Wed 1 May 2024 May Day.
Finland Society is closed.
Wed 8 May 2024 Day before Ascension Day.
Finland Society closes at 1 pm.
Thu 9 May 2024 Ascension Day.
Finland Society is closed.
Home Blog
Changes to opening hours
New online form: Notification of change of address abroad
The Digital and Population Data Services Agency informs:
NEW ONLINE FORM FOR FINNISH CITIZENS LIVNING ABROAD
If you are a Finn living abroad, you can notify the Digital and Population Data Services Agency about your new address abroad by using a new online form.
You can also still notify the agency about the matter by filling in a paper form at a Finnish mission or at The Digital and Population Data Services Agency.
If you are moving from Finland abroad read more here.
The Digital and Population Data Services Agency
Photo: The Digital and Population Data Services Agency, photographer Teemu Kuusimurto.
European Elections 2024
The next European elections are held in Finland on 9 June 2024.
The number of Members of the European Parliament to be elected in Finland is 15.
All Finnish citizens – regardless of their place of residence – who have reached 18 years of age by the first election day are eligible to vote in the elections.
A person entitled to vote may only vote in one Member State in the same European elections, either in his/her home state or in his/her country of residence. A Finnish citizen, who has registered as a voter in another Member State, is not entitled to vote in the European elections in Finland.
Read more about the right to vote in Finland.
Eligible voters may vote in one of the following ways:
- Persons living or staying abroad for the duration of the entire advance voting period and on election day may vote by post. If you are eligible to vote and wish to vote by post, you must order the postal voting documents to an address abroad. Your postal vote must arrive at the central municipal election board of your municipality of residence or population registration municipality by 19.00 on Friday 7 June 2024. You can find additional information on postal voting on the website of the Ministry of Justice.
- In advance at any general advance polling station abroad or in Finland. The advance voting period is from 29 May to 4 June 2024 in Finland and from 29 May to 1 June 2024 abroad.
- Election day on Sunday 9 June 2024 from 9 am. to 8 pm. in Finland at their own voting place, marked in the voting card sent to voters before the elections (to the address listed in the Finnish Population Information System).
Read more on the
New online form: Retaining Finnish citizenship
The Digital and Population Data Services Agency informs:
NEW ONLINE FORM FOR YOU AN 18-21-YEAR-OLD FINNISH CITIZEN
If you are 18-21 years old and a citizen of both Finland and another state, you can notify the Digital and Population Data Services Agency that you wish to retain your Finnish citizenship at the age of 22 and onwards. The notification can now be done by using a new online form. You can also still notify the agency about the matter by filling in a paper form at a Finnish mission or by submitting a free-form notification.
You can lose your citizenship at the age of 22 if you do not have a sufficient connection with Finland.
The Digital and Population Data Services Agency
Photo: The Digital and Population Data Services Agency, photographer Teemu Kuusimurto.
REMOTE WORK AGREEMENT BRINGS FLEXIBILITY
Text: Terhi Friman, published in Finland Bridge -magazine 3/2023.
Seventeen European countries have signed a new agreement on cross-border telework that took effect on July 1, 2023. Under certain conditions, an employee working remotely or in-person in two European countries is eligible for social security insurance in their employer’s home country instead of in their own country of residence.
Marjaana Lundqvist, a senior adviser at the Finnish Center for Pensions (FCP), says that there has been great interest in the opportunities offered by the new agreement. Normal EU social security provisions restrict teleworking in the worker’s country of residence, so the new agreement has been hailed as a welcome reform. Since the pandemic, remote work has increased everywhere, and many people do not want to return to entirely on-site work.
“Under the new agreement, teleworking in one’s country of residence can account for a minimum of 25% and a maximum of 49.99% of one’s working time. Previously, teleworking was only possible for 25% of working hours, in practice one day a week. The agreement brings flexibility to working life,” Lundqvist says.
Especially in Central Europe, workers often commute across national borders. The need to draw up an agreement stemmed from the needs of European countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands. For example, parents with a family living in Germany can work at an employer’s office in neighboring Austria and now also more flexibly from home as well.
So far 17 countries have joined the agreement, including non-EU states Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Each EU country can decide whether to join the agreement, so others, including Italy, remain outside the agreement.
