If you are moving to Finland for a job or study, you should go through this blog. When I moved to Finland for the first time, I had to take care of a lot of things. If you do not have any family or friends here, it might be a bit scary for you. Do not worry about it anymore; I will help you with the top 6 things you should do after moving to Finland.
Here we go:
Get a SIM card:
This is very important. Get a SIM card after landing at the airport. There are a lot of offers available in the market. The one I took was the DNA Rajaton prepaid, which cost me 4.9 euros and came with a 5-euro balance from R-kioski. The cost of this package is 1 euro for 1 day of unlimited calls, SMS, and internet. So I was safe for the first 5 days in Finland. It can be very handy for you during the first few days. You could also take a monthly package, which costs 24.90 euros for a month of unlimited calls, SMS, and internet. Finally, trust me, DNA did not sponsor me for this
Check the apartment:
If you have booked an apartment from any company or student housing, you should check out the apartment carefully. There might be small damage to your floor, broken glass in the window, or some other fault. Inform the company from which you took the apartment contract. They will either fix it or at least be informed about it. If you do not do that, there might be a risk of accusing you of being responsible for that, and they can charge you when you are moving out of the apartment. But, do not get scared. You do not have to check every inch of the house. Just give it a quick check, and within a couple of days, you might automatically find something. Usually, you have up to 7 days to send the fault report to the apartment company.
Go for DVV registration:
The full form of DVV is Digital and Population Data Service Agency. Once you arrive in Finland, you have to send a notification to the local authority that you have arrived. The day you register for DVV is the day your days in Finland will start counting. I will write a detailed blog about the DVV registration, mentioning where to go, what to do, and everything.
Be confident and ask for you help from poeple if you need.
Get a bus card or monthly bus ticket:
As you have moved for the first time, you will surely feel like exploring and going to different places. In that case, a monthly bus card will be an economical option for you. So get the bus card and start exploring.
Open a bank account:
A bank account is a very crucial thing for living in Finland. If you are from another country, you might feel like you do not need a bank account because you are not going to keep your money in the bank right away. You are absolutely WRONG. Bank accounts in Finland allow you to get online personal verification codes to verify your identity. This is necessary for accessing online banking, Kela card ordering, healthcare updates, getting a tax card, getting an electricity contract, and many more essential tasks. So even if you are planning not to put your cash in the bank immediately, still get a bank card.
Let your office/university know that you have arrived:
You should consider informing the relevant authority about your arrival. If you are moving here for studies, send your course coordinator an email mentioning your arrival and ask them if you have any formalities to complete. If you are going to join a company, let your HR know that you are here. They will guide you through the further steps if needed.
Here are the bonus tips for people on a budget:
Go to second-hand shops if you are on a budget:
The chances are really high that the apartment you moved into will be completely empty. You have to buy a lot of household stuff. I would recommend going to IKEA as you will get almost everything you need for your apartment. If you go to the nearby grocery store, the household items could be pretty expensive. If your city does not have an IKEA nearby, go to the second-hand shops where you can expect good quality things for less money. And do not worry, your city must have more than one second-hand shop for sure.
Welcome to Finland. Tervetuloa suomeen.