Reception allowance

If necessary, you can apply for and be granted reception allowance. The possible funds and income you have at your disposal will affect whether you will be granted reception allowance and the amount of the allowance.

You can make an application for reception allowance at your reception centre. You must report in the application all the funds and income that you have at your disposal. You will get more information and advice on how to fill in the application at your reception centre.

The reception allowance is usually paid to a prepaid card. In exceptional cases, it can also be paid in cash. If you have a personal Finnish bank account, the reception allowance can be paid to your bank account.

To set up a bank account you will need either an international passport or a valid Ukrainian ID (passport of the citizen of Ukraine) as proof of identity and a residence permit. Here you can find the instructions in Ukrainian and English on how to set up banking services in the largest bank in Finland Nordea Bank. You can also open an account in other banks, such as Osuuspankki (OP), Aktia, Säästöpankki, Ålandsbanken, S-pankki.

You can withdraw cash at a bank or at an ATM. You can exchange currencies at banks, exchange bureaus or at an ATM.

A natural person is a resident taxpayer in Finland if the natural person resides in Finland. Pursuant to section 11 of the Income Tax Act, an individual is considered to reside in Finland if they have their main abode and home in Finland. Furthermore, an individual who stays in Finland for more than six months is considered an individual residing in Finland. In the case of a resident taxpayer, taxes are levied in Finland for both income received in Finland and income received abroad.

As soon as you got the job, you will need a tax card. You may start work without a tax card, while it should be obtained before getting payed by the employer. In general, those who receive temporary protection do not have social insurance in Finland. If an individual under temporary protection works as an employee receiving monthly wages of €767,98 (1 August - 31 December 2022) or higher, he or she becomes covered by Finnish social insurance. In this case, the health care contribution of health insurance and the employer's health insurance contribution will be collected from each wage payment. Additionally, the health insurance payment called “daily-allowance contribution” must be paid if your wages are higher than €15,128 a year.

The tax authorities will instruct you on how to get the Finnish tax card pay taxes. Call The Tax Administration’s Telephone Service At 029 497 050. You can then find out from the Tax Administration’s employee what you need to do to get a tax card, a tax number that may sometimes be necessary, and the Finnish personal identity code. If you need to come to the tax office yourself, you will get an appointment.

Please check the website of the Finnish Tax Administration for further instructions.

In this case, individual consultation with a professional lawyer is necessary.

You can transfer money from Finland to Ukraine via an international transfer or money transfer at a corresponding provider or a bank.

For an international transfer at the bank you have to fill out a special form and usually pay fees. Other special money transfer providers (e.g. Western Union, Moneygram, Wise, Revolut, Paypal) are often a cheaper and faster alternative.