When to file the notice
Under the Municipality of Residence Act, you can file your change of address at the earliest one month before moving day, and you must file it at the latest one week after the move. It is free.
The easiest approach is to file as soon as your moving date is certain. Then your post goes to the new address from day one.
- Up to 1 month beforeYou can fileBest done as soon as the date is certain.
- Moving dayYour address changesMail forwarding starts from the date you gave.
- Within 1 week afterDeadlineThe notice must be filed by now.
Your moving timeline
Choose your moving day to see a dated list.
A guideline schedule. The change-of-address window is set by law.
Get a quote for this dateHow to file it
One notice updates both the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV) and Posti. The easiest way is Posti’s online moving service. A paper form can be handed in at a Posti outlet or to DVV.
- Log in with your online banking credentials or mobile certificate.
- Enter your new address and moving date.
- Mark whether other family members are moving with you.
- Choose whether you want mail forwarding.
How your post reaches you
Letters are forwarded to your new address automatically. For magazines and other items there is a forwarding service (Muuttopostipalvelu), free for the first month when you file online. After that, from 1 October 2026 it costs €62.85 a year online or €84.19 on paper.
If you need your post sent temporarily to another address, such as a summer cottage, Posti has a separate paid service for that.
Who else to tell
Many authorities use the population register address, but your contracts don’t move by themselves.
| Who | Separate notice? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| DVV and Posti | One joint notice | Up to a month before, at the latest a week after |
| Electricity company | Yes | The contract doesn’t move; give at least two weeks’ notice |
| Home insurance | Yes | Update the policy, not just the address |
| Internet | Yes | A fixed-term contract usually can’t be ended early |
| Housing company | Recommended | Report the number of residents if charges depend on it |
| Bank, employer, school | Check | Many use the population register, some don’t |
| Subscriptions and memberships | Yes | Or use Posti’s forwarding service |
Electricity, internet and home insurance in detail
Your electricity contract doesn’t move automatically. Under the general terms, moving lets you end even a fixed-term contract with two weeks’ notice, unless your contract says it transfers to the new address.
Home insurance may cover both addresses for around two months, but terms vary between insurers. A fixed-term internet contract usually can’t be ended early, and an open-ended one ends two weeks after notice.
If you are moving out of a rental
Give notice on your lease in good time. For an open-ended lease, a tenant’s notice period is one month, counted from the last day of the month in which notice is given. A fixed-term lease ends on the agreed date.
Agree the key handover, inspection and final cleaning with your landlord.
Telling your housing company
The law doesn’t require you to tell your housing company that you are moving, but the Finnish Real Estate Federation recommends it. If the company’s charges are based on the number of residents, the shareholder must report it, or the company can charge water fees retroactively for up to three years.
Ask at the same time whether the lift must be booked and where the van can stop.
The most common things people forget
These are the easiest to miss:
- Family members are left off the change-of-address notice.
- The moving date is entered wrongly, so post is forwarded too early or too late.
- The electricity contract stays on at the old address.
- Home insurance isn’t updated for the new home.
- Subscriptions and memberships are forgotten.
Filing your change of address, step by step
Filing online usually takes only a few minutes.
- Step 1Log inTo Posti’s moving service with online banking or mobile ID.
- Step 2New address and dateEnter the new address and the date you start living there.
- Step 3Who is movingChoose the family members moving to the same address.
- Step 4Your postChoose whether you want the forwarding service.
- Step 5Check and sendCheck the names and date before sending.
Health services and your municipality
When your municipality of residence changes, your primary health care moves to the new area. In the capital region, Helsinki organises its own services. Espoo and Kauniainen belong to the Western Uusimaa wellbeing services county, and Vantaa to the Vantaa and Kerava wellbeing services county.
After the move, find your new health centre and transfer appointments if needed.
Your name on the door and mailbox
Post is delivered by name. Put your name on the door or mailbox on moving day, so letters and parcels arrive. In apartment buildings the property manager or maintenance company often updates the name board and door sign, so ask about it when you tell the housing company you are moving.
Children and the whole family
You can include all family members moving to the same address in one notice. Check at the end that everyone’s name and moving date are correct. If someone in the family moves at a different time or to a different address, file a separate notice for them.
Two homes at once
The old and new home are often held at the same time for a few days or weeks. In your notice, give the date from which you live in the new home. Keep electricity and home insurance in force at both addresses for as long as there are still things in the old home.
Electricity: retailer and network company
There are two electricity contracts: the sales contract with a retailer and the network contract with the local network company. You choose the retailer freely, but the network company depends on the address. Often the retailer arranges the network contract for you, but check this when you sign.
Make the new contract so the power is on on moving day, and end the old one so it stops only once the old home is empty.
