Moving to Finland
International relocation is not easy. It requires plenty of research and thorough planning on your behalf -- and still, you need to be prepared for the unexpected. Nonetheless, Finland makes it as easy as possible for you to start your new life, With its relatively relaxed customs procedures, its many relocation services that can help you out in your first steps and its commitment to supporting diversity and equality, this country will become your new home with less hassle than you'd originally thought.
Relocation services and help
Moving companies can only do so much. If you want a more holistic approach, then it might be worth it to contact a relocation service; a type of company that manages your relocating process from A to Z. They can assist you with residence permits, visas and long-term stay permissions, arrange necessary documents and registrations with local authorities, help you find a new house, a job for your 'trailing' spouse or partner and a school for your children, inform you about social security (healthcare, childcare etc), set you up with Finnish language lessons and banking services and guide you on import regulations.
If this sounds a bit too much or ends up being expensive and you just want to transport your belongings, then you can just opt for a moving company. International moving services in Finland are well established and reliable. You can arrange a door-to-door international move via land, sea and/or air and also have them take care of packing & unpacking, insurance, customs clearance, storage, cleaning and disposal/recycle services.
Finally, once you arrive, you should check out In To Finland's service point: a shared service point of Kela (the Social Insurance Institution) and the Finnish Tax Administration, that helps entrepreneurs and students moving to Finland from other countries, Finnish agencies and companies who are hiring or bringing in employees from outside the country and people moving to Finland to work. There, you can apply for a tax card and the worker-specific tax number required or, a Finnish personal identification number without having to visit the local register office.
Moving to Finland with your family
Finland understands that families come in all shapes and sizes -- from single parent ones to stepfamilies and rainbow families. In this country, married spouses of the same sex have the right to adopt a child or carry out an adoption inside the family (which means that a spouse adopts the child of his or her spouse and officially becomes the second parent of that child). You should also get in touch with the Rainbow Families Association, which is an association that supports and advises LGBTQ families and organises activities for them. If you're a single parent, the Single Parents Association will give you all the help and information you need, They even arrange activities for single parents that you can join.
Moving to Finland with your pet
You may bring up to five pets to Finland if it constitutes non-commercial movement (i.e. not for the animals' sale or transfer of ownership). The first step is to prepare your pet or pets to enter Finland by having them microchipped (the microchip has to comply with the ISO 11784 standard and utilize HDX or FDX-B technology). Then, the process varies depending on where you're coming from.
For EU citizens, you need to vaccinate your pet against rabies (unless your pet is a puppy or kitten that is less than 12 weeks old), 21 days before your pet can enter Finland, and mark the vaccination in the pet's EU passport. If you have a dog, they need to get an echinococcus treatment 5 days before they can cross the border. If for some reason you're not able to travel with your animals when entering Finland, they are allowed to travel 5 days before or after you.
For non EU-citizens, you need to sign a declaration of non-commercial movement and vaccinate your pet against rabies. How long you need to wait after the vaccination depends on which country you're coming from -- it can be anything from 21 days to 3 months, so make sure to check the Evira.fi website to find out what applies to your case. If you have a dog, they need to get an echinococcus treatment 5 days before they can cross the border. Then, an official state veterinarian from your home country must issue your pet an EU-model health certificate in English, Finnish, or Swedish. Be aware though that there are specific points of entry to the country when it comes to travelling with your pets. If you arrive by plane, you're only allowed to land at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport, if you arrive by road you need to use Imatra, Kuusamo, Niirala, Nuijamaa, Raja-Jooseppi, Salla, Vaalimaa, Vainikkala, Vartius -- and if you arrive by ship, you'll need to disembark at Helsinki, Hamina, Nuijamaa, Hanko, Inkoo, Kotka, Loviisa, Maarianhamina, Porvoo or Turku.
Useful links:
Finnish relocation services
In to Finland service point
Benefits for LGBTQ families
Viktor Ek
Niemi
Travel Cargo
