Finland mandates electronic communication transition for millions under Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government program

A new legal reform in Finland mandates millions of citizens to transition to electronic communication with authorities, as outlined in Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government program. The most significant change involves the primary method of official communication. Previously, citizens were required to consent to receive electronic communication instead of paper mail. Going forward, communication will primarily occur digitally, with exceptions for those unable to engage in electronic transactions.

Annette Hotari, a project manager at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, emphasized in an interview that this change will not affect individuals who cannot access digital services. Moving forward, important information such as tax returns, daycare decisions, and healthcare appointments will be delivered to digital mailboxes.

According to a survey by the Digipost service Kivra, nearly half of Finns prefer to receive important documents in paper format. The legislative changes are aimed to be implemented by early 2026, with the use of digital mail for official communication remaining voluntary until then.

After this transition, electronic communication will be mandatory for those who have previously registered for the Suomi.fi service, which over four million Finns utilized last year, indicating their capability to use digital services.

Concerns about fraud and data security in electronic communication are noteworthy. Hotari indicated that a potential solution is to route official messages through the Suomi.fi messaging platform, consolidating communications in one reliable service, which is essential in the current environment of widespread scams.

The Ministry of Finance is also exploring how private service providers could be leveraged in official communication, with Omaposti and Kivra being among the existing digital mail service providers. The goal of the Digi-first initiative by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency is to reduce paper mail and achieve annual savings of €50 million in public administration postal costs.