Integration Services

Immigrant guidance and counselling at MOONA Service Point

MOONA’s guidance and counselling is free of charge. The service is available without a reservation. At MOONA, you can receive information f.ex. on the following issues: residence permits, citizenship, social and health care, municipal services, education, working life, housing, leisure time, guidance on filling in forms, guidance on digitization.

MOONA’s employees do not make decisions, but direct you to the right service. We offer guidance and counselling in different languages: Finnish, English, Russian, French, Persian and Hungarian.

MOONA Service Point webpage (In Finnish)

MOONA Contact Information

Open on weekdays Mon-Fri 11.30 am – 16 pm.
In the mornings by appointment only.

Service Advisers tel. 040 707 8673, 040 611 7052

International Work Coordinator tel. 020 615 8530

Common e-mail box: moona(at)kouvola.fi.

Also check out our Facebook page at FB MOONA Kouvola.

Useful Information and Links related to the Situation in Ukraine

(Finnish Immigration Service and the Finnish Government)

There are two reception centres in Kouvola:

Kouvolan vastaanottokeskus – Reception Centre of Kouvola operated by The Finnish Red Cross: Contact information: Tiia Penttilä, Director, Tel. 044 493 9834, tiia.penttila(at)redcross.fi
Mäkikylän vastaanottokeskus, Mäkikylä Reception Centre, operated by Hemcare: Contact information: Jenna Haimi, Deputy Director. Tel. 044 901 9174 kouvola@hemcare.fi jenna.haimi(at)hemcare.fi

Multicultural Centre Saaga

Saaga is an international meeting place in Kouvola town centre. You will find us at Kouvolankatu 14, Monday to Friday from 10 am to 5 pm.

Saaga’s meeting place is a shared living room, where you can find board games and other activities, tea/coffee, laptops, smiling people and new friends. Everyone is welcome. People from over 40 different countries visit Saaga regularly, so there is always a chance to practice foreign languages – or find someone who speaks your mother tongue.

In Saaga we provide free info service for immigrants and non-Finnish speaking people. Whatever your problem is, we will do our best to help you! No need to book an appointment, just walk in and tell us you need help.

Saaga organises many different activities, f.ex. international youth evenings, disco-nights, picnics, beach days, bus trips to Helsinki, sports days, ethnic food days, anti-racism events, visits to schools and walks in conservation areas, among other things.

Saaga's website

Finnish language skills

Approximately 87% of Finns speak Finnish as their native language. Approximately 5% of Finns speak Swedish. When you speak the language, you will become acclimatised more easily and will be more at home in Finland. It will be easier to attend to your affairs with authorities, keep abreast of the news, get to know people and make friends.

If you want to apply for Finnish citizenship, you must have at least a satisfactory command of Finnish, Swedish or Finnish/Finland-Swedish Sign Language. When you apply for citizenship, you need to attach a certificate of your language proficiency. For more information on language skill requirements, see the InfoFinland page Official certificate of language proficiency.

At most jobs, you need to know Finnish. If you want to study in Finland, you will probably need Finnish language skills.

Integration Services

Immigrant guidance and counselling at MOONA Service Point

MOONA Contact Information

Useful Information and Links related to the Situation in Ukraine

(Finnish Immigration Service and the Finnish Government)

Multicultural Centre Saaga

Finnish language skills

Finnish as a Second Language Courses

Valkealan Opisto (in Finnish only)

Arffman (in Finnish only)

Kouvolan Iltalukio - Upper Secondary Evening School for Adults