Do you know what the city offers for its residents?
Do you know what kinds of services and activities you are entitled to as an Espoo resident? Now it is time to enjoy your new home city and explore everything that Espoo can offer.
Living in Espoo checklist
1. Use the E-services of the City of Espoo
- The City of Espoo provides many online services for various walks of life, such as social and health services, housing, culture, education and sport and exercise.
- If you have online banking credentials, you can book appointments with doctors, dentists, laboratories and other health care professionals through the appointment booking system .
- The map service of the City of Espoo offers various maps: a guide map, a real estate map, an aerial map, town plans, public services, ski tracks and nature trails.
- You may also benefit from this list of online forms used by the City of Espoo.
2. Benefit from services for families and children
- The City of Espoo offers many services for families with children.
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MONIKU is a service offered by maternity and child health clinics. Multilingual families in Espoo can turn to MONIKU for materials and guidance, support and encouragement. To use the service, your family should have a child who is younger than 12 months and whose mother tongue is not Finnish or Swedish. The service is free of charge.
- The City of Espoo has also made useful information and services available for persons who are pregnant, about to give birth or have a baby in the family. Many services are also available for families with small children, school-age children and teenagers.
- If you feel you would like to get help for parenting or relationship advice, we recommend that you turn to the city’s family counselling centre, family social work or child protection services.
- The City of Espoo offers a lot of physical activities for children, young people and families.
- In Espoo, there are several open playgrounds with staff (residents’ parks), open day-care centres, play parks and clubs intended for children of different ages.
- The City of Espoo organises a lot of activities for young people who would like to make new friends and spend time by doing fun stuff.
3. Get other social services
- You may be entitled to Finnish social security. Please turn to the website of Kela, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, for further information.
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The Employment and Economic Development Office (commonly called the TE Office) is there to serve you in matters regarding employment, starting a business and training.
- The City of Espoo offers Immigrant Services and social welfare and income support . It also maintains Western Uusimaa Social and Crisis Emergency Services.
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MyGuide is an online service offered by the Social and Health Services of the City of Espoo. It is available at all times and accessible anywhere.
- When we get old, our health and ability to function may take a downward turn. For this reason, the City of Espoo offers services for elderly citizens. Please contact them for further information and advice.
- Meanwhile, Disability Services are intended for people whose needs are not covered by basic municipal services because of a disability or chronic illness.
- The Service Points of the City of Espoo will be happy to guide you towards the services and e-services you need. They can also help you take care of your Kela-related matters, for example.
4. Enjoy learning
- It is never too late to study or learn something new. The Learning City Espoo brochure tells you about Espoo as a learning city.
- In Espoo, learning opportunities in English are provided at all stages from early to higher education. The city also aims to broaden its English-language education offerings in the future.
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Espoo Adult Education Centre is a learning centre for open studies. Pick an interesting course or two and enjoy life-long learning and personal growth.
- You can also pursue vocational education and university studies. Many universities offer Open Studies that are available for everyone. If you interested in being an entrepreneur, Aalto University launches free-for-all online entrepreneurship course. Why not register for a course and gain new knowledge?
- Explore possibilities to learn Finnish and Swedish in Espoo.
- In addition, basic education in the arts is goal-oriented education that proceeds from level to level. In Espoo, it is primarily available for children and young people. Basic education in the arts is available in the following fields: architecture, pictorial arts, crafts, literature, music, circus, dance and theatre.
5. Let the City of Espoo help you to find employment
- Are you a job-seeker? The City of Espoo offers services that are tailored to you.
- The Employment Corner supports job-seekers who are over 30 years old. The Employment Corner is open from Monday to Thursday between 10:00-15:00.
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The Employment and Economic Development Office in Espoo is there to help residents who are seeking employment or face other work-related issues. The TE-Office also has a unit dedicated to serving immigrants. The TE-Office is located in Leppävaara at Upseerinkatu 3B, 02600 Espoo, tel. 010 60 71060 or 010 19 4452.
