Does your business need a license, a notification or registration?
There is freedom of trade in Finland, which means people are generally free to conduct business without a license. However, there are also some industries for which a license is required by law. Before starting a company, always find out whether
- you need to get a business license, submit notifications or register the company based on your intended operations
- and will your business operations require approval by an authority or special professional qualifications.
Licenses and permits are often granted for a fixed period of time, and some need to be renewed after a certain time. Applications are usually subject to a fee. Licenses are granted bu local authorities , Regional State Administrative Agencies and government departments, local environmental protection authorities as well as other licensing authorities. In some cases, permits from several different authorities are needed. In the catering industry, for example, hygiene certification and licenses to serve food and alcohol are required, and notifications must be submitted to the health inspector, rescue services and building control services.
| Persons | Approval/qialification | Organisation/authority |
| Person acting as a responsible manager or other appointed person in licensed premises | License to service alcohol (alcohol passport) | Educational institutions providing training in the restaurant and catering sector pursuant to a Government licence or an authorisation from the Ministry of Education |
| Property valuers (AKA and KHK) | AKA and KHK examination | Property Valuation Board of Finland Chamber of Commerce |
| Real estate agents (LKV) | LKV examination | Board of Examiners for Real Estate Agents |
| Lorry and bus drivers | Applying for professional qualification of a driver (applicable education requires) | Ajovarma Oy |
| Driving instructors | Driving instructor permit | Traficom, Service provider Ajovarma Oy |
| Professionals in Building, HVAC and Real Estate sector | Qualification of Professionals in Building, HVAC and Real Estate sector | FISE Qualification of Professionals in Building, HVAC and Real Estate sector |
| Social welfare professionals | Application for licensing / a protected occupational title | Valvira |
| Supervisors of electrical work and lift work | Certificate of electrical and lift qualification | SETI Personal and Company Assessment Ltd |
| Taxi drivers | Taxi driver license – prerequisite: successful test completion | Tests and applications Ajovarma Oy/license Traficom |
| Goods inspectors (HTT) | HTT examination | Goods Inspection Board of Finland Chamber of Commerce |
| Health care professionals | Application for licensing/right to practice the profession in Finland/right to use protected occupational title | Valvira |
| Self-employed health care professionals | Notification of private health care service provision | Regional State Administrative Agencies |
| Accountants | HT examination as well as KHT and JHT specialization examinations | Auditor Oversight |
| Parties providing accounting and tax consulting services, business services, legal services (excl. lawyers), currency exchange operators and goods and arts dealers (some) | A notification to the Anti-Money Laundering Register | Regional State Administrative Agencies |
| Hot work professionals | Hot work card | Finnish National Rescue Association SPEK |
| Persons working in the (private) licensed security sector | Approval as a security guard (security guard card)/approval as a security system fitter (security system fitter card)/approval as a security officer (security officer card) | Police |
| Transport of dangerous goods | ADR license | ADR training organizations, Traficom |
| Letting agents (LVV) | LVV examination | Borad of Examiners for Real Estate Agents, Finland Chamber of Commerce |
| Employees of several companies working at a shared worksite | Occupational safety card | työturvallisuuskortti.fi |
| OTHER PERMITS AND NOTIFICATIONS | ||
| Abnormal transport | Abnormal transport permit | ELY Centre |
| Work carried out in the road area | Permit for work carried out in the road area | ELY Centre |
| Industry | License/notification/registration | Organisation/authority |
| Technical inspection of vehicles | Inspection permit | Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom |
| Serving of alcoholic beverages | License to serve alcoholic beverages | Regional State Administrative Agency |
| Wholesale of alcoholic beverages | Alcoholic beverage wholesale license | National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health, Valvira |
| Import of alcoholic beverages (holders of licenses for serving and retail sales of alcoholic beverages) | Import notification | Valvira |
| Production of alcoholic beverages for commercial purposes | License to produce alcoholic beverages | Valvira |
| Retail sales of alcoholic beverages | Retail trade license | Regional State Administrative Agencies |
| Retail sale and serving of alcoholic beverages in international transport | Notification of the retail sales and serving of alcoholic beverages in international transport | Valvira |
| Licensed premises which have been approved in advance for operations compliant with section 20 of the Alcohol Act | Preapproved licensed premises | Regional State Administrative Agency |
| Retail sales at licensed premises | Retail license for licensed premises | Regional State Administrative agencies |
| Garage operators | Licenses and approvals | Traficom |
| Driving schools | Driving school license | Traficom |
| Food establishments (restaurants, cafés, stores, bankers, kiosks) | Notification of a food establishment | Municipal food control authority |
