Guide: moving away from Finland

This article tells you what arrangements you need to make before leaving if you are moving from Finland to another country. These arrangements will depend, among other things, on whether your move is temporary or permanent.

When you move from Finland to another country, there are many things you need to take into account. In this guide you can find information about notifying a move, population registration, social security, taxation, membership of an unemployment fund and removal goods.

Notification of move in Finland

For a temporary move lasting more than three months, a notification of move must always be made to the Digital and Population Services Agency and Kela. A notification of move must naturally also be made if you move permanently.

Moving between the Nordic countries (Digital and Population Data Services Agenc…

International situations (Kela)

Population registration in your new country of residence

Under the Nordic agreement on population registration, all persons living in the Nordic countries must be registered in a population register in one place only in the Nordic countries. The registration requirements will depend on the rules in the country that you are moving to. You must register with the population register in the new country if:

you go to Greenland for over 3 months
you go to Norway, Denmark, Iceland or the Faroe Islands for over 6 months
you go to Sweden for over 12 months

If you live in two countries at the same time, you must register in the country where you spend most of your time (at least 183 days a year). You can find more information on population registration in the sections Population registration in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

Population registration in Sweden

Population registration in Norway

Population registration in Denmark

National registry in Iceland

Population registration in the Faroe Islands

Population registration in Greenland

Social security

If you move to another country, you always need to make a separate notification to Kela. Based on your notification, Kela decides whether you can still be covered by Finnish social security during your stay in the other country. You can find more detailed information on which country’s social security you are covered by if you move abroad on the page Which country's social security system are you covered by? If you have been covered by social security in Finland previously and you go to another country for work, you can transfer unemployment insurance periods accumulated in Finland to your new country of employment. Read more on the page Unemployment benefits in Finland.

International situations (Kela)

Which country's social security system are you covered by?

Unemployment benefits in Finland

Taxation

The general rule is that taxes are paid to the country where you work or get your income. If you live and work in different countries, your income may also affect your taxation in your country of residence. For this reason income must be declared for tax purposes both in your country of residence and your country of employment. Read more about taxation on the Nordic tax portal Nordisk eTax or the pages on taxation in the individual countries.

Nordisk eTax

Taxation in Finland

Tax in Sweden

Tax in Norway

Tax in Denmark

Taxation in Iceland

Tax in Åland

Tax in the Faroe Islands

Taxation in Greenland

Other points to remember

You can find information on removal goods, cars and driving in the sections below.

Removal goods

You can find information on taking removal goods to your new country of residence in the sections below. Moving to Åland is considered a move within Finland.

If you move outside the EU from Finland (Norway and Iceland as well as the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which are non-EU territories), you need to make an export declaration for your removal goods to Finnish Customs. Removal goods within the EU are covered by freedom of movement, so they do not have to be declared to customs.

Customs regulations in Sweden

Customs regulations in Norway

Customs rules in Denmark

Customs rules in Iceland

Customs regulations in the Faroe Islands

Customs regulations in Greenland

Moving from Finland to a non-EU country (Finnish Customs)

Cars

If you move to another Nordic country with a car or other vehicle, the vehicle will often have to be registered in your new country of residence. If you live abroad and stay in a country temporarily, you can use a vehicle registered abroad under certain conditions. Read more about the conditions below.

Cars in Sweden

Cars in Norway

Cars in Denmark

Cars in Iceland

Cars in Åland

Cars in the Faroe Islands

Cars in Greenland

Driving licences

A Finnish driving licence entitles you to drive the vehicle categories on your licence in all the Nordic countries. Read more below.

Driving licences in Sweden

Driving licences in Norway

Driving licences in Denmark

Driving licences in Åland

Driving licence in the Faroe Islands

Driving licences in Greenland

Guides if you move

If you move to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Åland, Greenland or Svalbard, the guides below will definitely be useful.

Guide: moving to Sweden

Guide: moving to Norway

Guide: moving to Denmark

Guide: moving to Iceland

Guide: moving to Åland

Guide. moving to Greenland

Guide: moving to Svalbard

More information

Moving away from Finland (InfoFinland.fi)

Contact the authority

Moving between the Nordic countries (Digital and Population Data Services Agenc…

Ask Info Norden

If you have any questions, please fill in our contact form.

Ask your question

NB! If you have questions regarding the processing of a specific case or application, or other personal matters, please contact the relevant authority directly.