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Municipality of residence 

What is a municipality of residence? 

Finland is divided into several administrative regions called municipalities. Municipalities offer various services to the people living in them, such as public healthcare and child day-care. 

A municipality of residence is usually the municipality where you live. 

When you have a municipality of residence, 

  • you usually have the right to use the services provided by your municipality of residence
  • you can get a Finnish identity card and a driving licence 
  • you can use services provided by authorities or receive financial benefits or subsidies.

You can get a municipality of residence even if you still live in temporary accommodations. For example, if you live in a reception centre or a hotel, a postal address will be registered for you in addition to the municipality of residence. Your mail will be delivered to this address.

Who can get a municipality of residence? 

If you live in Finland, you can get a municipality of residence in Finland if you meet certain conditions. Your municipality of residence and the permanent address associated with it will also be registered in the Population Information System. The municipality of residence is always registered by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.  

See the detailed conditions for receiving a municipality of residence: