Submitting foreign documents to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency 

Submit the necessary documents to the DVV through a Finnish mission abroad in person or by mail, if you are a Finnish citizen or a foreign citizen permanently residing in Finland. Otherwise, you can ask the diplomatic mission whether it is possible to submit documents through them.

The Finnish diplomatic mission will scan your documents to DVV and return the original documents to you. The diplomatic mission charges a fee for its service in accordance with its price list. As the original documents may be unique, it is recommended to submit the documents primarily through a Finnish diplomatic mission.

Submitting the documents through a diplomatic mission benefits you in the following ways:

• You can be sure that your documents will arrive at DVV and not disappear on the way
• The diplomatic mission delivers your documents electronically and quickly to the DVV so that your case can be started immediately.
• You get to keep the original documents.

Fill in the paper form related to your life event at the embassy, or in advance. This way, all documents related to your matter will be kept together.
 

If you submit the documents by post to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, deliver them as certified copies. Follow the instructions found under the headline "Documents" and choose the country of origin of your document. Read detailed information about the legalisation of documents to see whether you need to legalise and/or translate your document.  Note that the certified copies will not be returned to you. They will be stored for six months after which they will be destroyed.

If you send documents from outside the EU, send them as standard mail. This is the best way to avoid customs. 

Note: Do not send money or a passport in the envelope to DVV. 

Send the documents to Digital and Population Data Services Agency, PL 1003, 00531 Helsinki, FINLAND.
If your current or most recent municipality of residence was is in Åland, send the documents to Statens ämbetsverk på Åland, PB 58, 22101 Mariehamn, FINLAND.

Fill in (in advance) the appropriate form related to your life event.
 

You can leave documents at the Agency's lobby service or mailbox. Book an appointment in advance, if you want personal customer service.

Fill in (in advance) the appropriate form related to your life event.
 

If you send documents from outside the EU, send them by regular mail. This is the best way to avoid customs. 

If you send documents with tracking information, add content information to the letter.  

Posti recommends that the content information should have the following information: 

• non-commercial delivery 
• contains documents 
• no monetary value/free-of-charge.  

Note: Do not send money or a passport in the envelope to DVV. 

If your original document was issued in a country that is not a Nordic Country or an EU Member State, we recommend that you provide the documents to us in the following manner:

1. Obtain the original document and the necessary legalisations. Have the document translated if it is in a language other than Finnish, Swedish or English. A translation made abroad must also be legalised. See more detailed instructions for legalising and translating documents. 
2. Ask the notary public of the country concerned to notarise the authenticity of the copy of the original legalised document. The above-mentioned copy must also be legalised.
3. Fill in the appropriate form related to your life event: Life changes while living abroad
4. Post the form, copy/copies of passport(s) and the legalised copy of the original legalised document and the legalised translation to: Digital and Population Data Services Agency, PL 1003, 00531 HELSINKI, FINLAND. If your current or most recent municipality of residence is in Åland, send the documents to Statens ämbetsverk på Åland.

The documents that have been submitted following the instructions above will not be returned. They will be destroyed six months after their arrival at the Agency. 

Please note! If you submit the original document to us, we will return the document to you by regular mail.  We do not assume responsibility for the documents that are returned to you by regular mail.

Public documents include certificates that primaly confirm one of the following matters: birth, a person being alive, death, name, marriage, capacity to marry, marital status, divorce, registered partnership, registered partnership status, dissolution of a registered partnership, parenthood, adoption, domicile and/or residence, or nationality.

If your document is a public document, and it has been issued by an authority of EU Member State, you can submit the documents in the following manner: 

1. Obtain the original document. If the document is in a language other than Finnish, Swedish or English, also obtain a multilingual standard form as a translation aid. Attach the translation aid to your document or have the document translated by an official translator in one of the EU Member States. Find an official translator by area. 
2. Ask the notary public of the country concerned or an authority authorised to issue certified copies of original documents under the national legislation of the country concerned to notarise the authenticity of the copy of the original document. For more information, see: Find information about authorities authorised to issue certified copies of original documents by area.  
3. Fill in the appropriate form related to your life event: Life changes while living abroad
4. Post the notification form, copy/copies of passport(s), a copy of the original document and potential standard form or translation to: Digital and Population Data Services Agency, PL 1003, 00531 HELSINKI, FINLAND. If your current or most recent municipality of residence is in Åland, send the documents to Statens ämbetsverk på Åland.

The documentst hat have been submitted following the instructions above will not be returned. They will be destroyed six months after their arrival at the Agency.

Please note! If you submit the original document to us, we will return the document to you by regular mail.  We do not assume responsibility for the documents that are returned to you by regular mail. 

We will not, however, return original extracts from the Estonian population register. They will be destroyed six months after their arrival at the Agency.

See instructions in section Documents from outside the Nordic Countries and the EU. 