“In Finland, remote work agreements are important, especially in northern parts of the country, when people may work domestically as well as across the border in Sweden or Norway, for example,” says Marjaana Lundqvist, senior adviser at the Finnish Center for Pensions (FCP).
Remote work agreements especially important in northern Finland
In Finland, remote work agreements are important, especially in northern parts of the country, when people may work domestically as well as across the border in Sweden or Norway.
As the name implies, the telework agreement specifically applies to remote work. For example, if a doctor or nurse works for a private clinic in Norway and works remotely in Norway from their home in Finland, they may be covered by the agreement. If, on the other hand, they work in both countries at a workplace, such as a hospital, they cannot be covered by a telework contract.
The agreement is best suited for those in expert positions and office workers, who can in effect work regardless of time and place. The agreement is not suitable, for example, for building or road construction work, where the employee must be in a certain place at a certain time.
The agreement also does not apply to entrepreneurs, grant recipients or officials. Their social security coverage for remote work is still determined by the EU’s normal social insurance rules, just like all others who are not covered by the new agreement.
Agreement extends beyond teleworkers
The telework agreement also does not apply to persons who telework from home full-time, even if the employer is abroad. If, for example, an employee on the payroll of a Swiss employer moves to Finland and no longer works at all at their former workplace in Switzerland, they are not covered by this agreement. Such a person would be insured in Finland, where all their work is physically done.
Lundqvist took part in negotiating the agreement, which was wrapped up quickly, within six months. She describes the agreement as a great achievement. Issues that initially seemed impossible were resolved when the necessary will and alternatives were found.
A telework contract provides an opportunity to deviate from the insurance provision of the employee’s country of residence. Based on a telework agreement, the worker and employer may apply for an exemption from the social security legislation of the employer’s domicile.
However, both the employee and the employer must agree to deviate from the normal provisions for applying a telework contract and the normally applicable social security legislation.
A1 certificates from the FCP
If you work abroad or in several EU or EEA countries, you must always apply for an A1 certificate.
If you work in an EU country, you can only be covered by social security in one country. With an A1 certificate, the employee can prove which country’s social security covers them. The worker pays statutory insurance contributions and receives all benefits in this country.
Each employer must apply for a telework agreement in their home country. In Finland, employers should apply for certificates electronically via the FCP website. Employers based in other EU member states must apply for A1 certificates in their own countries.
Based on an A1 certificate issued by the FCP, the employee will also receive a European Health Insurance Card from the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela). The processing time for an A1 certificate is approximately one month.
The new teleworking agreement and EU social security provisions apply only to social security, not matters relating to occupational safety and health. Tax matters are also excluded from this agreement. You can ask about tax matters from the Tax Administration.
Read also: TAXATION OF TELEWORK IN THE EU – Suomi-Seura
TAXATION OF TELEWORK IN THE EU
Text: Anne Nikula. Published in Finland Bridge -magazine 3/2023.
Work-related directives are country-specific. The legislation of the country where the work takes place must be followed because of employees’ legal protection. The telework agreement seeks to clarify the situation so that the employers – and in some cases the employee – may apply for a waiver from the social security administration of their home country and receive an A1 certificate proving that the employee is insured under the social security system of their home country. The A1 certificate is issued for two years.
Good governance and legislation are based on compatible laws and regulations as well on the principle that rules applied to a certain situation should be in line with each other. In other words, when the employee is insured under the social security system of the employer’s home country, other laws of the employer’s home country should also be applied on the work agreement and to working.
The EU agreement on telework does not apply to tax matters. Rules on taxation remain unchanged. Each EU country follows its own national tax laws and bilateral income tax agreements. Tax agreements generally follow a so-called six-month rule according to which a country has a right to tax income if the employee stays there for more than six months. If the employee stays and works overseas for longer than six months, they must report their wage income to their home country.
According to the law on income tax, Finnish citizens are generally considered taxable persons in Finland (meaning that they are liable to report all income earned anywhere in the world) three years after moving from Finland. Their tax liability status can change earlier, too, if they no longer have any essential ties to Finland. This three-year rule applies to the tax laws of other countries, too – the idea is that a temporary stay abroad should not interrupt general tax liability.
