Finland for German Expats: Moving from Germany with EU Free Movement

If you are a German citizen moving to Finland, start with the single most important fact: you have full EU freedom of movement, and you do not need a work permit or a residence permit. No visa, no Migri approval before you travel, no job offer required to enter. You can arrive, look for work, and start a job on the strength of your German passport — a completely different and far easier position than the American, British or Indian movers who must win a permit before they can settle.

What you do still have to do is register, not apply. The whole arrival sequence below flows from that distinction: there is no permit gate to clear first, just a short list of registrations that, done in the right order, unlock banking, tax, housing and healthcare. This guide walks through that sequence for a German national and flags where people get stuck.

1. The Legal Basis: EU Registration, Not a Permit

As an EU citizen you can stay in Finland for up to three months with no formality at all. The obligation kicks in once you intend to stay longer than three months without interruption. At that point, according to Migri (the Finnish Immigration Service, Maahanmuuttovirasto), you must apply for registration of your right of residence.

A few things worth knowing up front:

• You apply through Enter Finland, Migri's online service, then visit a Migri service point in person to prove your identity and show original documents. The fastest route is to fill in the application online first.
• The registration is valid until further notice — you do not renew it the way non-EU nationals renew permits.
• You do not receive a residence card. You get an EU registration certificate, which is the document that proves your right of residence. Migri keeps it in Enter Finland for one year after you first open it, so download and print a copy.
• If you live in Finland for over three months without registering, you are technically committing a violation of the Aliens Act and can be fined — so don't let it slide.

For the full mechanics, see our residence permit and registration overview, but remember the headline: as a German you register, you are not vetted.

2. The henkilötunnus: The Key That Unlocks Everything

The personal identity code (henkilötunnus, often "hetu") is the master key to Finnish life. Almost nothing else works without it: bank account, tax card, Kela, signing a lease, most online services. Getting it is your first practical priority.

A foreign citizen is issued a personal identity code by DVV (the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, Digi- ja väestötietovirasto) after being registered in the Population Information System — in practice when you register your move at DVV. DVV now lets you apply for a personal identity code and municipality of residence online, cutting much of the old queueing.

You generally handle the Migri EU registration and the DVV registration around the same time after arrival, but the henkilötunnus from DVV is the piece the bank and tax office will ask for. In the capital region, International House Helsinki brings Migri, DVV, Kela and the tax office under one roof — the single biggest time-saver for a new arrival. Our Finnish personal identity code guide covers exactly what to bring.

3. Bank Account and Tax

Banking. Finnish banks (Nordea, OP, S-Pankki, Danske) almost always require a henkilötunnus to open an account, and often proof of why you are in Finland. That creates a familiar newcomer gap of a few weeks between landing and having a working Finnish account. Our best bank account for expats in Finland guide compares the options.

For that gap, a multi-currency account like Wise or Revolut is genuinely useful for a German mover: you get a working IBAN and card immediately and can pay a Finnish landlord's deposit before your Finnish account exists. Since both countries use the euro, this is less about exchange rates and more about cheap, instant SEPA transfers from your German bank — a bridge, not a permanent replacement.

Tax. Finland taxes worldwide income once you stay more than six months, and the mechanism you need on day one of work is the tax card (verokortti) from Vero (the Finnish Tax Administration). It is not optional: without a tax card, your employer must withhold tax at a flat 60% default rate. Once you have your henkilötunnus, order the card through OmaVero (or at a tax office), give it to your employer, and the correct rate applies; Vero typically issues it within a week or two. See our Finnish tax card (verokortti) guide. If you worked in Germany earlier the same year, keep those income records — they can affect your Finnish rate.

4. Housing

Renting in Finland runs on the same identity code as everything else. Landlords and rental agencies generally want a henkilötunnus, and often proof of income or employment, before they hand over a lease — which is exactly why the registration sequence above comes first. The big rental channels are Vuokraovi and Oikotie, plus city-owned affordable housing such as Heka in Helsinki (long waiting lists, so apply early). Expect to pay a deposit of one to two months' rent up front; being able to transfer that from a Wise or Revolut euro balance before your Finnish account opens removes a common first-week headache.

5. Healthcare Access

Being an EU citizen helps, but coverage is not automatic on arrival — it is tied to working or living in Finland permanently, administered by Kela (the Social Insurance Institution).

According to Kela, you can get a Kela card — your entry to subsidised public healthcare and pharmacy reimbursements — if you live in Finland permanently, or work in Finland and earn at least 800.02 euros per month (the 2026 figure; confirm the current number on kela.fi). Once registered as a municipal resident or qualifying worker, you use the public health centres (terveysasema) run by your wellbeing services county.

Two German-specific notes: for your first weeks, before Kela coverage is in place, carry your German EHIC (Europäische Krankenversichertenkarte) — as an EU citizen it covers medically necessary treatment far better than it does for non-EU arrivals, an advantage Americans and Britons no longer have. And prescriptions and even basic painkillers are bought only at the tightly regulated pharmacy (apteekki), not supermarkets; see our pharmacy and prescriptions in Finland guide.

6. Work and Recognition of German Qualifications

You can take any job in any sector with no work permit — genuinely frictionless. The only wrinkle is recognition of qualifications, and only for some jobs.

• For most jobs, you need nothing. Employers in tech, engineering, business and similar fields assess your German degree and experience themselves. You just apply.
• Regulated professions are the exception. If the law requires a specific qualification to practise — doctors, nurses, teachers, certain legal and safety-critical roles — you need a recognition decision before working in that role, handled by the Finnish National Agency for Education (OPH/EDUFI, Opetushallitus) or a sector authority.
• Your EU status helps. Because Germany is an EU member, your qualifications fall under the EU Professional Qualifications Directive, which Finland has implemented into national law — more streamlined than for third-country degrees. If your training differs in content from the Finnish requirement, you may have to complete a "compensation measure" (an aptitude test or adaptation period). Start early if your job is regulated.

Finnish workplaces are highly English-speaking, so you can work day to day in English — though official letters and smaller services still default to Finnish (or Swedish). German community anchor points cluster around Helsinki: the Deutsch-Finnischer Verein, the Deutsche Schule Helsinki (for school-age children), and the German Embassy for passport and consular matters.

Common Problems and Fixes

• "The bank won't open an account without a henkilötunnus, but I need one to get paid." Bridge it with a Wise or Revolut euro account from day one for a working IBAN and card, then switch to a Finnish bank once your hetu arrives.
• "My first payslip was taxed at 60%." You started work without giving your employer a verokortti. Order the tax card in OmaVero once you have your henkilötunnus; over-withheld tax is reconciled, but fix it fast.
• "I've been here over three months and haven't registered." Apply for EU registration with Migri now — staying past three months unregistered is an Aliens Act violation that can carry a fine.
• "Kela says I'm not covered yet." Coverage depends on permanent residence or the ~800 euro/month salary threshold, not just on being German. Use your EHIC for necessary care meanwhile and confirm with Kela directly.
• "Recognition is holding up my start date." Regulated-profession recognition through OPH can run in parallel with job-hunting — begin it before you arrive if you can.

Your Next Step

If you have already arrived, do these two things this week, in this order: book your DVV registration appointment to get your henkilötunnus, and start your Migri EU registration in Enter Finland. Everything else — bank, tax card, Kela, lease — unlocks from those. Our moving to Finland guide lays out the full arrival checklist if you want the whole sequence in one place.

Rules, fees and thresholds change, and the figures here are snapshots verified in June 2026. Confirm the current position before you act: Migri (migri.fi), DVV (dvv.fi), Vero (vero.fi), Kela (kela.fi) and OPH (oph.fi).