Suomi.fi Messages is your electronic mailbox that you should not forget

Many of us check our mailbox almost automatically. Perhaps on our way shopping or when taking the dog out for a walk. But what about a digital mailbox?

Increasingly, letters from the authorities are no longer brought to our doorstep but arrive in Suomi.fi Messages instead. It's your electronic mailbox for official mail, and its content can have a surprising impact on your daily life.

What do I receive in Suomi.fi Messages?

You will not receive marketing emails or general information in Suomi.fi Messages. What you will receive is personal messages from the authorities, often about matters you have managed or need to manage yourself.

For example, you may receive:

• a decision on the admission to early childhood education and care or a decision on a school place for a child, sent by the municipality
• an appointment letter from the hospital or health centre
• a vehicle tax bill or some other message from the Transport and Communications Agency
• a waste management decision
• document and invoice related to land survey procedures
• a traffic penalty fee or a message about a criminal investigation from the police
• messages from the Finnish Tax Administration, such as information on a tax assessment decision or tax card

If you do not use Suomi.fi Messages yet, the service will be activated for you the next time you identify yourself in the e-services of an authority. After this, you will receive a large part of your official mail electronically in Suomi.fi Messages instead of as paper mail.

When you activate Suomi.fi Messages, you do not select which authorities can send you mail electronically. You will receive mail from several authorities in Suomi.fi Messages. As the same information will not arrive by paper mail later, remember to read the messages you have received!

Ordinary everyday life, ordinary situations

Let's imagine a few situations. You have applied for a place in early childhood education for your child. The decision is sent to Suomi.fi Messages.
If you do not notice the message, you may miss the information about the start time, or the appeal time of the decision may end.

Or you have used healthcare services. The appointment for your next visit will be sent digitally to Suomi.fi Messages. If you do not notice the message in time, you will miss the appointment and may not get a new appointment until months later.

Or if you have a car. The vehicle tax bill is sent to Suomi.fi Messages. Missing the payment may lead to recovery and the prohibition of use of the vehicle.

A missed message may become expensive

The decisions and other messages received in Suomi.fi Messages often have some kind of deadline. That is why it is important to keep an eye on them.

If you do not read the message:

• the bill will not be paid and may result in recovery proceedings
• the deadline may pass and affect the content of the decision
• the appeal period may pass, and you can no longer appear the decision

These are not just trivial things. The messages may affect your finances, health and the daily life of the whole family.

Why should I make a habit of checking Suomi.fi Messages?

Suomi.fi Messages go with you to wherever you take your phone. They do not get mixed up with shop flyers and other marketing material or go missing when you move house.

The digital mail provided by Suomi.fi Messages is:

• fast – messages arrive instantly
• secure – only authorities can send messages
• centralised – important things can be found in one place

But it is all this only if you keep checking the mail.

How to stay up to date – without hassle

You should check Suomi.fi Messages regularly. Just like when you check a physical mailbox. It is a small effort that helps you avoid big trouble.

Keeping an eye on Suomi.fi Messages does not require continuous logins or notes on the fridge door.

When a new message arrives to you in Suomi.fi Messages, you receive a notification of it in your email.
The notification says that you have received new important mail from an authority, but does not include the actual message sent by the authority.

The email serves as a sign that you should now read the mail.

From the point of view of daily life, the easiest and most recommended way is to activate the Suomi.fi mobile application. It is the most convenient way to read official mail.

When you allow the application to send notifications:

• you will receive the notification directly on your phone
• you will know as soon as new official mail arrives
• you will not miss messages even if you are in a rush

For many people, this corresponds to the sound of the physical mailbox when mail arrives.

Safe use is easy when you remember the basic rules

Many people are concerned about the use of new digital services and their security. The instructions for safe use are the same for all digital services.

• Never click links received in an email or text message.
• Always go to the service by typing the service address in the address bar of the browser yourself.

The preferred method is to use a mobile application whenever one is available. When you do this, you cannot use a wrong address because of a spelling mistake, for example.

You always read official mail only:

• in the Suomi.fi mobile application
• or by logging into suomi.fi/messages

Never try to access the message via a link in an email or text message. Suomi.fi Messages does not send text or WhatsApp messages. An email notification of the new message is sent to your email, but for security reasons, it never contains a link that you are told to click.

Do not access the service through search engine results, either.

If you ever suspect the authenticity of the notification you have received, you can always verify the matter easily: open the Suomi.fi mobile application or type suomi.fi/messages in the address bar of your browser yourself. If the notified message is not there, the notification you received was most likely a scam.

Remember these:

• Suomi.fi Messages does not send text messages, WhatsApp messages or other instant messages.
• You will receive only the notification of a new message in your email.
• The notification does not contain a link that you are prompted to click.
• Always read the received mail in the Suomi.fi mobile application or by logging in at www.suomi.fi/messagesOpens in a new window..
• The authorities never demand you to act in a hurry or under pressure.

When you make checking Suomi.fi Messages a habit, official mail remains under control. It will be a natural part of everyday life, just like the mailbox by the gate at home.

An up-to-date list of organisations using Suomi.fi Messages and the matters they send mail about through Suomi.fi Messages can be found at https://www.suomi.fi/instructions-and-support/messages/organisations-and-services-using-suomifi-messages