The telework agreement applies to employees who work digitally in their country of residence for at least 25% but less than 50% of their total working time. The employee is required to work in the employer’s home country for a minimum of 50% of their working time. It is largely the employee – whose personal income is being taxed – who is responsible for proving that they have lived and worked in their employer’s home country for more than half of their working time.
Tax agreements include special regulations on how the tax liability status is defined: in addition to residence, permanent housing, family relations and living situation base all play a key role when assessing the employee’s tax liability in the country in question. These issues should be taken into account in taxation and possible registration under the tax system of another country.
Since distance work situations vary so much, both employees moving overseas and companies sending employees abroad must find out about taxation in their particular situation.
Decisions on taxation are made by calendar year, retroactively. Surprising tax decisions can be avoided by preparing for the situation in advance and finding out about the employee’s tax status before filing a tax return. Employers and employees may need to sort out salaries paid and taxes withheld in two different countries: the employer’s and employee’s home countries. According to the tax agreements, taxation and how it is divided is agreed between the countries’ tax administrations in case there are issues subject to interpretation.
Who?
Anne Nikula (Master of Laws with court training) has long experience with a wide range of legal and tax issues. She has advised the Finland Society on international issues for many years. In her work, she has concentrated on tax practices and the application of taxation agreements. She has assisted expatriate Finns on legal and tax matters in Finland. She handles more than 90% of her cases remotely.
Read also:
REMOTE WORK AGREEMENT BRINGS FLEXIBILITY – Suomi-Seura
Lawyer’s tips for those working remotely abroad – Suomi-Seura
Independence Day greeting from the President of the Republic of Finland to Finnish expatriates and Finns abroad 2023
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC
OF FINLAND
Dear expatriate Finns,
We celebrate the Finnish Independence Day in the midst of a rapidly changing world.
Unfortunately, in this time and age that change has meant instability and conflicts around the world.
The secret of our small nation’s success has been based on trust. Differences have been settled through discussion, and matters have been resolved together. We respect each other’s different backgrounds and foster unity through everyday actions.
Many of you who have moved out to the world may have reflected on your identity at
different stages of life. Being Finnish does not exclude being international. In the same way as we are Finnish, we are also citizens of the world. When different identities live side by side, for many Finns the factors uniting people are the Finnish language and Finnish customs.
I thank you for the work you have done. You are flying the flag of Finnish identity in the world at a time when the need for cooperation and understanding each other is getting increasingly bigger. We can be proud that Finland is one of the most stable countries in the world. So, let us all do the best we can to ensure that stability and cooperation will prevail over discord in the future.
I wish you all expatriate Finns and those with a Finnish background a peaceful
Independence Day.
Sauli Niinistö
President of the Republic of Finland
Greeting from President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö:
Tasavallan presidentin tervehdys_EN (PDF)
Youtube-video: https://youtu.be/bUaWC1EsGF4?si=AcK9rtVZcl9Tpdcx
Video (.mp4): https://we.tl/t-DQFMY40f9O
Have you moved? Remember to submit a notification of your new address to Finland
Have you moved? Please, remember to submit your notification of your new address to Finland
Always inform the Digital and Population Data Services Agency in Finland if your address changes.
We will soon have an election and it’s important that your address is registered correct. A notice of your right to vote will be posted to the address you have registered. The next election will be the Presidential election. Submit your new address by 8 December 2023, so that the notice will reach you at your current address. Every Finnish citizen who has reached eighteen years of age not later than on the day of the election has the right to vote.
If you use Suomi.fi messages, you will receive a notification of your right to vote on Suomi.fi messages in electronic form instead of paper mail. If you want to receive notification of your right to vote in the 2024 presidential election electronically, activate Suomi.fi messages no later than December 7, 2023. You need Finnish bank credentials or a mobile certificate to log into the service.
Further information and notification of move.
Check your personal details registered in the Population Information System.
The Digital and Population Data Services Agency in Finland
The Finnish Expatriate Choir is the Finnish Expatriate of the Year 2023
Text: Riikka Mahlamäki-Kaistinen
Photos: Interviewees’ personal archives
The article has been published in the Finland Bridge magazine 4/2023.
When the 180-member choir is rehearsing, nobody can hear what the whole ensemble sounds like
Maria Männistö joins the interview from Seattle, the United States, and Eva-Christina Pietarinen, a former long-term resident of Germany, from Finland – so we start off by saying ‘good morning’ to one of them and ‘good evening’ to the other.
