Company registration
You will need to register your company at least in the Trade Register and the Prepayment Register. If your yearly turnover will exceed EUR 15 000, register your company also in the VAT Register. If you hire employees, register your company also in the Employers’ Register. Also observe your other mandatory registration obligations. Register your company in at least all mandatory registers already when founding it.
If you set up a limited liability company, a general partnership, a limited partnership or a cooperative, you should always register your company in the Trade Register of the Finnish Patent and Registration Office. A private trader may also register in the Trade RegisterOpens in a new window.. A registration fee is charged for joining the Trade Register. However, it is mandatory only if
- under the Accounting Act, the trader must report the financial statements for registrationOpens in a new window. or
- the trader has a residence outside the EEA.Opens in a new window.
Your company should also be registered in the Prepayment Register of the Tax AdministrationOpens in a new window.. It indicates that your company’s tax matters are in order. Moreover, your customers will not have to pay for withholding taxes when they deal with your company.
Register your company also in the VAT Register of the Tax AdministrationOpens in a new window., if your turnover during the financial year exceeds EUR 15,000. If you intend to hire employees, register your company also in the Employer Register of the Tax Administration. Please note that if you register in the VAT or Employers’ Register, your notification obligation normally starts immediately. The Tax Administration registers are free of charge.
Depending on your business, there may also be other mandatory registers than those mentioned above. For example, registration of companies related to food supply chains is usually mandatory:
- feed, fertiliser and seed companies (in Finnish)Opens in a new window.
- plant health and plant material companies (in Finnish)Opens in a new window.
- companies referred to in the Food and Health Protection Act (in Finnish)Opens in a new window. or contacting the Finnish Food Authority’s food control authorityOpens in a new window.
- companies selling and marketing organic foods (in Finnish)Opens in a new window.
The registration of food economy and primary production companies in sectoral registers is usually liable to charges.
When you want to register your company in the Finnish Patent and Registration Office’s trade register submit a start-up notification.
Submit the notification either electronically in the Business Information System or on paper, depending on your company form. Currently, you can notify the Trade Register electronically about a new private entrepreneurship, and in most cases, a limited liability company. Other company forms require a notification on paper.
The following documents should be attached to the start-up notification:
- Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association of a limited liability company
- partnership agreement of a partnership and a limited partnership
- rules and Memorandum of Association of a cooperative
A notification on a new private trader to the Trade Register does not require any separate documents; the start-up notification suffices.
If you submit your start-up notification electronically with a guided start-up package, the Business Information System will create a Memorandum of Association automatically.
If you file your start-up notification on paper, you can find both the forms and templates for the Memorandum of Association in the start-up packages compiled by the Finnish Patent and Registration Office.
Go to the Finnish Patent and Registration Office's Business Information System (YTJ) to submit a start-up notification.
You can register your company in the Tax Administration registers either when filing your start-up notification or later.
If you file your start-up notification electronically in the Business Information System, you can register your company in the Tax Administration registers in the same session.
If you file the start-up notification on paper, you can use the same form to register your company in the Tax Administration registers.
If you do not join the Tax Administration registers when setting up your company, you can do it later by filing a notification of changes. The notification of changes should primarily be filed electronically regardless of the company form.
A private trader must register in the Transparency Register if:
- its primary activity is lobbying or providing advice on lobbying, and
- the activities focus on the Parliament or a ministry and are long-term and systematic in nature.
In addition, a notification of the activities must be submitted to the Transparency Register twice a year.
Register in the Transparency Register at https://www.avoimuusrekisteri.fiOpens in a new window.. Identification takes place through Suomi.fi e-Identification. The organisation's managing director, deputy managing director, trader, chairman of an association or person with the right to sign will automatically be authorised to use the Transparency Register on behalf of their organisation. A mandate for other users can be granted or requested on the Suomi.fi website in the section Notification of lobbying activities.
Your organisation's basic information will be transferred directly through Suomi.fi e-Identification from the Business Information System (BIS) to the Transparency Register when registering.
An organisation must register in the Transparency Register no later than the date on which lobbying or advising on lobbying begins.
Read more about Suomi.fi e-Authorizations and the use of authorisations in the Transparency Register
- e-Authorizations - Suomi.fiOpens in a new window.
- Use of Suomi.fi e-Authorizations in the Transparency Register - Transparency RegisterOpens in a new window..
The Transparency Register is maintained by the National Audit Office of Finland.