Quick guide to services

Ivalo village. Photo by Tarmo Lehtosalo.

Local services in Inari

Inari has all you need to live a comfortable life: restaurants, activities, stores and cultural services. Most services are easily accessible in the villages of Inari, Ivalo and Saariselkä. Ivalo village is the administrative centre of the municipality of Inari, so  many municipal services are located in Ivalo.

To find information about local services or the location of the services, you can use mapinari-service or Google Maps.

Public services in Finland

Finland enjoys one of the world's most advanced and comprehensive welfare systems in the world, designed to guarantee dignity and decent living conditions for all permanent residents in Finland. The Finnish social security system reflects the traditional Nordic belief that the state can intervene benevolently on the citizens' behalf. Core to the system are social insurance (ex. pensions, sickness & unemployment benefits, workers' compensation), welfare (ex. family aid, child-care services, services for the disabled), and a comprehensive health system.

Eligibility for most social security is based on permanent residence; the benefits can be claimed only by those who live in Finland. Also, for many services funded by the municipality, you need to have a municipality of residence in Finland in order to get access to the services (for the same fee as other local residents). However, there are also public services, such as library, which are free of charge for all residents.

Important institutions

KELA - Kansaneläkelaitos / Social Insurance Institution of Finland

Kela, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, provides social security coverage for Finnish residents and many Finns living abroad through the different stages of their lives.

When you move to Finland from another country, your entitlement to benefits from Kela is determined on the basis of how long you intend to stay in Finland, which country you come from and your reason for the stay in Finland.

Kela's Centre for International Affairs provides service to all customers who move to or from Finland and in other international situations. Kela's service number for international situations is +358 20 634 0200.

MIGRI - The Finnish Immigration Service

The Finnish Immigration Service is a decision-making organization in matters related to immigration, asylum, refugee status and citizenship and maintains the reception system. The agency implements the Finnish immigration policy and promotes controlled immigration, good administration and human and basic rights. The Finnish Immigration Service handles  matters related to foreign nationalsʼ entry into Finland, residence in the country, refugee status and citizenship. The closest office of Finnish Immigration service is located in Rovaniemi.

TE-Toimisto - Public employment and business services

Public employment and business services serves jobseekers, employers and entrepreuneurs. The TE Office provides information on available jobs and supports you in job seeking. The TE Office also organizes integration study programs, vocational training, job seeking, career and employment coaching, professional and career orientation, work and training experiments and pay subsidy.

TRAFI - Finnish Transport and Communications Agency

The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom is an authority in permit, licence, registration, approval, safety and security matters.

Väestörekisterikeskus - Digital and Population Data Services Agency

The Digital and Population Data Services Agency promotes the digitalization of society, secures the availability of data, and provides services for the life events of its customers. You must make a notification of move to The Digital and Population Data Services Agency if you are moving to Finland permanently or living in a new address takes more than three months.

Verohallinto - Finnish Tax Administration

Tax revenue is the public sector’s most significant source of income. The Tax Administration collects approximately 95 % of all taxes and tax-like payments in Finland. In addition to the Tax Administration, Finnish Customs and the Finnish Transport Safety Agency (Trafi) also collects taxes and tax-like payments.

The purpose of the Tax Administration is to collect the right tax at the right time, to ensure our society has the financial resources it needs to function. It is for this reason that we seek to minimize the tax gap through credible tax control; and it is why it is important to maintain a culture of tax compliance, by impressing on people the importance of taxation in society.

Proactive guidance, excellent service and credible tax control ensure the accrual of tax revenues. The goal is to have taxpayers handle tax-related transactions independently and in the correct manner.

Municipal services

In Finland, municipalities are responsible for organizing and financing many public services, such as healthcare, basic education and healthcare. Many services, such as leisure activities and cultural services, are also organized by the municipality to support the welfare of its residents.

Medical care

Persons who are residents of a Finnish municipality (i.e., have a place of domicile in Finland) are entitled to treatment in the public healthcare system. The public health services are financed through taxes, and only moderate client fees are charged for visits to health centers and for stays in hospital.

In an emergency situation, you will be treated in public health care even if you do not have a municipality of residence in Finland or you are not entitled to medical care based on your work. The medical costs can be collected from you afterwards. Your local health centre in Ivalo is the first place to visit in all cases of illness. Your local health station provides basic health care services and referrals for further examinations and treatment. Specialized medical care is usually provided at hospitals and the closest hospital is located in Rovaniemi.

Persons who do not have a place of domicile in Finland or who are not covered for health insurance in Finland can still be entitled to treatment and reimbursements on some other ground (such as employment). You can check your right to medical treatment and reimbursements with Kela. See Kelas page on how to apply for entitlement to medical care in Finland.

Family members who move to Finland have a similar right to medical treatment as the family member who works in Finland.They pay the same client fee as local residents. They are issued a certificate by Kela, and by presenting the certificate, they will receive healthcare. The certificate is called ‘Certificate of entitlement to treatment in Finland’.

Contacts and more information: Healthcare services in Inari

The emergency number in Finland is 112.

For more information on how to use healthcare services in Finland, you can visit Kela's website or EU-healthcare.fi.

Education and daycare

The Finnish education system consists of early childhood education and care, pre-primary, basic and general upper secondary education, vocational education and higher education. Compulsory schooling consists of one-year pre-primary education for 6-year-olds and nine-year basic education for children aged 7-16. All children living in Finland must attend to compulsory education.

Finnish education is of high quality. Differences in the learning results of different schools are small and nearly all students complete comprehensive school within target time. Preschool education, comprehensive education and upper secondary education is free of charge and also higher education is for the most part free of charge. The goal is for everyone to have an equal opportunity to receive high quality education regardless of the family’s income and to grow up to become active citizens.

The municipality of Inari also provides childhood education and care to all children who are under school age. The operating idea for childhood education and care is to offer children good and safe place of care where the child enjoys being and which supports the child's balanced growth, development and learning. The cost of early childhood education and care depends on family income.

Contacts and more information: Education department

Vetenarian

The Vet is located at Latutie 1 in Ivalo. You can book an appointment on weekdays between 8 and 9 am directly with the vet:

For urgent cases, please call the emergency hotline +358 600 1 6633 (2,89€ per minute + plus your phone company’s access charge)

Library

First of all, the use of the public library is free. Anyone with a postal address in the Nordic countries can apply for a library card to borrow books and allowing entry outside regular opening hours. Secondly, our library is so much more than a library. Actually, it is more like a community living room, and an extended office. In addition to the library collection, including sections of foreign language books and magazines, you will find computers, printers, scanners and a copy machine. Free WIFI is also available.

The library bus also commutes on weekdays around Inari municipality. You can find the schedule here and reach the library bus under the following number: +358 400 327 475.

Other services

Pharmacies

There is only one fully stocked pharmacy in Inari municipality, which is located in Ivalo (Inarintie 45, 99870 Ivalo). In addition there are smaller side posts in Inari (Inarin Kuukkeli supermarket), Näätämö (K-market Näätämö) and Saariselkä (Saariselän Kuukkeli supermarket).

The library bus also acts as a service point for Ivalo Pharmacy. You can buy a selection of non-subscription drugs and pre-order subscription drugs. Please order directly from Ivalo pharmacy (phone 010 281 7215) before 1pm the previous day.The library bus commutes on weekdays around Inari municipality according to the following schedule.

Banks

To open a bank account in Finland you need your passport and a Finnish Personal Identification Code. There are two banks that have branches in Inari municipality that also have English websites:

Home page: nordea.fi