Digital Identification and Online Public Services in Finland
A comprehensive guide to Finnish digital public services covering Suomi.fi e-Identification, bank credentials, mobile certificates, certificate cards, Finnish Authenticator, Suomi.fi e-Authorizations and acting online for another person or company.
1. Suomi.fi e-Identification is an identity layer, not a separate user account
Suomi.fi e-Identification is a common strong-authentication layer used by public e-services. MyTax, Kela, municipalities and other services run their own transactions; Suomi.fi verifies identity and passes the user to the relevant service.
Being able to identify through Suomi.fi does not automatically mean you are authorised to complete every transaction in every service. Each e-service applies its own eligibility, role and authorisation rules.
2. Distinguish the main Finnish identification tokens
Suomi.fi e-Identification supports Finnish online banking credentials, mobile certificates, certificate cards and other approved strong-identification methods. Which token is available to you depends on the bank, telecom provider and identity-verification requirements.
A bank account and bank identification credentials are not the same service. A payment account can exist while strong identification requires a separate assessment, so ask specifically which identification service has been activated.
3. Finnish Authenticator helps foreign users but is not accepted by every service
Finnish Authenticator is intended for foreign users who do not have Finnish identification tokens and need access to supported public e-services. Activation requires a foreigner's identifier (UID) and identity verification in the app using an accepted identity document.
Not every e-service accepts Finnish Authenticator. Suomi.fi instructs foreign users to check whether the particular e-service supports this method before relying on it.
Checklist
- Do you have a Finnish personal identity code?
- Do you have bank credentials / mobile certificate / certificate card?
- Does the target e-service accept Finnish Authenticator?
- If acting for another party, is the required Suomi.fi mandate in place?
4. Suomi.fi e-Authorizations is separate from identification
Identification answers 'who are you?', while e-Authorizations answers 'on whose behalf and for which matter may you act?'. A mandate theme can authorise an accountant, adviser, family member or another party for specified transactions.
A mandate does not automatically operate like a universal power of attorney across all digital services. Each e-service decides which mandate themes or Trade Register roles it accepts.
5. Acting for a company depends on a register role or a mandate
Trade Register roles such as board membership, managing director or representation rights can allow a person to act for a company in some e-services without a separate mandate. Each e-service decides which roles it accepts.
If an accountant or employee does not have an eligible register role, the company can grant the necessary Suomi.fi mandate. Granting only the mandate themes actually required provides better access control.
6. Digital security depends on user behaviour as well as strong authentication
Banks and authorities do not need you to disclose full credentials or approve an unknown authentication request because of an unsolicited message. Opening services through the official app or a known address rather than random message links reduces phishing risk.
When using a shared device, log out and do not leave credentials stored in the browser. When changing phone number or device, update mobile-certificate, authenticator and recovery settings in a controlled way.
Common questions about this topic
Do I need a separate Suomi.fi username?
Not for normal strong identification. You use bank credentials, a mobile certificate, certificate card or another supported token. Finnish Authenticator is a separate route for eligible foreign users.
Can I always use Finnish Authenticator for MyTax?
No. Finnish Authenticator works only in e-services that support it, and acting on behalf of others is also limited by the particular service.
As a company director, can I automatically use every online service for the company?
No. A Trade Register role can be sufficient in many services, but each e-service determines the roles and mandates it accepts.
Official sources
The following primary or public sources were checked for this guide. Current authority instructions always take precedence.
- Suomi.fi - What is e-Identification?
- Suomi.fi - Identification tokens
- Suomi.fi - Finnish Authenticator
- Suomi.fi - e-Authorizations
- Suomi.fi - Acting on behalf of an organisation
Prepared by: ENB Consulting Editorial Team · Reviewed by: ENB Consulting
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