Toiminimi, verokortti and henkilötunnus

Juulia · Post by **Juulia** » Sat Jun 05, 2010 10:12 am

Terrrve,

I am facing a pretty complex case and would appreciate some advice from people who have been in this situation.
I am living in Finland since last summer to finish my degree from my home country as a visiting student at the university of Helsinki (so I'm not a degree student here). I went to Maistratti, then Malmi, early this year, and got registered (I am planning to stay in Finland). Just got the registration paper yesterday, and I went back to Maistratti but I did not have my letter of acceptance with me to apply for a henkilötunnus (hey, I have shown it like twenty times before!) and was asked to return.

And, I have landed a short summer keikkatyö, organized by a Danish company but handled by their Helsinki local office. I haven't worked yet in Finland. And they are going to ask for my henkilötunnus/verokortti when we meet.

My questions:
- I have effectively studied at the university of Helsinki for a year, and I also have a proof of residence (rental contract) during that period, if that helps. On this basis, do I get a henkilötunnus?
- If yes, does the decision take more time depending on the ground to apply? A friend applied on the basis of his toiminimi and got his identification number within a couple of weeks, and since I have plans to get one, that could be about time to do it, if it speeds up the process. What is the delay usually?
- After that, provided I have the work contract and my henkilötunnus, how long does it take, how does it work and is there a possibility of complications for the verokortti?

Thanks in advance!

**Sponsor:**

interleukin · Post by **interleukin** » Sat Jun 05, 2010 10:27 am

are you EU or non-EU?

Juulia · Post by **Juulia** » Sat Jun 05, 2010 10:37 am

Oops, I edited this info out. Yes, I am EU citizen.

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Sat Jun 05, 2010 11:02 am

Well if you have an EU registration paper? And you don't have an ID number??? Well generally you need the work contract to get an ID number but I thought students were given one almost automatically? Are you sure you don't have a number? Like your birthday and three numbers and a letter or four numbers???

but I did not have my letter of acceptance with me to apply for a henkilötunnus (hey, I have shown it like twenty times before!) and was asked to return.

With Finnish bureaucracy you need to have all the papers, ALL THE PAPERS

Juulia · Post by **Juulia** » Sat Jun 05, 2010 11:16 am

Nope, not that I know of. Note that I could have applied for it earlier this year or last year. Everything I have now is the registration certificate I got from the foreigners' police, with a number made of numbers (ulkomaalaisrekisterin asiakasnumero). But I guess that in that case I will get the henkilötunnus automatically when I'll bring this certificate + my letter of acceptance at the maistratti... Now the question is how long it will take and whether registering a toiminimi is a better/faster route.

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Sat Jun 05, 2010 5:57 pm

How long will it take? About 5 minutes?

Juulia · Post by **Juulia** » Sat Jun 05, 2010 6:10 pm

I wish! I don't know, a friend of mine registered a toiminimi earlier this year, then went to Maistratti and applied for the henkilötunnus, which he received within two weeks, or so he recalled.

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Sun Jun 06, 2010 10:46 am

Yes well thats because things were complicated. Yours is a slam-bam-thank-you-ma'am

Juulia · Post by **Juulia** » Sun Jun 06, 2010 1:41 pm

It's funny, I have always thought that the henkilötunnus was one of these sacred Finnish things nearly impossible to get if you're not of Finnish descent, and now I realise that I could have had it for months as a student already. Actually, here's what I found on the Vero website, in case it can help someone:

Finnish personal ID for Short Term use
Even a short-term employment contract can qualify you for applying for the Finnish personal ID.

Request for the Finnish personal ID and for the tax card at the same time
As of 1 May 2005, persons arriving in Finland for short-term employment are entitled to the Finnish personal identity number. Previously, the Finnish personal identity number was only issued to those who stayed for a considerable length of time. Applicants can now conveniently submit their application documents at the local tax office when applying for the tax card (the employee´s withholding allowance certificate). In this way, applicants can save a trip to the Local Register office, i.e. they do not have to go to the Local Register office separately.

...

If you are a citizen of any other EU member state or EEA state and if you will be staying for longer than three months, you will be expected to show the certificate (the certificate of registration proves that an EU citizen’s right of residence has been entered in the Register of Aliens) issued by the Police. Check

...

The standard duration of the entire process from receiving the request to issuing the tax card is 2 to 5 working days.

So, at first it looked like this procedure applies only to foreigners planning to leave the country after a few months, but there's this mention about EU citizens willing to stay longer. Now, fingers crossed and let's hope that everything works as on paper. I'll let you know...

tony webb · Post by **tony webb** » Sun Jun 06, 2010 10:44 pm

hei,

I'm an EU citizen.I recently moved to Finland and found a job shortly after arriving. I took the contract without a magic number to the police after paying 45€ they issued me with a ceriticate to show that they are processing my application. I then took that certificate to maistraasti and walked out 15 minutes later with a temp magic number which is valid until my residency is sorted.

I call it a magic number because once you have one it opens the doors to all sorts of things needed for living in Finland.

It all depends if the company you will be working for will give you a contract without a number. As an EU citizen it shouldn't be a problem unless you have a criminal record.

Juulia · Post by **Juulia** » Sun Jun 06, 2010 11:35 pm

Thanks for sharing! I'll bundle up all the papers, ALL THE PAPERS, and try to get it sorted tomorrow. One question: you walked out of Maistratti with a temportaty henkilötunnus, amirite? So you still had to apply for the verokortti after that?

tony webb · Post by **tony webb** » Mon Jun 07, 2010 1:30 am

Yes, but all you need to do is show them a signed copy of your contract with wage details and your temp henkilo (kela) number. You can even tell them what you think you will earn but they will ask for you to provide proof sooner or later.

some company's will do this for you when they have your kela number.

tony webb · Post by **tony webb** » Mon Jun 07, 2010 1:31 am

oops them - vero

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Mon Jun 07, 2010 12:19 pm

Yeah, you need to go get your first one, after that the verokortti will come automagically to your address. But as they calculate your % from last years earnings your next years will reflect this year (6 months) so you need to then get it adjusted (works by phone) and you must remember then if you can get any deductions to claim them (works by the internet).

Juulia · Post by **Juulia** » Mon Jun 07, 2010 3:13 pm

Went to Maistratti, handed whatever paper I had (including my mini-job contract and the confirmation of attendance at the uni), filled the application and was told that the extract containing my identification number would be sent to my home address within a week or so. I was also advised to wait for the ID number to arrive before applying for the verokortti. It might have been faster with the short-term ID number procedure quoted above, I don't know.
Thanks for the indications (I doubt I'll even be taxed on what I'll earn, but it might be useful in the future...)

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