Before leaving your home country, it is useful to prepare for your stay in Finland as well as you can, and get as much information in advance as possible. This will help your adjustment.
Make sure you have completed all necessary paper work. It is also important to make sure that you take the original copies of your documents with you! No matter how insignificant a document may seem, take it with you. You never know when you might need it.
In Finland, copies of documents concerning your work, such as letters of reference and degree diploma, often need to be authenticated. This means that you need to show your originals to either an official who can authenticate them, or to two people (e.g. colleagues) who then sign the copies (after looking at the originals). Their signatures function as proof that the copies are real.
Perhaps the most important thing to do before arrival is to make sure that all that has to be done in advance, before entering Finland, is taken care of. Make sure you have all the permits you and your family may need (e.g. residence permit, visa).
For more information on permits and documents needed when moving to Finland:
http://www.uvi.fi/netcomm/Default.asp?language=EN
For persons arriving from countries where it is warm all year round, make sure you pack warm clothes. The Finnish winter can be very cold!
