Finland for Ukrainian Expats: Temporary Protection, the Identity Code and Settling In

If you are arriving in Finland from Ukraine, the single most important thing to understand is your legal status: you are almost certainly here under temporary protection, not an ordinary residence permit. This is a special, fast route created under the EU Temporary Protection Directive, active since March 2022 and extended several times since. It is distinct from EU-citizen freedom of movement and from the slow standard non-EU permit process. It grants you a residence permit, the right to work, the right to study, and access to public services — and it is free.

That status changes your whole arrival sequence. You do not need to win a permit before you can live and work here. Instead, you register for protection on arrival, you are given a personal identity code as part of that, and then banking, tax, housing and healthcare follow. Below is the real order, with the official sources to check every figure against, because rules and dates around protection are decided at EU level and do change.

1. The Legal Basis: Register for Temporary Protection, Don't Apply for a Permit

The rule, per the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri, Maahanmuuttovirasto): a Ukrainian national fleeing the war applies for temporary protection, not a normal residence permit. Once you are in Finland, go to the police or a border control authority and tell them you want to apply for temporary protection. Applying is free of charge. You will need an identity document — a biometric passport, or a Ukrainian internal passport.

Two things happen immediately and matter enormously:

• You get the right to work and study as soon as you register the application. The authority gives you a printed certificate of pending application, which you use to prove your right to work to an employer before your card arrives. The right to work is unrestricted — any field, any employer.
• When protection is granted, Migri issues you a Finnish personal identity code as part of the process.

On the timeline: Migri confirmed on 16 July 2025 that every permit issued under the directive is automatically extended to 4 March 2027. Most permits had been due to expire on 4 March 2026. Migri ran a batch extension in January 2026 and sent each of the roughly 66,000 people on the scheme an official letter confirming the new date. Banks, employers and municipal authorities have been told to accept that letter as proof of lawful stay. You keep your existing card; there is no fee, no biometrics and no new application unless your name has changed or the card is damaged. This is the opposite of, say, an Indian or American arrival on a standard permit — they apply and wait; you register and are already in.

2. The Personal Identity Code: The Key That Unlocks Everything

The henkilotunnus (personal identity code) is the master key to tax, banking, healthcare and almost every contract in Finland. The good news for Ukrainians under temporary protection is that you do not chase it separately — you are given one when protection is granted. That puts you ahead of many other arrivals who must book a separate appointment for it.

A separate, later concept is your municipality of residence (kotikunta), which is what fully plugs you into local services. You apply for that online through the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV, dvv.fi), but you generally qualify only after you have lived in Finland for at least a year with a protection permit valid for at least a year. Until then, the identity code alone lets you work, pay tax and open most accounts. For the full mechanics of how the code is structured and used, see our guide to the Finnish personal identity code.

3. Bank Account and Tax

With your identity code and your Migri permit or extension letter, you can open a Finnish bank account. Finnish banks run strict identity and anti-money-laundering checks, and getting a full account with online banking credentials (which double as a national login for government services) can take patience as a newcomer. Compare what each bank asks of temporary protection holders in our guide to the best bank accounts for expats in Finland.

While that is in progress, a multi-currency account from Wise or Revolut is the practical bridge: open it in minutes with your passport, receive a salary or benefit, hold both euros and hryvnia, and convert at the real exchange rate instead of bleaking money on hidden currency markups. Many Ukrainians use one of these from day one and add a Finnish bank account later.

On tax: if you work, you need a tax card (verokortti) from the Finnish Tax Administration (Vero, vero.fi), which tells your employer how much tax to withhold. Order it with your identity code; processing is normally 1 to 3 business days. There is a dedicated vero.fi page in Ukrainian for people under temporary protection. One specific case to watch: if you work remotely from Finland for a Ukrainian employer, that employer does not withhold Finnish tax, so you pay it yourself as tax prepayments (ennakkovero) using form 5042. Our Finnish tax card guide walks through ordering and adjusting it.

