Population registration in Åland

The population register is the register that contains up-to-date personal data on Finnish citizens and foreign nationals residing permanently or temporarily in Finland or Åland. Population matters in Åland, such as notifications to the population register and applications for a Finnish personal identity code, are handled by the Local Register Office at the State Department of Åland.

In Åland, the same rules on population registration apply as in Finland. For more information on population registration and personal identity codes in Finland and Åland, go to the pages Population registration in Finland and Personal identity code in Åland.

If you move to Åland permanently from a Nordic country, population registration is granted after the move has been notified to the Local Register Office at the State Department of Åland in Mariehamn. This notification is done in person, and a valid form of identification must be presented When you register in the population register, you are also assigned a Finnish personal identity code, and your new municipality of residence is determined. Your municipality of residence affects matters such as taxation and healthcare. Read more about population matters on the website of the State Department of Åland.

Non-Nordic citizens need to have a certificate of right of residence for EU citizens, a residence permit card, or other proof of legal residence in Finland in order to register with the population register. These types of matters are handled by the Finnish Immigration Service. Read more about the Finnish Immigration Service’s presence in Åland on the page Residence and work permits in Åland.

Right of domicile is required in order to vote or be a candidate in Åland parliamentary elections, to conduct business, or own land or real estate in Åland. Anyone under the age of 18 who has a parent with right of domicile is granted the right automatically. This means, for example, that children born with their municipality of residence in Åland who have Finnish citizenship and at least one parent with right of domicile acquire right of domicile at birth. To apply for right of domicile, applicants must always have Finnish citizenship, reside in Åland, and have a satisfactory command of Swedish. The length of residence varies. 

Individuals born in Åland, or Finnish citizens who moved to Åland before the age of 12 and have the right of domicile, are exempt from Finnish military service. Read more on the Info Norden page on Åland right of domicile.

Under the Nordic population registration agreement, a person residing in the Nordic region may only be registered in one Nordic country at a time. If you live in or own a home in two Nordic countries, the population registration authority in the country you move to determines your registration status.

The country of residence is determined based on where the person has a permanent connection, such as through family, home or employment. The decision is made following an in-person visit and registration with the population registration authority in the new country of residence.

Information on social security when living in more than one country at the same time is available on the page Which country’s social security system are you covered by?

On the Info Norden website you can find information on population registration in the other Nordic countries and which authorities to contact if you have questions.