Hey,
In this post I will list some Finnish words which will inevitably form your routine but are vitally important when settling in Finland (based on my experience of moving to live in Finland exactly three years ago). Please remember that each case is unique - in case if any doubt contact responsible authorities/service providers to get details you need. You can easily reach them through online support chat or by e-mail.
Liittymä – sim-card. First, you should remember that if
you just moved to Finland, you may need deposit to buy a personalised sim-card, not
just anonymised surfing and calling package that you can purchase e.g. in
R-kioski. Second, there are certain discounts for students and young people (for
instance, for Telia users under 28). Third, some Internet packages are limited
inside Finland, whereas others are unlimited. Fourth, packages offer different
conditions on the amount of included phone calls, text messages and internet
traffic in roaming. Fifth, sometimes promoters in shopping centers actually
offer better deals.
Maistraatti – a local register office. For you, it will be
a starting place to register your address in Finland. For example, in Helsinki
public transport cards come at a discounted price only if you are shown in
their system as the capital region (pääkaupunkiseutu) resident. Read more.
Matkakortti – a travel card. Its price may depend on your
registration in the city where you are getting it, your student status or
another status entitling you to discounted price, travelling zones and period
of its validity. For example, in Helsinki, I pay around 53 EUR per month for
student travel card, entitling me to unrestricted travelling in Helsinki, Espoo
and Vantaa, including public transport at night. It also has its own HSL mobile
app for route planning (in comparison with GoogleMaps it also shows traffic
disruptions and changes in routes).
Oleskelulupa – your residence permit is a confirmation of
your right to reside and work in country (with or without restrictions). Make
sure you keep your eye on it, as it is the document that allows you to enter
the country.
Sähkölaskut
- in student
housing, electricity bills are often included in the rent, but not always. In
the private market, you should anyway pay it separately. Nobody may remind you
about it – you should then conclude the agreement in advance, e.g. 2-3 weeks
before moving in or even earlier. Usually it is done over the phone. I approximately pay 10 EUR for electricity per
month (studio apartment). Use online services to compare prices.
Verkkopankki – online banking. It allows you to make
payments online, as well as to have online calls with bank representatives (I
tried this functionality this June, was so convenient!). It also acts as an
easy identification system to apply for social benefits, change your forgotten
university password or log into your Finnish sim-card provider portal to change
the mobile package.
Vuokra-asunto – rented housing. It can be student housing or
private housing. If it is student housing, it can be yksiö (studio, or one-room
apartment), soluasunto (apartment shared with 2-3 another flatmates),
perheasunto (family apartment, e.g. can come in form of kaksio – a two-room
apartment) or kämppisasunto (friend apartment). Each student apartment block
usually has its own group in Facebook, where you can leave questions to your
future neighbours in advance. You can search for groups by address of your
future appartments. On student housing in Helsinki region, read more at HOAS pages (OAS usually stands for
opiskelija-asunto in the abbreviation).
More posts to follow!