Moving to Finland
Living in Oulu
International House (IH) Oulu offers free online guidance for future residents of Oulu to help you prepare for your move to Finland.
IH is well known for gathering a range of guidance and advisory services for international customers under one roof. At IH you can get help with questions concerning work, entrepreneurship or studying. You can also get advice and guidance about everyday life matters.
In addition to in-house services, Migri, Pohde (Health and Social Services for North Ostrobothnia), Villa Victor (Multicultural Center) all hold regular pop-ups at International House. All services are free of charge and there is no need to book.
Other Useful Information
Housing and Accommodation
Student housing for all degree students is mainly provided by the local student housing organisation PSOAS, the Student Housing Foundation of Northern Finland. Admitted students should contact PSOAS directly once they receive their acceptance letter.
Please notice that the applications for housing must be sent by degree students directly to PSOAS as early as possible, preferably at least 2 to 3 months before the date of the student’s arrival.
Exchange students should apply for a furnished apartment at PSOAS Routa dormitory, reserved for those staying in Oulu for at least 2 months. Submit your application by 30 April for the autumn (1st) semester and by 15 October for the spring (2nd) semester.
More housing options
Travelling to Oulu, Finland
Finland and Oulu are easily reached by air as several airlines fly regularly to the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, the main airport of Finland. Information about the Oulu Airport and other airports in Finland and their travel connections is available on the website of the Finnish airport operator Finavia. The current operators in Oulu Airport are Finnair and Lufthansa.
Oulu Airport is located in Oulunsalo approximately 14 km southwest from the city center of Oulu.
There are regular local bus connections on the bus lines 8 (Airport-Linnanmaa) and 9 (Airport- City centre of Oulu). You can check the current timetables from the electronic displays at bus stops or from the website of Public Transport in Oulu and from OSL application.
Taxis are also usually available in front of the Airport.
There are several daily trains from Helsinki to Oulu. The journey time is usually 6-8 hours (9-10 hours on the overnight trains). In order to take a train to Oulu you first need to go from Helsinki Airport to Tikkurila Station in Vantaa or to Helsinki Central Railway Station. All long-haul trains from Helsinki to Oulu stop also at Tikkurila.
The Oulu Railway Station is in the center of the city. For train timetables and ticket prices please see the VR’s website (the Finnish railway company).
There are several daily bus connections from Helsinki to Oulu. For more information on long-haul bus connections in Finland, please see websites for Matkahuolto and Onnibus. For information on public transport in Oulu, kindly refer to the website and application of OSL.
Registering as a citizen of Oulu
In Finland, a personal identity code is used to identify persons. The code consists of your birth date and four unique characters. When you are granted a residence permit, your personal information will in most cases automatically be registered in the Finnish Population Information System and you will also be issued a personal identity code. Otherwise, you need to register with the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV) online or in the local registry office in Oulu within two weeks of your arrival.
The personal identity code is needed by degree students for accessing important services, such as the FSHS (healthcare services for degree students), to open a bank account or a mobile phone plan. As soon as you get your personal identity code, please send a copy of your residence permit card or the document you received from DVV to study.oamk@oulu.fi. Otherwise, your Identity Number won’t be in the university database, and you will have problems accessing the health care services. To protect your personal data, we recommend you to send the file from your student email address or via encrypted email.
Exchange students staying longer than 3 months need the personal identity code as well and may need to take care of registration matters depending on the nationality. Please check the link below, and obtain your personal identity code at the outset of your mobility and send it to incoming.students@oamk.fi from your Oamk email account only. Take care of registration matters, if applicable in your case.