Need I have a social security number for buying travel card?

ilovefood · Post by **ilovefood** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 3:13 am

Dear All

I am going to work in Helsinki January, 2008. Therefore I need buy a travel card on my first day of arrival. Now I am wondering what certificate I need bring to buy a travel card. Is passport and residential permit enough? Need I also provide social security number? My flight will be late afternoon. I am afraid that I can not get the social security number on my first day.

Thanks a lot for your kind help!

**Sponsor:**

olofsson · Post by **olofsson** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 4:07 am

What do you mean by "travel card"?

There may be some differences between commuter trains, metro etc in the capital region compared to commuting with trains in the rest of the country.

In Helsinki, the price differs if you are actually living there or not, and my not so very informed guess is that you would get your individual identification number (henkilötunnus) in the same process as you register as a local resident, and that registration is what you need to prove in order to buy local traffic cards to reduced price. A stamped paper will arrive by mail after a few days to the address you registered, and that paper is what I used. Probably, it's not the number as such that you need but the stamped paper, I guess.

Donpeblo · Post by **Donpeblo** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 7:06 am

We've arrived recently and went to get a travel card a couple of weeks ago...we had passports, certificates from the Police and the Population Register to be on the safe side and they asked for all three. The leaflet we picked up at the office in Kampi says

"You can buy a personal travel card at any service point. Please be prepared to prove your identity with your driving licence, passport or identification card. If you have recently moved to the metroploitan area or if your residence is temporary, you need a certificate of domicile from the local register office."

So you need, as a minimum, to show the certificate with your personal number on it.

Might be a touch tricky on your first day...but good luck.
Donpeblo

ilovefood · Post by **ilovefood** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 8:15 am

Hi, Donpeblo and olofsson

Thanks a lot for your kind infomation! what I need is a period bus card in Helsinki area. So I will try on my first day. If can not, I will go to buy on the second day after I get the social security numder.

interleukin · Post by **interleukin** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 8:43 am

It may take a few days before you can get the residents travel card, but you can always buy a 1, 3 or 5-day travel card, even as a tourist. Why dont you just get one of those? Ok, they are not as cheap as travelling on the residents rates, but Finnish bureaucracy cannot be hurried if it doesnt feel like it

. And I am sure you will have more important things to think about your first week of moving here than worry too much about the travel card.

One is pretty much helpless without the magic id-number, so you might as well just relax and wait the few days it may take to get that number. Without it eg. Welho will not let you get an internet connection.

oh, and good luck with everything

/interleukin

Mook · Post by **Mook** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 8:44 am

You can get it without, but it will cost about double without the socical security number which they'll need to tell that your domiciled in Hel'

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 8:54 am

If you go read http://www.ytv.fi and travelcard, you see two different prices:

Price for people of Lappland, Turku and China and
Price for people who are Helsinki residents = domiciled.

So, the computer must say yes, when they look you up. And that takes a few days for you to go with the right papers in the right order in the maistraatti

kitty wonka · Post by **kitty wonka** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 9:57 am

you can get 'residence' priced travel cards in helsinki without having your social identification number. you get a piece of paper from the magistrate for public transport which you then take with you to the office to buy your travel card. i have one. if you don't have your residence permit, or other docs but are here long-term, this eliminates needing to pay 'tourist' prices.

ilovefood · Post by **ilovefood** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 3:02 am

I see, It seems that I can not save money for the first several days.
Thanks a lot for yoru kind help!

kcchalmers · Post by **kcchalmers** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 10:38 am

hey u can do like this....on the first day u can buy a day ticket(tourist) which cost 6 eu..(valid for the whole day) or u can go in for the 2eu ticket(i guess works only for an hour) ...then just go to the magistrate office with ur passport and any other relevant documents..then just fill in the form for the social security no...and at the same time please do tell the person at the counter that u need a certificate for the traval card..they wud issue it for u immediately and it would cost u 3eu...just take the certificate along with ur passport to the central station...where this transport office is located...and u can buy ur travel card on the spot...

Hey and one more thing by the time u get ur social security no, it might take probably a week...

To reach the magistrate office: tram no.6 from central station ..

Bus office: in central station on the top floor at the corner beside hessburger.

Hope this info wud be useful to u...

have a great time...
kc

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