether you can get Finnish e-ID.
The criteria for obtaining online banking codes depend on your bank. The requirements for issuing online banking codes are stricter than for opening a bank account, as banks have a legal obligation to verify their customers’ identity. Read more on the FINE website.
You can read more about banking services on the page Bank accounts in Finland.
The Citizen Certificate is included in ID cards, which are issued by the police. The certificate is in the chip of the ID card. You can use the Citizen Certificate to authenticate yourself with the authorities' e-services or to make electronic signatures. You need to activate the Citizen Certificate in your ID card before you can use it for e-services. If you do not want to use your ID card for this purpose, you do not have to activate the Citizen Certificate.
You can only get a Citizen Certificate if you are a Finnish citizen or a foreigner who has a municipality of residence in Finland within the meaning of the Municipality of Residence Act, who is registered in the Population Information System and whose identity has been reliably verified. If you are a Finnish citizen living abroad, apply for an identity card at the Finnish diplomatic mission in your country of residence.
Find out more on the Digital and Population Data Services Agency website.
Some Finnish mobile operators offer the possibility of mobile authentication. Mobile authentication is possible on all mobile phones, but strong authentication requires a mobile token, activated on the phone’s SIM card, which is the user's electronic ID.
To get a mobile certificate, you need a mobile phone contract with an operator offering Mobile ID, Finnish online banking codes and a SIM card that supports Mobile ID.
If you want to activate Mobile ID on your SIM card, contact your Finnish operator. For more information, contact your mobile phone operator. Find out more on Suomi.fi and Mobiilivarmenne.fi.
Identification for foreigners in Finland
Foreigners can identify themselves electronically in Finland using eIDAS identification tokens or the Finnish Authenticator service.
The eIDAS Regulation requires EU public administration service providers to accept electronic identification from all other EU countries. In other words, you can authenticate electronically with Finnish public administration services if you use a token recognised by another EU country.
On the Suomi.fi website you will find a list of countries whose identification tokens can be used in Finland. Read more about eIDAS tokens on the website of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.
Finnish Authenticator is an identification service for foreign citizens in Finland that allows you to identify yourself with Finnish public administration services. The service is in English. Finnish Authenticator is an app that can be downloaded to your mobile phone and can only be used on services that accept it as an authentication method.
The service is intended for people who do not have a Finnish personal identity code and who are at least 18 years old. The service allows these people to use Finnish e-services as authenticated users. The service can also be used for transactions on behalf of organisations and companies.
If you need support in installing or using Finnish Authenticator, please contact the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.
Read more about the Finnish Authenticator service on the website of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.
Electronic identification in other Nordic countries
See the pages listed below for information on electronic identification in other Nordic countries.
More information
Please fill in our contact form if you have any questions or if you have encountered an obstacle in another Nordic country.
NB! If you have questions regarding the processing of a specific case or application, or other personal matters, please contact the relevant authority directly.