1. Obtain the original decision on child custody and request a certificate in accordance with Article 39 of the Brussels IIa Regulation* for it. In this case, you do not need to have the original decision translated.
2. Ask the notary public of the country concerned or an authority authorised to issue certified copies of original documents under the national legislation of the country concerned to notarise the authenticity of the copy of the original decision. For more information, see: Find information about authorities authorised to issue certified copies of original documents by area.
3. Fill in the form related to your life event: Correction/addition to register information – international matters 
4. Post the form, copy/copies of passport(s), a copy of the original decision and the certificate in accordance with the Brussels II a Regulation to: Digital and Population Data Services Agency, PL 1003, 00531 HELSINKI, FINLAND. If your current or most recent municipality of residence is in Åland, send the documents to Statens ämbetsverk på Åland.

The documents that have been submitted following the instructions above will not be returned. They will be destroyed six months after their arrival at the Agency.

Please note! If you submit the original document to us, we will return the document to you by regular mail.  We do not assume responsibility for the documents that are returned to you by regular mail.

*Council Regulation (EC) No 2201/2003 concerning jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in matrimonial matters and the matters of parental responsibility, repealing Regulation (EC) No 1347/2000. 

A divorce granted abroad can be recorded in the Finnish Population Information System on the basis of a register extract; in this case, see Public documents from the EU area. However, a divorce granted abroad can also be recorded in the Finnish Population Information System on the basis of a legally valid court decision.  If you notify us of your divorce by submitting a court decision, please submit the necessary documents in the following manner:

1. Obtain the original final decision and request a certificate in accordance with Article 39 of the Brussels IIa Regulation* for it. In this case, you do not need to have the original decision translated.
2. Ask the notary public of the country concerned or an authority authorised to issue certified copies of original documents under the national legislation of the country concerned to notarise the authenticity of the copy of the original decision. For more information, see: Find information about authorities authorised to issue certified copies of original documents by area. 
3. Fill in the appropriate form related to your life event: Life changes while living abroad
4. Post the notification form, copy/copies of passport(s), a copy of the original decision and the certificate in accordance with the Brussels IIa Regulation to: Digital and Population Data Services Agency, PL 1003, 00531 HELSINKI, FINLAND. If your current or most recent municipality of residence is in Åland, send the documents to Statens ämbetsverk på Åland.

The documents that have been submitted following the instructions above will not be returned. They will be destroyed six months after their arrival at the Agency.

Please note! If you submit the original document to us, we will return the document to you by regular mail.  We do not assume responsibility for the documents that are returned to you by regular mail.

*Council Regulation (EC) No 2201/2003 concerning jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in matrimonial matters and the matters of parental responsibility, repealing Regulation (EC) No 1347/2000. 

If your document was issued in Norway, Denmark, Iceland or Estonia please submit the necessary documents as follows:

1. Obtain the original, signed and/or stamped document (e.g., utdrag ur folkeregister).
2. Fill in the appropriate form related to your life event: Life changes while living abroad
3. Post the form, copy/copies of passport(s) and the original document to the address Digital and Population Data Services Agency, PL 1003, 00531 HELSINKI, FINLAND. If your current or most recent municipality of residence is in Åland, send the documents to Statens ämbetsverk på Åland.

The documents that have been submitted following the instructions above will not be returned. They will be destroyed six months after their arrival at the Agency. 

If you are a Finnish citizen living in Sweden, you do not need to notify the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of changes in your personal data in Sweden, as the data will be automatically transferred to Finland from the Swedish authorities. There may be delays in the transfer of the information.

Exception: If you are citizen of both Finland and Sweden, Sweden will not forward your personal data. If you have dual citizenship, you must therefore submit the notifications yourself. For example, if a mother has Finnish citizenship when a child is born, but the child is given both Swedish and Finnish citizenships, the parents are obliged to notify of the birth of the child themselves.

However, the following information is not transferred to Finland through official channels, and you must personally notify us of:

• changes in address information in Sweden 
• information on children's guardians is not updated in Finland if the parents are not married. 

When notifying of changes in your personal data described above, we recommend that you provide us with the necessary documents issued in Sweden in the following manner:

1. Obtain the original, signed and/or stamped “Personbevis”.
2. Fill in the appropriate form related to your life event: Life changes while living abroad
3. Post the form, copy/copies of passport(s) and the original document to the address Digital and Population Data Services Agency, PL 1003, 00531 HELSINKI, FINLAND. If your current or most recent municipality of residence is in Åland, send the documents to Statens ämbetsverk på Åland.

The documents that have been submitted following the instructions above will not be returned. They will be destroyed six months after their arrival at the Agency. 

If your document was issued in Sweden, we recommend that you provide us with the necessary documents in the following manner:

1. Obtain the original, signed and/or stamped “Personbevis”.
2. Fill in the appropriate form related to your life event: Life changes while living abroad
3. Post the form, copy/copies of passport(s) and the original document to the address Digital and Population Data Services Agency, PL 1003, 00531 HELSINKI, FINLAND. If your current or most recent 
   municipality of residence is in Åland, send the documents to Statens ämbetsverk på Åland.

The documents that have been submitted following the instructions above will not be returned. They will be destroyed six months after their arrival at the Agency.