Moving to Finland in march

[DBLouis]

Hello

I am moving to Finland (from France) for an end of studies internship in march.
I have a few questions:
- Do I need to open a bank account?
- Can I use my credit card?
- Do I need a complementary health insurance? Because I have my European Health Insurance Card but apparently it does not cover hospitalization.

Thank you in advance

[PASILA888]

u can use credit card everywhere in Finland, even at street food spots, so i see no points to open an bank account in Finland, unless u will stay in Finland for long term(more than 1 year)

[betelgeuse]

u can use credit card everywhere in Finland, even at street food spots, so i see no points to open an bank account in Finland, unless u will stay in Finland for long term(more than 1 year)

You will want some type of online identification. In Finland the banks are the most common way to identify but there are less common options like SIM card auth.

[FinnGuyHelsinki]

u can use credit card everywhere in Finland, even at street food spots, so i see no points to open an bank account in Finland, unless u will stay in Finland for long term(more than 1 year)

One cannot use a credit card literally everywhere (the merchant may have not wanted to invest in the system, or there may be an IT issue temporarily ceasing all card sales, which has sometimes happened also in shops of major chains, e.g. S-group), at the very least one should carry some cash with them, unless it's ok to sometimes not be able to pay. A bank account is useful for identification, and if there's a need to be able to transfer/pay larger sums in Euro (without currency exchange fees). I don't know how local employers see paying salaries to a bank account abroad.

[Upphew]

u can use credit card everywhere in Finland, even at street food spots, so i see no points to open an bank account in Finland, unless u will stay in Finland for long term(more than 1 year)

One cannot use a credit card literally everywhere (the merchant may have not wanted to invest in the system, or there may be an IT issue temporarily ceasing all card sales, which has sometimes happened also in shops of major chains, e.g. S-group), at the very least one should carry some cash with them, unless it's ok to sometimes not be able to pay. A bank account is useful for identification, and if there's a need to be able to transfer/pay larger sums in Euro (without currency exchange fees). I don't know how local employers see paying salaries to a bank account abroad.

I too do carry some cash always just for that reason. I can't remember when I used it though. Ah! I paid bus ticket in December! And most likely the December before that too.

One would think that wages would be paid just the same, Iban and Swift numbers are just different.

[biswajit.sharma]

Hello

I am moving to Finland (from France) for an end of studies internship in march.
I have a few questions:
- Do I need to open a bank account?
- Can I use my credit card?

On the two questions on Bank Account and Credit Card.

Let me share my experience (in a slightly different context)
I am not sure how long your internship is, but hope this gives you a view.

I stayed in Finland for approx 3 months for some official work.

My accommodation was arranged by my company, and all I had to do was manage my local expenses.

I used my credit card practically everywhere, except for Bus, Train and some smaller expenses.
But for safe side, I kept some cash with me.
I could also withdraw cash from my international debit Card / credit card at any time if I needed.
If your stay is < 6 months, I do not see you spending more than Euro 1000 in cash for such smaller expenses.


I am not sure of the online Identity aspect others are pointing, but could be worthwhile angle to look at..

[Upphew]

I am not sure of the online Identity aspect others are pointing, but could be worthwhile angle to look at..

Not worth opening local bank account imo.

[vla]

I am not sure of the online Identity aspect others are pointing, but could be worthwhile angle to look at..

Not worth opening local bank account imo.

If you are going to have wages, you will need one, otherwise you don't.

Having a bank account is not reason for online identification, you will also need to show an ID card or passport (both issued by Finnish authorities, so you need to be residence). I have a bank account with online credentials but I couldn't use online identification (to other systems like Kela, Tax office, etc) until I showed my ID card once the police issued it after a few weeks. Anyway, if you are staying for a short period of time you probably won't need online identification.

I personally have never had cash with me. I pay everywhere with debit card (visa electron) or Apple Pay, I don't even own a credit card. I pay bus tickets with HSL app (paying with debit card).

[Upphew]

I am not sure of the online Identity aspect others are pointing, but could be worthwhile angle to look at..

Not worth opening local bank account imo.

If you are going to have wages, you will need one, otherwise you don't.

Shouldn't the employer be able to pay to French bank account?

[vla]

Not worth opening local bank account imo.

If you are going to have wages, you will need one, otherwise you don't.

Shouldn't the employer be able to pay to French bank account?

I don't think so, besides they always ask for tax card to pay wages.

[Upphew]

I don't think so, besides they always ask for tax card to pay wages.

vero.fi has nice form to fill to get your tax returns directly to your bank account. It asks for IBAN and BIC, if you want the money in foreign bank account. So vero has no problems with foreign bank account. I have hard time believing that any company would have problem paying anything with SEPA transfers.

[DBLouis]

I am staying for 6 months but I will probably come back soon after if I like Finland.