Home insurance during the move
Give your insurer the new address, the moving date, and the size and type of the new home. Ask at the same time whether your belongings are covered during the move and how long the old address stays insured. If you own valuable items, check whether they have their own terms.
Online shops, parcel lockers and apps
Besides the authorities, your address is stored in many services. Update it in online shops, food delivery apps and loyalty programmes. Check your default parcel pickup point too, so parcels don’t go to a locker near your old home.
Checklist after filing
Once you have filed, go through these:
- Did you get a confirmation of the notice?
- Are all family members’ details correct?
- Is the electricity contract set up for the new address?
- Is your home insurance updated?
- Is your name on the door or mailbox?
- Has your default parcel pickup point changed?
Why the change of address matters
A change of address is more than redirecting post. Your address in the population register determines your municipality of residence, which affects many parts of daily life, such as health services, day care and school places, and which municipality you pay municipal tax to.
Your tax municipality is set by where you live at the start of the year. If you move to another municipality mid-year, you pay tax to your old municipality until the end of the year.
Housing allowance and other benefits
If you receive Kela’s general housing allowance, moving affects it. The allowance is granted for a specific home, so you must apply for it again for the new one. Apply as soon as you know the new rent, so the allowance doesn’t stop.
Check any other benefits that depend on your address or housing costs, too.
Example: moving from Vantaa to Helsinki
This is how the notices go in a typical capital-region move:
- Three weeks before: electricity contract for the new address and notice on the old one.
- Two weeks before: change of address in Posti’s moving service and notice to both housing companies.
- A week before: home insurance updated and internet moved.
- On moving day: name on the door and mailbox.
- After the move: health services move from the Vantaa and Kerava wellbeing services county to the City of Helsinki. Municipal tax changes from the start of the following year.
Voting and official post
In elections, your polling station also depends on your address in the population register. When you file your change of address in time, your voting card and official letters reach the right address. If you move close to an election, check your polling station on your voting card.
If you have your own business
If you have a sole proprietorship or another company, the business address is updated separately in the YTJ service. Your personal change of address doesn’t update company details. Remember to update the address on invoice templates, your website and with customers too.
Your landlord and lease
A change of address doesn’t end your lease. Give notice to your landlord separately, preferably in writing. For an open-ended lease, a tenant’s notice period is one month, counted from the last day of the month in which notice is given. Agree the key return and final cleaning at the same time.
Parcels and orders around moving day
Around the move, avoid large orders to your old address. If an order is already on its way, change the delivery address in the shop’s or carrier’s service if you can. The forwarding service redirects many items, but parcels already at a pickup point must be collected from the old point.
Who have I told? A checklist
Tick each item once you’ve made the notice:
- DVV and Posti (one notice)
- Housing company or property manager
- Landlord
- Electricity company
- Internet provider
- Home insurance
- Bank and employer
- Kela, if you receive benefits
- Subscriptions and memberships
- Online shops and apps
Filing on a paper form
If you don’t have online banking credentials or a mobile ID, you can file on a paper form. You can get the form at a Posti outlet and hand it in to Posti or to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. A paper notice is handled the same way as an online one, but takes a little longer, so file it in good time. Remember that the forwarding service costs more when ordered on paper.
Your first week at the new address
In the week after the move you’ll see whether all notices were done right. Watch whether post arrives at the new address and parcels go to the right pickup point. If something still goes to the old address, update the sender’s details. Check too that the electricity and internet contracts have started and the old ones end as agreed. Once everything works, the paperwork for your move is done.
Moving in with a partner
If you move in together, each of you files a change of address, unless one of you includes the other in the same notice. Check together that both of your contracts and insurance policies are updated, and agree in whose name the electricity and internet contracts continue.
Change of address: frequently asked questions
Short answers:
- Does a change of address cost anything? No. It is free.
- Can I file afterwards? Yes, but at the latest a week after moving.
- Is one notice enough? One notice goes to both DVV and Posti. Contracts are handled separately.
- What if the date is wrong? Contact Posti or DVV and correct it as soon as possible.
Change of address in a nutshell
File your change of address at the earliest a month before and at the latest a week after the move. One free notice in Posti’s moving service updates your address with both the Digital and Population Data Services Agency and Posti. Contracts such as electricity, internet and home insurance are always handled separately, and telling your housing company is recommended. Put your name on the door and mailbox, and your post will arrive from day one.
Next: moving-day practicalities
Once your notices are done, go through our moving checklist and plan parking for the moving van. You can also estimate how many moving boxes you need.
Useful official guidance
Finlex: Municipality of Residence Act (in Finnish)Posti: moving (in Finnish)Energy Authority (in Finnish)FINE (in Finnish)Traficom: subscription contracts (in Finnish)Kiinteistöliitto (in Finnish)Help with your move
Explore the service and tell us about your move. We agree the scope and price before confirming a booking.
Home movesGet a free moving quote