Transition to digital official mail
Suomi.fi Messages is a secure digital mailbox that replaces official paper mail. You will receive mail from several authorities as Suomi.fi Messages, for example, from the tax authority, social security services (Kela), the police, municipalities, employment areas and wellbeing services counties. Additionally, a part of the city of Porvoo’s formal notices transfer to Suomi.fi Messages.
At the moment, you are offered to take into use Suomi.fi Messages when you log in to public administration e-services, such as MyTax, MyKanta or the services of the police or Traficom.
During 2026, official mail will transition to be primarily digital. The transition is based on Digital First legislation, which is processed currently in Parliament. The exact date of its entry into force is not yet known.
After the amendment of the legislation, when you identify in to the electronic service of the City of Porvoo or another public administration organisation for the first time, you will be given a digital mailbox in Suomi.fi Messages. That is where you will receive official mail from several public authorities. Suomi.fi Messages will replace official paper mail: you will not receive letters about the same matter later.
City of Porvoo usage of Suomi.fi Messages
Porvoo employment area uses Suomi.fi Messages extensively. For example, Suomi.fi Messages are sent to customers for purposes such as requests for additional information, reminders, decisions, and notifications of appointments.
Otherwise, the City of Porvoo has not used Suomi.fi Messages before. In 2026, after the legislation amendment, also the City of Porvoo will start sending formal notices via Suomi.fi Messages.
The city’s existing e-service channels will remain unchanged, such as Wilma and Daisy for communication at schools and early childhood education, ePorvoo for e-services and feedback, and the online registration services of the adult education center and sports services.
Background to the change
During 2026 the law on shared electronic support services for public administration will be changed. After this, organisations in the public administration will be required to send formal notices as Suomi.fi messages.
Information about Suomi.fi Messages
What is Suomi.fi Messages?
Suomi.fi Messages is a secure digital mailbox that replaces official paper mail.
The service is used by several authorities, and its use is constantly increasing. Incoming messages can be read using the Suomi.fi mobile application or by logging in to the Suomi.fi Web Service. This way, you can read incoming mail wherever you are.
Notifications of incoming messages are sent to the email address that you have provided to the service. Users of the Suomi.fi mobile application will also receive notifications directly through the app.
You can access Suomi.fi Messages by downloading the Suomi.fi mobile application or by logging in at suomi.fi/messages. Identification takes place with online banking codes, a mobile certificate or the electronic certificate on an ID card. By activating Suomi.fi Messages, you will also receive mail from various authorities electronically.
How and for whom will Suomi.fi Messages activate in 2026?
- Suomi.fi Messages will activate for you if you are an adult and have not yet activated the service.
- You will be given a notification of its activation when you use strong identification in a public administration e-service, i.e. use Suomi.fi e-Identification to sign in.
- Enter your email address upon activation and verify it within one hour. This way, you will always receive an email notification when you receive new mail in Suomi.fi Messages.
- After you have entered your email address, you can continue to identify normally and move to the e-service you were about to use.
- Please note that if you are acting on behalf of an organisation or another person, Suomi.fi Messages will be activated for you personally – not the person or organisation you are acting on behalf of.
If you never use strong identification in a public administration e-service, you will continue to receive official paper mail.
Neither does this change apply to minors nor persons under guardianship or with a valid continuing power of attorney.
What if I already use Suomi.fi messages?
Suomi.fi Messages already has about 2,4 million users. In the future, you will receive more mail through this service, as public administration organisations are required to send formal notices as Suomi.fi messages. Please note that Suomi.fi Messages will replace official paper mail and you will not receive letters about the same matter later.
We recommend you to check your contact information in the Suomi.fi Messages service to ensure you receive notifications of incoming messages at your preferred email address.
Kannattaa tarkistaa omat yhteystiedot Suomi.fi-viestit palvelussa, että saat ilmoitukset saapuneista viesteistä toivomaasi sähköpostiosoitteeseen. We also recommend to download the Suomi.fi Messages app to your phone.
Remember to check your electronic mailbox!
What if I want to keep receiving official messages as paper mail?
If you do not want to receive official mail in Suomi.fi Messages, you can opt out of digital messages and return to receiving paper mail in the service settings or by contacting the Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s customer service. You can only make this change after the Suomi.fi Messages have been activated in 2026, not in advance.
This option will remain active for six months at a time. If, after six months have passed, you identify again in a public authority’s e-service, Suomi.fi Messages will re-activate.
If you are using the Suomi.fi mobile application, please remember that
- simply uninstalling the application does not deactivate Suomi.fi Messages.
- you must always deactivate the service in the Suomi.fi Messages settings.
If you wish, you can always re-activate Suomi.fi Messages by downloading the Suomi.fi mobile application or activating the service at suomi.fi/messages.
Transition to digital official mail does not mean that no one can receive official paper mail.
- Suomi.fi Messages will not activate for you if you refrain from using official e-services. This way, you will continue to receive official messages as paper mail.
- This change does not apply to minors or persons under guardianship.
- Neither will all official mail be digital, as some public authorities may use other digital channels for electronic communication. Each organisation’s service will make a note of them.
How do I read my Suomi.fi Messages inbox?
- You can read the official messages received in Suomi.fi Messages in the Suomi.fi mobile application or by logging in to the Suomi.fi Web Service and going to “Messages” there.
- Identification takes place with online banking codes, a mobile certificate or the electronic certificate on an ID card.
- You will get notifications about new messages
- You will be sent a notification to your email whenever a new message arrives in Suomi.fi Messages.
- You will also receive notifications of incoming messages in the Suomi.fi mobile app if you have downloaded the app.
- You will get a reminder during Suomi.fi e-Identification if you have any new unread messages in Suomi.fi Messages.
What does the transition to digital communication with authorities mean?
Finland will gradually move towards digital communications with the authorities. From the beginning of 2026, official mail will mainly be delivered digitally to everyone who uses electronic services. Suomi.fi Messages is automatically activated for adults who log into the authorities’ electronic services with Suomi.fi e-Identification, if they aren’t already a user.
Those who cannot use digital services will continue to receive official mail on paper, unless they choose otherwise. It is also possible to opt out of receiving digital messages with a simple notification, after which messages will once again be sent by paper mail. If a person who has selected paper mail continues to use the e-services, a digital mailbox will be created again for them after six months in Suomi.fi Messages.
The transition to digital communication will bring significant benefits. This will save tens of millions of euros per year for society and make everyday life easier for citizens. Official mail will be available faster than before, can be found in one place and always be available.
After amendment of legislation, official mail will mainly be delivered in Suomi.fi Messages to everyone who uses electronic services. In addition to Suomi.fi Messages, citizens may still receive official mail in other digital channels if any have been activated.
Later, it is intended to make it possible to select another digital mail service for receiving official mail, as long as it meets the security and other requirements for official communications. The freedom of choice requires legislation and technical development, which are only just beginning.