- The Kivenkolo Community Centre in Espoonlahti also provides help and advice to immigrants in matters related to employment and education.
- Espoo supports the TalentBoost program which organises campaigns, events and networking opportunities to bring together experts living in Finland with companies. Talent Explore funding, part of TalentBoost, is intended for small and medium-sized enterprises and Midcap companies in all sectors to help them hire an international expert.
- Espoo supports equality and non-discrimination in municipal employment services.
6. Join trade unions and unemployment funds
There are many trade unions and voluntary unemployment funds in Finland. People commonly join them, as trade unions provide their members with qualified legal services, while unemployment funds pay earnings-related allowance to members who have recently become unemployed.
7. Join Finnish pension system
The Finnish pension system consists of many kinds of pensions, such as the earnings-related pension, national pensions and guarantee pensions. If your earnings-related pension is small or if you receive no earnings-related pension, you can receive a national pension. These benefits include old-age pensions and disability pensions.
- To understand the Finnish pension system, we recommend the introductions on Infofinland.fi page pension and the website of the Finnish Centre for Pensions.
- Also check out the benefits available for pension recipients on the Kela website.
- If you have a bank account in Finland, you can go to the eServices of the Finnish Centre for Pensions to check your pension record, claim your pension or find your pension provider.
8. Apply for Finnish citizenship
- If you meet the requirements, you may become a Finnish citizen:
- Your identity has been established beyond doubt.
- You have reached the age of 18 (a dependent child under the age of 18 can apply for citizenship as co-applicant with the main applicant).
- You meet the residential period requirement, meaning that you have lived in Finland for a sufficient length of time. This usually means at least four to seven years.
- You meet the integrity requirement.
- You have not neglected your payment obligations.
- You have established your means of livelihood.
- You have sufficient language skills in Finnish or Swedish.
- You can fill in a printed application form or an electronic application at enterfinland.fi (only available in Finnish and Swedish).
- In addition, Espoo offers various cultural benefits to new citizens of Espoo. The Mayor of Espoo also hosts an annual event for new Finns living in Espoo.
9. Get information on city planning
10. Enjoy leisure activities and sports
Outdoor activities are in the heart of every Finn. We believe that you, too, could fall in love with cycling through a Nordic landscape on a well-maintained bike route, enjoying sunny days on numerous seaside and lakeside beaches, exploring the Espoo archipelago in a kayak or a scheduled archipelago boat, or hiking and camping in one of the many forests.
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Find out what is on the city’s menu
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The library
is not only about reading
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Get a library card to access books, online magazines, 3D printers, workshops and much more.
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Outdoor recreation and exploration in Espoo
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Sports play a significant role in Espoo residents’ lives
- Apart from numerous Espoo-based private sport clubs, the City of Espoo offers a lot of possibilities for everyone to find a suitable and exciting activity regardless of age and physical condition.
11. Useful links
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Suomi.fi offers information and services for all citizens.
- The website Espoo.fi provides news, services, events and information on living in Espoo
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Visit Espoo offers a glimpse into Espoo. Tripsteri App Espoo is a travel app, available for free at the App Store and Google Play.
- The Espoo Magazine is a bulletin for Espoo residents. Its English version is available online, while the bilingual Finnish and Swedish version is delivered to every household in Espoo.
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Emergency situations – where to call when something happens.
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Helmet.fi – all about libraries and library cards.
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Helsinki Region Transport (HSL) – timetables, routes, ticket information, the Journey Planner and up-to-date information about metro, train, bus and tram transport in the Helsinki metropolitan area.
- Kela, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland
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The Employment and Economic Development Office (TE Office) – public employment and business services for private individuals and companies.
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The Service Points of the City of Espoo – information about the city’s services and e-services. You can also take care of Kela-related matters by visiting a Service point. Welcome!