When can I make a complaint about an authority’s actions

You cannot complaint about a matter that is currently being handled by a court or another authority. As a rule, you cannot make a complaint about a matter that you can still appeal against or if the appeal is pending.

The main rule also is that you can no longer complain about something that happened more than two years ago. An authority can start looking at something that happened more than two years ago, however, if there is a special reason to do so. For example, the matter may be important in general, or it can be especially important for the person who complained or the authority that someone complained about.

If you wish to complain about a matter that is older than two years, you should carefully explain why there is a special reason for looking at the complaint.

You can complain about the actions of an individual office holder or public servant, or an authority as a whole. For example, you can complain about judges, comprehensive school teachers, police officers, enforcement officers, a municipality's chief executive, doctors at health centres and building inspectors. Authorities include central government agencies and institutions, municipal bodies and courts.

You can also complain about other actors that use public power. They include employment pension companies and the church when the church performs public duties. You can also complain about the actions of a private company when it performs public administration duties under a contract. You can complain about both private and public health services.

Anyone can make a complaint – even if the matter does not concern you personally. You can make a complaint on your own or together with other people. Your right to complain does not depend on your citizenship.

There is no fee for handling a complaint, and if necessary, the authority must advise you in making a complaint. However, if you pay to get help for making a complaint, for example from a solicitor’s office, you will have to pay these costs.

Check if your legal expenses insurance covers the costs of making a complaint. Contact your insurance company to find out what your insurance covers.

If you are poor, you can contact the Legal Aid Office and ask if you have the right to legal aid.

Even if a complaint results in consequences for the authority, a decision on a complaint will not mean that a decision made by an authority will be changed or that anyone will get compensation. However, the authority may take another look at the decisions that were not made right.

You can suspect that the authority has acted against the law if they have done something that the law does not give them the power to do or if you think they have used their power wrongly. If an authority takes too long to do their job, does not justify a decision properly, or handles a matter carelessly, this may be against the law.

If an authority has not given you the advice that you needed, or if a public servant has behaved badly, this may also be against the law.

Violations of fundamental rights are always against the law. An authority may not treat anyone differently because of their age, gender, religion, sexual orientation or disability, or other similar reasons. For example, an authority may not restrict the freedom of speech, except for a reason stated in the law.