Practical information for visitors and international staff

Usually our guests pay for the accommodation themselves. For shorter stays, we recommend one of the hotels in the centre. Hotel Centro has been quite popular among our visitors. More options can be found here, for example:

Booking.com

Airbnb

Forenom and Kotimaailma provide furnished rental apartments:

Forenom

Kotimaailma

If you are going to work at Turku UAS and stay in Turku for a longer period, you might also want to rent a non-furnished flat. Most rental flats in Turku can be found on Vuokraovi webpage:  Rental apartments at Vuokraovi

For research staff, Turku Student Village Foundation TYS is also an option, offering low-cost housing near campus.

If you are staying maximum of 90 days you might need a visa. Check the Finland Foreign Affairs Ministry's webpage for more information and a country specific list for required travelling documents. EU citizens do not need a visa.

If you are staying more than three months you need to apply for a residence permit through Finnish Immigration Service (Migri).You can also apply for the Finnish Personal Identity Code together with the residence permit. EU citizens need to register their right of residence after three months. 

If your stay in Finland is considered permanent (over two years) you can apply for covered under the Finnish social security system. You can read more about this on the website of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela).

Citizens of other EU/EEA countries or of Switzerland have the right for European Health Insurance Card, which entitles to use municipal health care services for the same prices as Finnish citizens. However, not all doctors and hospitals operate within the reimbursement system, which means that any costs you incur outside the system will have to be paid by yourself. You can order for free this card in your own country before a trip.

Read more about health care during temporary stay

Employees are insured during their office hours in Pohjola Insurance Ltd. In addition it is highly recommended to have personal travel insurance for leisure time.

Employees with a contract with Turku UAS also have access to our occupational health care. Please note that occupational health care does not cover leisure time accidents and emergencies, extensive laboratory tests or other extensive physical examinations or treatment. For these you have access to public health care or, alternatively, you might opt for a private health care operator, such as Mehiläinen, Terveystalo, or Pihlajalinna.

If you receive salary from Turku UAS during your stay in Finland, you can check the taxation regulations from Finnish Tax Administration's webpage.

Turku UAS has several units in Turku and one in Salo. Find out more about the best ways to travel to Turku and Salo here .

The local bus connections are good and frequent. A single ticket costs €3, but if you stay here for a longer time, it might be a good idea to purchase a travel card. Please check for more details on local bus connections here:

Föli  - Turku Region Traffic
 

More detailed information on Salo Campus:

Information on Salo Campus

You can open a Finnish bank account when there is a long term contract and regular salary payment. Banks usually ask for a Finnish social security number.

If you will stay a longer time at Turku UAS and travel with your family, you may be interested in childrens'  daycare and schools.

There is an international school  in Turku, where the teaching is in English. It is also possible to apply to a Finnish school, where children can take part in preparatory teaching until their level of Finnish is good enough to join a Finnish class. You can read more on daycare and schools in Turku here .

Read more on education in Finland:

Early childhood education and care in Finland - Ministry of Education and Culture

Basic Education in Finland - Ministry of Education and Culture

If you stay in Turku for a short time, you are probably interested in shopping, restaurants and sightseeing. You can find our recommendations in the list below.

For those staying here for a longer time, there is also plenty to do. You can buy our Campussport card or hike in the beautiful nature. There is also a lot of activities for children if you bring your family with you. You new colleagues will be happy to give you some tips!

If you stay here for a longer time, you can take part in our Finnish for Foreigners courses together with our international students. You can also participate the Friendship programme , which gives you the possibility to get to know Finns and Finnish culture. You can find useful information on Living in Turku here

If you want to know more about Finland and Finnish Culture, please visit This is Finland  webpage.