You will need to register your company at least in the Trade Register and consider also joining the Prepayment Register. If your calendar year turnover will exceed EUR 20 000, register your company also in the VAT Register.
If you hire employees, register your company also in the Employers’ Register if you do not pay wages only occasionally, which is the case if either of the following conditions is met:
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
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 calendar year exceeds EUR 20,000. If you intend to hire employees, register your company also in the Employer Register of the Tax Administration, if the company is not a company paying wages occasionally. 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:
The registration of food economy and primary production companies in sectoral registers is usually liable to charges.
If you are a new private provider of health and social services your company has to be registered in Soteri register. Read more about the service provider register Soteri (in Finnish).Opens in a new window.
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 electronically in the Business Information System (BIS). If you are registering as a private entrepreneur, you have the option to use paper forms.
At least the following charters of foundation are required as attachments to a start-up notification:
A notification on a new grown-up private trader to the Trade Register does not require any separate documents; the start-up notification suffices. A person aged 15 or above but under the age of 18 needs the guardians´ approvement for which a report is required.
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.
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.
When 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 your company already has a Business ID, you can notify the Finnish Trade Register about it in MyTax.
If you are a private trader and 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 notify your company to the Finnish Tax Administration’s registers at the time of its establishment, you can do so later with a change notification. Submit the change notification electronically. If you are a private trader, you have the option of using a paper form. In this case, however, the processing time is longer than with an electronic notification.
A company must register in the Transparency Register if it contacts Parliament or a ministry with lobbying purposes more than five times in a calendar year.
A private trader must register in the Transparency Register if:
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
The Transparency Register is maintained by the National Audit Office of Finland.