General information and guidance
The cities of Helsinki, Vantaa and Espoo offer general information and guidance at International House Helsinki on issues such as residence permits, studying Finnish or Swedish, housing, day care, education and health care services. You can also get assistance with how to correctly fill out the forms or understand the decisions and procedures of different public authorities.
Our General Information and Guidance staff provide service in Finnish and English.
It is also possible to get service in Swedish, Arabic, Somali, Russian, Estonian, Farsi, French, and Berber depending on which advisor is present at the service point on the day you visit.
Contact
Open: Monday–Thursday 9.00–16.00 and Friday 10.00–15.00
You can contact International House Helsinki’s General information and guidance services by phone, email or chat. You do not need an appointment to visit our General Information and Guidance Services.
By phone: +358 9 310 111 11 Helsinki-info
By email: info@ihhelsinki.fi
Useful Links
City services
Guides
General information
Public transport and Journey Planner
InfoFinland-– Your guide for living in Finland (in 12 languages)
FAQ
In order to move to Finland, you must have sufficient grounds for obtaining a residence permit or registering your right of residence, as well as a secure livelihood for your entire family unless the reason for your move is international protection or equivalent.
We offer general information and guidance on issues such as residence permits, studying Finnish/Swedish, housing, day care, education and health care services. You can also get assistance with how to correctly fill out forms for public authority processes or understand the decisions and procedures of different public authorities.
Yes, we can help you fill out your application forms required by the Finnish authorities. We, however, can not fill out any form on your behalf . Please do not send documents containing confidential, personal and/or sensitive information without a protected channel. Email and chat are not protected channel and please do not include any personal information on these messages.
All services at IHH are free of charge. However, an application fee applies when registering an EU citizen’s right of residence but any other fees will not be charged.
We can provide you ways how to start finding an apartment. If you are you looking for a place to live in Helsinki, Espoo, or Vantaa, the living section of the Newcomer’s Guide is an excellent source of information!
It depends on the industry and the tasks you are working on. In some industries you may be able to manage well with English skills, whereas in some industries (such as health care) there are minimum language requirements. You can search for Finnish and Swedish language courses, including online courses, from Finnishcourses.fi.