Still, finding a good moment for this interview was easy compared to arranging a suitable time for choir rehearsals led by Männistö and Pietarinen. Sometimes more than 100 people from a dozen European and North American countries take part in them.
Even though planning rehearsal schedules is an awe-inspiring effort, it is the actual choir activities that deserve real recognition. Consequently, the Finland Society has selected the Finnish Expatriate Choir, led by Männistö and Pietarinen, as the Finnish Expatriate of the Year 2023.
“It is a fantastic acknowledgement,” the leaders say, clearly pleased with the honor.
Origins of the choir
Pietarinen and Männistö, both professional musicians, have extensive experience in leading choirs and working with larger-scale projects.
For instance, Männistö was in charge of a recording of Jean Sibelius’s Finlandia produced with North American singers for Finnish Independence Day in 2020.
Pietarinen has been closely involved in Finnish expatriate choirs based in Europe for several years.
Their first joint project was producing a virtual performance of expatriate choirs as one grand choir for the Virtual Suomi-kylä and Finnish Expatriate Parliament’s online session 2021. Although it was originally meant to be a one-off project, the choir has now rehearsed virtually for more than a year and even released an album.
“The Finnish Expatriate Choir includes members of various expatriate choirs as well as individual singers who don’t have a Finnish choir in their hometown. We see the Finnish Expatriate Choir as a sort of an umbrella organization, gathering together singers from different expatriate choirs,” Pietarinen explains.
The idea to have more than 100 people singing together via Zoom may sound chaotic – and it would certainly be that if all of them had their microphones on. However, during rehearsals, only the leader speaks while the members’ mikes are muted. They all sing by themselves at home while listening to the choir leader.
Pietarinen says that the method has its plusses and minuses. On one hand, singers miss mirroring their voice onto other voices and the feeling of doing things together, while on the other hand they can take part in rehearsals anywhere and focus on their own singing better. Neither the singers nor leaders know how the whole choir sounds during the rehearsal.
First time together
In 2022, the choir released the album Yli rajojen (Beyond Borders). The title refers to both the singers and the songs, since the album includes several classic pieces with expatriate origins, such as Jukka Kuoppamäki’s Sininen ja valkoinen (Blue and White).
The album was compiled by combining individual choir members’ recordings of their singing. They are from Canada, the United States, England, Scotland, France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Greece, Sweden, Estonia, Norway and Finland.
According to Männistö, mixing the recordings felt like revealing a great secret.
“The result was great and needed surprisingly little polishing,” she says. “All the parts seemed to snap easily together.”
Pietarinen says that some singers were nervous about submitting their contributions.
“They were worried that their singing wasn’t good enough, but all voices melted into a great ensemble. It was easy to give advice to those who hoped for more detailed feedback and instructions.”
Pietarinen points out that choir leaders do not usually have a chance to do this kind of work. When all the voices are resounding at the same time, it is difficult to distinguish the performance of any individual singer.
Choir members were allowed to choose how many songs they wanted to take part in.
“All in all, there were 80 singers, with about 50 of them contributed to each song,” Männistö says.
Community spirit and common language
Last summer, some of the singers met in person at the 40th FinnFest, a Finnish festival held annually in the United States. Since the first festivals featured choral performances, they were included in the program of the anniversary event in Duluth as well. There was an ensemble comprised of several different expatriate choirs as well as many singers from Finnish Expatriate Choir.
The choir leaders say that it was an almost earthshaking experience to finally meet people with whom they had been singing virtually for several years and whom they had gotten to know during the rehearsals’ coffee breaks.
According to Pietarinen, singing together brings a lot of joy to both the choir members and leaders. It also builds deep bonds among the participants. Männistö adds that the Finnish language is an essential part of the activities.
“There are even third-generation expatriates involved in the choir – especially from the United States – who rarely have a chance to speak Finnish in their daily life.”
Seamless collaboration
Pietarinen and Männistö say that their cooperation is seamless and provides support to both of them. They each have their own strengths, which are together so much more than the sum of their parts.
“We have a tremendous amount of ideas and seem to come up with more all the time,” Männistö says.
