Kela Photocard vs. Finnish Identity Card ???

[hychamaz]

Hello everyone, I was looking at the Kela site since I just received my card today and had a question. It says that you can apply for a Photocard which works as ID for Banks and the Posti but not at Alko or out of the country. It then goes on to say that you can add your health insurance info to your identity card which then doubles as a Kela card. Why would anyone get a Photocard when you can get an all inclusive Identity card??
Also is this something that I should look into getting since my New York State Drivers license is still valid and I dont have (need) a Finnish Drivers license yet? If I need to do something important I just bring my passport. Other than not carrying your passport with you is there any point to me getting an identity card??

[interleukin]

Well your passport proves you are you, but it does not prove that you are the person with the particular Finnish ID number. So if you are planning on staying in Finland for a while, it may be convenient to have a Finnish form of ID.

The KELA card is almost as good as the "real" ID card, but it is not legally a form of ID, so you could have problems using it (as in Alko).
The argument for getting this card and not the ID card is that the KELA card is a bit cheaper.

Neither card is valid out of the country unless you are a Finnish citizen. A Finnish citizen can use their Finnish ID card as ID for flying, for example, but you cannot do that if you are non-citizen.

The decision for me was easy as I am staying here for at least three years. I got a real ID card, it is convenient to have. An example is when you are buying food for more than 50 euros, not very convenient to have to bring a passport for that. (The foodstore does not, if I understand it correctly, HAVE to accept your KELA card as ID although they might)

/interleukin

[hychamaz]

Thanks for the quick response. Would I still need this identity card since I will be getting my Finnish Drivers license soon?

[interleukin]

No, if you are getting a Finnish drivers licence, that works fine as ID too. No need to have both. Most people use their drivers licence as ID.

I keep my foreign drivers licence since it gives me the right to drive all sorts of strange machines, so I needed a Finnish form of ID.

/interleukin

[Ciprian]

kela works in alko (unless u're minor or u want discount for the "medication")

[Donpeblo]

When I get asked for ID I've shown them my English driving licence and that seems to be enough (even in Alko), only once have I been asked if I have a finnish number and my ability to reel it off the top of my head seemed to satisfy them that I was real...