Effective 1 December 2014, foreign nationals applying for a Finnish residence permit will be asked whether they wish to be registered in the Finnish Population Information System and apply for a personal identity number in the application form. Until now, foreign nationals have had to register separately at a local office in Finland after receiving the residence permit and arriving in the country in order to submit their personal data and request a personal identification number. The personal ID number, is often needed for tax purposes and when communicating with public authorities, banks and employers.
Read more here:
FINLAND – Changes to the Personal Identity Code Application