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Citizen Certificate

  • Service
  • Nationwide
  • Public service

You can use the ID card to prove your identity in various service situations, also when using e-services. You can also use an ID card to make an electronic signature. The card’s chip holds a Citizen Certificate that enables identification and signing.

You can use the Citizen Certificate to:

  • reliably log in to public sector e-services
  • create an electronic signature
  • encrypt emails.

The Citi ...

Do the following

Apply for an ID card from the police. If you are abroad, apply for an ID card from a Finnish mission abroad. More detailed instructions for applying can be found on the police website.

Once you have picked up the card and received the activation PIN code by post, you can activate the ID card. You will also need a chip card reader and a computer.

If you do not intend to use the Citizen Certificate for e-services or creating electronic signatures, the Certificate does not need to be activated.

To whom and on what terms

A Citizen Certificate may only be issued to a Finnish national or a foreign national who is resident in a Finnish municipality as referred to in the Act on the Municipality of Residence (201/1994), whose details are stored in the Population Information System and whose identity has been reliably established. The foreign national must also either hold a valid residence permit or card or their right of residence must have been registered.

The service is provided by

Digital and Population Data Services Agency

Responsible for the service

Digital and Population Data Services Agency
Text edited by: Digital and Population Data Services Agency
Updated: 16/11/2023