4. Housing

Many people arrive into reception centre accommodation, which is the default while you have protection but no municipality of residence. From there, the goal is private rental housing. Finnish landlords almost always ask for the personal identity code, proof of income (a job contract, or confirmation of benefits), and often a deposit of one to three months' rent. Vuokraovi.com and Oikotie are the main rental listing sites. Municipal and non-profit housing companies offer lower-cost options but usually have waiting lists. Beware of any "landlord" who asks for a deposit by transfer before you have seen the flat or signed anything — that is the most common scam targeting newcomers.

5. Healthcare Access

Your healthcare does not wait for a municipality of residence. Per the official EU-healthcare and Finnish health authorities: if you have temporary protection but no municipality of residence yet, you receive all the healthcare you need through your reception centre, on the same grounds as permanent residents of Finland. If you start working, you still get your health services through the reception centre.

Once you have lived in Finland over a year and are granted a municipality of residence, your healthcare transfers from the reception centre to your local wellbeing services county (hyvinvointialue), and you use the same public health stations as everyone else. For how prescriptions and pharmacies work day to day — relevant if you brought medication from Ukraine and need it refilled — see our Finland pharmacy and prescriptions guide. In an emergency, the number is 112 regardless of your paperwork status.

6. Work, Qualifications and Ukrainian-Specific Notes

You can start working the moment you register for protection. For most jobs, no formal qualification step is needed — an employer assesses your degree and experience directly. Only regulated professions (for example healthcare, teaching, some legal and safety-critical roles) require a formal recognition decision, issued by the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI / OPH) or a sector authority. EDUFI runs a dedicated page for Ukrainian refugees and provides its recognition guidance in Ukrainian, and SIMHE services exist specifically to help highly educated migrants get prior learning recognised and find work. If your profession is regulated, start that recognition process early — it is the slowest part.

Practical notes specific to your situation: your local employment services / TE Office and the integration service kotoutuminen.fi can connect you to Finnish-language courses and job support. Many wellbeing services counties and reception centres run Ukrainian-language guidance. And on social security: under a temporary (type B) protection permit, Kela benefits such as the general housing or unemployment supports are tied to a work requirement in some cases, so do not assume automatic eligibility — check kela.fi for your specific benefit.

Common Problems and Fixes

• An employer or bank questions whether my permit is still valid. Show them Migri's January 2026 extension letter — it is the official proof that your permit runs to 4 March 2027. Authorities have been instructed to accept it.
• I can't get a municipality of residence yet. That is normal — it generally needs a year of residence with a year-valid permit. In the meantime your identity code already lets you work, pay tax and get healthcare through the reception centre.
• A landlord wants a big deposit by transfer before I've seen the flat. Don't pay. View first, sign a written lease, and only then pay the deposit. Use reception-centre or municipal housing advice if unsure.
• My Ukrainian degree isn't being accepted for a regulated job. Apply to EDUFI/OPH for a recognition decision and ask about SIMHE support — and read their Ukrainian-language guidance to avoid filing the wrong application.
• I'm worried about what happens when protection ends. The directive cannot run forever. As it winds down, watch migri.fi for the transition options Finland announces (such as moving onto a continuous residence permit through work). Do not let your current permit lapse in the meantime.

Next Step

Start with the one thing the rest depends on: register for temporary protection at the police or a border control authority if you have not already, and keep the certificate of pending application and Migri extension letter safe — they are your proof of the right to work and lawful stay. Then, before your Finnish bank account is fully open, set up a Wise or Revolut account so you can receive money and convert between euros and hryvnia at the real rate from day one. For the full picture of settling in beyond protection status, read our complete guide to moving to Finland.

This guide is informational, not legal advice. Temporary protection is decided at EU level and the rules and dates change — always confirm the current position on the official sources linked above (migri.fi, vero.fi, dvv.fi) before acting.