“When I suggested making a virtual album, it was wonderful that I didn’t need to talk Maria into it. Right away, she said, sure, let’s do it,” Pietarinen adds with a laugh.
The choir leaders extend special thanks to the Finland Society, the Finnish Lutheran Church of Seattle, the Finnish Seamen’s Mission as well as the Finlandia Foundation, which has supported the choir with a grant.
An exceptional choice
The Finland Society has selected a Finnish Expatriate of the Year since 1993. The honor is presented to a Finn living abroad or a descendant of Finnish emigrants, who has been particularly successful in their field. In this sense the Finnish Expatriate Choir is an exceptional choice – a number of people instead of one individual. The selection is not thoroughly unique, however. In 2017, the honor was given to Suomi schools around the world.
Why not join the choir?
If you’d like to join Finnish Expatriate Choir, please contact the leaders:
Eva-Christina Pietarinen: ecpiet@gmx.de
Maria Männistö: mhmannisto@gmail.com
FINNISH EXPATRIATE OF THE YEAR 2023
The Finland Society has selected as the Finnish Expatriate of the Year 2023 the global Finnish Expatriate Choir, led by Maria Männistö (USA) and Eva-Christina Pietarinen (Germany).
With its selection, the Finland Society hopes to draw attention to multi-locality and the importance of Finnish identity for expatriates. The Finnish Expatriate Choir is a masterpiece of cross-border collaboration. It connects Finns and friends of Finland living overseas, promotes Finnishness abroad and innovatively utilizes digital means in its work. In 2022, the choir released its own album titled Yli rajojen (Across borders).
The Finnish Expatriate of the year 2023 honor will be presented to the choir at an event arranged during the Year of Sivistys 2024. The Finland Society will provide more information about the event later.
The Finland Society has selected a Finnish Expatriate of the Year since 1993. The honor is presented to a Finn living abroad or a descendent of Finnish emigrants who has been particularly successful in their field.
Finnish Expatriates of the Year, as selected by the Finland Society:
1993 Robert Selvala, founder of the Finnish-American event FinnFest USA
1994 Mirja Bolgár, Finnish-French translator and author
1995 Arvi Tervalampi, Finnish activist in Sweden
1996 Karita Mattila, opera singer
1997 Jari Litmanen, soccer player
1998 Vieno Williams, Finnish-American representative of the great migration wave
1999 Mika Häkkinen, Formula 1 driver
2000 Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux user system
2001 Matti Salminen, opera singer
2002 Jacob Söderman, Parliamentary Ombudsman of Finland
2003 Kaija Saariaho, composer
2004 Erkki Toivanen, journalist
2005 Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor and composer
2006 Saku Koivu, ice hockey player
2007 Richard Impola, Professor Emeritus, Finnish-American translator
2008 Bengt Holmström, Professor of Economics
2009 Leena Pasanen, missionary doctor
2010 Helena Petäistö, journalist and author
2011 Olli Rehn, European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs
2012 Outi Hovatta, stem cell researcher
2013 Osmo Vänskä, conductor
2014 Bonita Pietila, TV producer
2015 Mark Levengood, journalist and author
2016 Suvi Kauranen, entrepreneur
2017 Suomi Schools around the world
2018 Mika Keränen, author
2019 Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
2020 Eeva Lennon, journalist
2021 Joy Wolfram, assistant professor, nanoscientist
2022 Susanna Pettersson, director general of Sweden’s Nationalmuseum, and Maria Sid, artistic director of Stockholm’s Kulturhuset City Theatre.
The Finnish Hostel Association
Laivahostel S/S Bore was awarded as the best hostel in Finland in 2022.
The Finnish Hostel Association
Discount at Finnish hostels: As a Finland Society member, you will receive a 10% membership discount in hostels around Finland. Hostels offer sustainable, unique and social accommodation for all travelers. Book your stay through www.hostellit.fi or directly from the hostels.
International hostel card for member price: An international hostel card provides you a membership in the worldwide Hostelling International (HI) network, which includes over 3000 hostels in about 60 countries. With the card you get a minimum of 10% discount at all HI hostels around the world as well as various tourist benefits in Finland and overseas.
Hostellit.fi
Facebook.com/hostellijarjesto
Instagram.com/hostellijarjesto