Digital and Population Data Services Agency prepares changes to its network of services and service locations

The Digital and Population Data Services Agency serves its private customers over the telephone, online and on-site. Compared to the other service channels, the popularity of visiting a service location has been declining for a long time. In 2024, about 94 per cent of service use took place through channels other than visiting.

The need for services is concentrated in the largest cities

During last year, more than 60 per cent of all visits to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency's service locations took place in Helsinki. In the rest of the country, visiting was concentrated in large cities: all in all, almost 90 per cent of all visits were made to the service locations situated in 18 regional centres.

“In the current economic situation, it is justified that our services requiring a visit will in future be placed in the localities that have the greatest need for services,” says Deputy Director General Pekka Rehn from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

According to the Agency’s plan, services requiring a visit would be available in their current extent until the end of June. After that, they would be available in the service locations of 18 regional centres. During 2025, some of these service locations would begin to offer a new remote service. The remote service will enable customers to use the services of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency when the customer service agent is in a different locality.

“According to our plan, after June 2025, it will be possible to visit the Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s service locations in Helsinki, Hämeenlinna, Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Kajaani, Kokkola, Kouvola, Kuopio, Lahti, Lappeenranta, Mikkeli, Oulu, Pori, Rovaniemi, Seinäjoki, Tampere, Turku and Vaasa. According to the plan, at the end of 2025, we will change over to offering a remote service in the localities with the smallest need for services, which are Hämeenlinna, Kajaani, Kokkola, Kouvola, Mikkeli and Seinäjoki,” Pekka Rehn says.

Few matters require a visit to the Agency

Most matters can be managed without visiting the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. It is possible to use services and get advice over the telephone, and most matters can be managed online. The services that require a visit in person are marriage, certain services of the notary public, and the registration of foreigners. In addition, it is possible to order an officiator for a marriage ceremony to a location of one’s choice in Finland against a fee.

The Digital and Population Data Services Agency has previously provided a pop-up service if a large number of customers have temporarily had a simultaneous need for services requiring a visit, for example, in educational institutions. The intention is to continue the pop-up service if there is a demand for it.

Central government savings behind the change

Due to central government savings, the funding for the operating expenses of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency will be around 20 percent lower between 2025 and 2027 than in 2024. By changing the network of services and service locations, the Agency will save over EUR 2 million per year.

The planning of the changes to the network of services and service locations has been governed by a service needs assessment and central government savings and also by the Central Government Premises Strategy, which the Digital and Population Data Services Agency is committed to implementing.

Cooperation negotiations begin for centralising the personnel to 12 localities

As part of the change to be made in the network of services and service locations, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency is planning to place its current personnel in 12 localities, which are Helsinki, Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Lahti, Lappeenranta, Oulu, Pori, Rovaniemi, Tampere, Turku and Vaasa. For this reason, the Agency will initiate cooperation negotiations. The plan does not involve any need to reduce the number of personnel.

The Digital and Population Data Services Agency will make the decision on changes to its network of services and service locations once the negotiations have been completed. The negotiations will take six weeks at the most.