Name and nationality of the child

The birth of a child is reported to the Population Information System by the hospital or a health care professional. The parents will report the child’s name to the Population Information System at a later date. In connection with the registration of the child’s birth data, the child will also receive their personal identity code. Parents of children born in Finland do not need to take any measures to obtain a personal identity code for the child.

If the child was born without the assistance of a health care professional, report the child's birth to a hospital or a health care professional who then reports it to the Population Information System.

Once the child has been given a name and personal identity code, Kela will mail the Kela card, i.e. the health insurance card, directly to your home.

If your child was born abroad, you must request the Digital and Population Data Services Agency to register them in the Population Information System.Opens in a new window.

You do not need to submit a separate notification about your adopted child to the Population Information System. The court that confirmed the adoption will record the details of the adoption in the Population Information System. In connection with this, the child will receive their personal identity code.

In intercountry adoptions, different countries of origin have different policies regarding the point at which a child is recorded in their respective population information systems.

After Kela has received the information from the Population Information System, it will mail the Kela card, i.e. the health insurance card, directly to the child's home.

If necessary, you can ask for additional information and advice from adoption service providers or the party responsible for the placement of the adopted child.

If your child was born abroad, you must request the Digital and Population Data Services Agency to register them in the Population Information System. You can also submit your registration request to a Finnish mission abroad. Registration requires the presentation of a legalised birth certificate and, if necessary, other reports.

Registering a child born abroad in Finland - dvv.fiOpens in a new window.

If the mother who gave birth to the child is a Finnish citizen, the child will also be granted Finnish citizenship.

If the mother is not a Finnish citizen but the child’s father is, the child will be granted Finnish citizenship if the parents are married.

If the non-Finnish mother and Finnish father are not married, the child’s citizenship will be affected by:

• whether the father’s paternity has been confirmed
• the country in which the child was born

A child may also be granted Finnish citizenship if the mother who gave birth to the child is not a Finnish citizen, but the child's other mother is. In such cases, the child’s citizenship will be affected by:

• whether the maternity of the non-birth mother has been confirmed
• the country in which the child was born

In certain cases, a child born in Finland may also be granted Finnish citizenship when neither of the parents is a Finnish citizen.

Read more about the determination of a child's citizenship on the Finnish Immigration Service's Finnish citizenship for a child pageOpens in a new window..

When adopted, a child who is under the age of 12 will be automatically granted Finnish citizenship if at least one of the parents is a Finnish citizen. The Digital and Population Data Services Agency will automatically register the child’s Finnish citizenship into the Population Information System.

An adopted child aged 12 or older is granted Finnish citizenship when the parents notify the Finnish Immigration Service of the adoption. Read the instructions on submitting the notification on the Finnish Immigration Service's website.Opens in a new window.

The laws of the child’s country of origin will determine whether or not the child will retain their previous citizenship.

For further help and advice, contact an adoption service provider that specialises in intercountry adoption.

After the child's birth, you will receive a form and instructions at home for reporting the child's details. The child's names and mother tongue must be reported within three months of their birth.

If the child is not baptised, the easiest way to report the details is to use the Digital and Population Data Services Agency's online formOpens in a new window.. You can also send the form by post to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency at P.O. Box 1003, 00521 Helsinki.

If the child is baptised as a member of the Evangelical Lutheran or Orthodox Church of Finland, send the paper form to the parish.

You can give your child 1–4 first names. More information on naming-related requirements in Finland is available on the Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s website.Opens in a new window.

You can use the Digital and Population Data Services Agency's name service (in Finnish) to search for first and last names in the Population Information System.

If the child’s parents have a common surname, it will also become the child’s surname.

If the child has an older sibling with the same parents, the child will receive the same surname as their sibling, even if the parents have different surnames.

If the child does not have an older full sibling and the child’s parents have different surnames, there are more options for choosing a surname for the child, such as either parent’s surname or a compound surname. Read more about the surname options for a child on the Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s website.Opens in a new window.

If the child has one parent, their surname will also become the child’s surname. The child cannot be given the surname of a person whose parenthood has not yet been confirmed.

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