Does Finland want it's people to come back?

Australialainen · Post by **Australialainen** » Tue Nov 26, 2013 5:22 pm

My husband is a Finn. He's been away for 10 years. We've been back here for a month. We bought a car a week ago and rang today to get the insurance sorted. The lady on the phone said sorry, no can do. Might take 2 years before anything can be put in his name, or maybe even 5 years, because his credit rating may take that long to be updated. Is that for real?

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Keravalainen · Post by **Keravalainen** » Tue Nov 26, 2013 6:20 pm

Hi!
The state of Finland certainly embraces all "lost children" moving back.

The insurance company, however, is obliged to look after their money.
If someone has been away from here 10 years, the company has no idea how this invidual takes care of his liabilities.
- - You might want ask another company - tt's possible that they perhaps have a different policy.

interleukin · Post by **interleukin** » Tue Nov 26, 2013 9:20 pm

This is the same in the other nordic countries, it's not Finland picking on its expats.
If you want the benefits associated with having a golden star next to your name in the computer registry, you have to earn it (and have done so within the last few years).

A Finn that has lived abroad for a million years is just as likely (or almost) to move away again and leave any debt unpaid as someone who just moved to Finland for the first time. This is pretty dramatic reasoning, but it's the reason the system is as it is.

Australialainen · Post by **Australialainen** » Wed Nov 27, 2013 3:29 pm

We're not looking for benefits as such, or golden stars. It's compulsory to have vehicle insurance, which is fine, and it has to be done within 7 days of buying the car but we can't have it in our own name? That seems a bit strange to me. And 10 years is a long way from a million. Also, we are paying the insurance company, not the other way around, so I fail to see how they are looking after their money? The biggest puzzle for me is why it would take between 2-5 years to get your credit rating updated?

interleukin · Post by **interleukin** » Wed Nov 27, 2013 4:29 pm

Ten years is the limit for when you totally drop out of any credit ratings you might have. Source: We moved to Finland after my SO had been out of the country for more than 10 years.

The good news is that once you´re back in Finland, getting your credit rating is pretty quick for a Finn (with a job). And if you go to eg. the telephone company and want a phone contract, they´ll often waive the deposit rules if you are a Finn.

betelgeuse · Post by **betelgeuse** » Wed Nov 27, 2013 5:41 pm

There is no credit rating in Finland. It is illegal to have a positive credit register. The only register we have is on defaulted payments etc. (negative register). What the companies can do is to look at the population registry to see when you have moved back to the country. Then they have their rules on how long they want that you have been here.

Tullynessle Turnip · Post by **Tullynessle Turnip** » Wed Nov 27, 2013 7:02 pm

"they´ll often waive the deposit rules if you are a Finn." - hmmm... sounds Racist!??!

If all Finns moved back to Finland from whence they have emigrated, Unemployment would be 99% !!!

interleukin · Post by **interleukin** » Wed Nov 27, 2013 7:42 pm

hmmm... sounds Racist!??!

Only if you think all Finns are of the same race as the person in the shop...

Of course it makes sense that a Finn is more trusted to not just move to another part of the world, leaving debts behind, the Finn is expected to have more to lose from that.
But at the same time, it also makes sense that a Finn that has not paid his/her taxes or bills for the last ten years (because hän didn´t have any), is going to run into problems in some cases too.

Upphew · Post by **Upphew** » Fri Nov 29, 2013 8:23 am

interleukin wrote:Of course it makes sense that a Finn is more trusted to not just move to another part of the world, leaving debts behind, the Finn is expected to have more to lose from that.
But at the same time, it also makes sense that a Finn that has not paid his/her taxes or bills for the last ten years (because hän didn´t have any), is going to run into problems in some cases too.

They are expected to know how stuff works and understand when spoken to or that they can read the letter that they got.

Rosamunda · Post by **Rosamunda** » Fri Nov 29, 2013 8:58 am

Yes, the first time I tried to get car insurance in France, the company (Macif) insisted on interviewing me in French to check I could speak the language well enough to read a contract and write a claim.

onkko · Post by **onkko** » Fri Nov 29, 2013 4:48 pm

Shortly, insurance company has to sell you basic, law mandated, insurance but they can ask prepayment if you own them money. Of course you need ID number and that could be a problem but since your SO is a finn he has one.
Seems more like you wanted kasko or partial kasko and that wont be happening if they think anything fishy.

Australialainen · Post by **Australialainen** » Sat Nov 30, 2013 9:14 am

onkko wrote:Shortly, insurance company has to sell you basic, law mandated, insurance but they can ask prepayment if you own them money. Of course you need ID number and that could be a problem but since your SO is a finn he has one.
Seems more like you wanted kasko or partial kasko and that wont be happening if they think anything fishy.

We didn't want kasko, we just wanted basic. And we did pay straight away. Yes, my SO does have an id number as do I. And we have a Finnish bank account. My question was about his credit rating. He's never had an overdue bill, his credit rating is perfect, but we have been told that he won't be able to get anything in his name for 2-5 years because it takes that long to update? We can get anything we want in another family members name but not in our own. That seems a bit strange.

interleukin · Post by **interleukin** » Sat Nov 30, 2013 11:47 am

I think 2-5 years is too long, it's not that bad in reality. After a half year or year of working here, a permanent resident/Finnish citizen is going to be able to get pretty much anything. After about a year, you're "in the system" again, and then it's a question of having behaved during that time (being a good customer, paying your bills, having a job).

Australialainen · Post by **Australialainen** » Sat Nov 30, 2013 3:34 pm

I certainly hope you're right

Janey Mac · Post by **Janey Mac** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 6:59 pm

That sounds really strange.

I'm a Finnish citizen, lived abroad for 14 years but had no problem buying a car and getting it insured within days of arriving back here. We're with Osuuspankki.

Getting a mortgage and credit cards was also hassle free even with my husbands income coming from abroad, with OP again.

The only company that wanted a deposit was Elisa for the broadband.

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