| Facilities where animal-based foodstuffs are handled before selling them to retail customers | Application for the approval of a facility where foodstuffs are handled | Municipal food control authority |
| Transporting people by bus | Passenger traffic license | Traficom |
| Lift maintenance and repair | Notice of electrical installation and work on lifts | Finnish Safety and Chemical Agency, Tukes |
| Manufacturers and sellers of precious metals | Application for responsibility mark | Tukes |
| Companies offering crowdfunding | Registration | Financial Supervisory Authority |
| Professional waste carriage and brokerage | Application for approval of activity in a waste management register | ELY Centre |
| Mining | Mining permit, mining safety permit | Tukes |
| Environmental permit | Regional State Administrative Agencies | |
| Beauty parlors, hairdresser-barbershops | Notification pursuant to section 13 of the Health Protection Act | Municipal health protection authority |
| Manufacture and import of chemicals | Chemical notification | Tukes |
| Environmental permit | Municipal environmental protection authority | |
| Industrial handling and storage of (dangerous) chemicals | License for plants dealing large-scale industrial handling and storage | Tukes |
| Processing and storage of (hazardous) chemicals and LPG (small-scale operation) | Notice | Rescue department |
| Real estate and and rental brokerage | Notification of commencement | Regional State Administrative Agencies |
| Gold panning | Gold panning permit | Tukes |
| Companies dealing with refrigeration devices | Notification on operations, qualification of a person in refrigeration | Tukes |
| Laboratories | Laboratory approval | Finnish Food Authority |
| Creditors and peer-to-peer loan brokers | Notification for entry into the creditor and peer-to-peer loan broker register | Regional State Administrative Agency of Southern Finland |
| Lost property offices | License for lost property office | Regional State Administrative Agency of Western and Inlnad Finland |
| Land extraction | Land extraction permit and notification pursuant to the Land Extraction Act, environmental permit, water permit, permit for landscape work | The municipal authority in charge |
| Gas and oil heating equipment installation companies, underground oil tank inspection companies | Application for status of approved company | Tukes |
| Natural gas pipework or filling station and storage of natural gas | A license when specific limit values are exceeded. Also applies to refined biogas. | In most cases, Tukes |
| Exploration | Reservation notification, exploration permit | Tukes |
| Companies offering travel service combinations | Notification for entry into register of those under a recognizance obligation | Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority |
| Temporary sales activities and kiosk and café opertaions at lay-bys or parking areas along roads | Permit for temporary sales, Agreement on kiosk and café operations | Pirkanmaa ELY Centre |
| Installation and maintenance of fire alarm systems | Notification of operations | Tukes |
| Operation of debt collection (on behalf of another) | Entry into the register of debt collection companies | Regional State Administrative Agency of Southern Finland |
| Grocery stores | Notification of a food establishment | Municipal food control authority |
| Retail trade license for alcohol | Regional State Administrative Agency | |
| Retail trade license for nicotine products | Municipal authority | |
| Companies installing and maintaining extinguishing equipment, companies inspecting and maintaining handheld fire extinguishers | Notice of activity | Tukes |
| Investment service companies | License | Financial Supervisory Authority |
| Electrical works (electrical installations and repair of electrical appliances) | Notification of electrical work | Tukes |
| Operation of taxi services | Taxi license | Traficom |
| Notice of a freight or personnel traffic license holder on taxi traffic business | Notice | Traficom |
| Transport of goods using a vehicle or a vehicle combination with a total weight of more than 3,500 kg | Freight transport license | Traficom |
| Transport of goods using a vehicle or a vehicle combination with a total weight of more than 2,000 kg but a maximum of 3,500 kg | Notification of freight transport operations | Traficom |
| Telecommunicatinos, programmes and pay TV services | Telecommunications notification | Traficom |
| Program broadcasting notification | Traficom | |
| Pay TV service notification | Traficom | |
| Slaughterhouses and facilities connected thereto as well as game processing facilities | Approval of a food establishment as a facility | Finnish Food Authority |
| Insurance agents and brokers | Registration as an agent, registration as an insurance broker | Financial Spervisory Authority |
| Private social welfare services (round-the-clock) | License to provide round-the-clock social welfare services | Regional State Administrative Agencies |
| Private social welfare services (other than round-the-clock) | Notification on the provision of social welfare | The municipality where the service is provided |
| Private health care services | Application for license to provide private health care services | Operations within the region of one AVI Agency: Regional State Administrative Agencies |
| Operations within the region of two or more AVI Agencies: Valvira | ||
| Private security services (private security companies, security stewards and security officers) | Security industry business license, Approval as a responsible manager | Police |
| Companies: limited liability companies and co-operatives among others | Notification of the company’s beneficial owners | Finnish Patent and Register Office |
