When is it not possible to act on behalf of a child?

E-services, such as MyKanta and MyTax, specify themselves whether guardians or other adults authorised by the guardians can act on behalf of minors or see minors’ details. This means that you cannot always use the e-service even if you are a guardian or have a mandate granted by the guardians.

Always check the e-service’s own instructions to see if there are any restrictions on acting on behalf of a minor. Suomi.fi e-Authorizations cannot influence the way in which e-service providers restrict the acting on behalf of a minor.

Examples of instructions:

• Acting in MyKanta as the guardian of a minorOpens in a new window. 
• How to use MyTax on someone else’s behalfOpens in a new window. 
• How to use e-services of the Southwest Finland Wellbeing Services County to act on behalf of other parties (in Finnish).Opens in a new window.  

Restrictions on the use of e-services by guardians

Age of the child 

E-services may restrict or completely prevent guardians from using e-services on behalf of a child when the child has reached a certain age.  

Possible restrictions in e-services include: 

• Guardians may be completely prevented from using the e-service on behalf of the child if the child has reached a certain age, such as 12. 
• Guardians may be restricted from viewing the details of a minor who has reached a certain age. For example, Kela’s MyKanta has restricted guardians’ access to information on persons aged 10 and over. 

As minors cannot grant mandates, these restrictions cannot be circumvented by a minor granting a mandate to their guardian.  

Taking into custody 

Guardians may be unable to act on behalf of a child in the e-service if the child has been taken into care.  

Non-disclosure for personal safety reasons 

Acting on behalf of a child may be restricted if one of the parties has a non-disclosure for personal safety reasons. 

If the child has a non-disclosure order, the guardians cannot act on behalf of the child automatically.  However, the guardians can submit a mandate application by which they grant themselves – on behalf of the child – a mandate to act on the child’s behalf electronically. Read more about authorisation with an application.  

If all the child’s guardians have a non-disclosure order, none of them can act on behalf of the child. However, the guardians can submit a mandate application by which they grant themselves – on behalf of the child – a mandate to act on the child’s behalf electronically. Read more about authorisation with an application. 

If only one of the guardians has a non-disclosure order, the guardian issued with the order can act on behalf of the child. This protects the information within the scope of the guardian’s non-disclosure order. 

Joint custody agreement or order

If there is a valid joint custody agreement or order regarding custody of the child, the content of the agreement or order will determine whether the guardian can act on the child’s behalf. 

Check the e-service in question to see how the joint custody agreement or order affects acting on behalf of the child or viewing the information. 

• The guardian always has the right to view the child’s information regardless of the restrictions specified in the joint custody agreement.  However, if the child has a non-disclosure order, the e-service may prevent them from viewing the information. 
• In some e-services, acting on behalf of a child is not possible if there is a joint custody agreement or order regarding custody that also applies to matters other than living arrangements. 

Restriction on the use of e-services by non-guardians with a mandate 

Acting on behalf of a minor with a mandate granted in Suomi.fi e-Authorizations is only possible in e-services that allow non-guardians to act on behalf of a minor. This is not allowed in all e-services. Always check the e-service’s own instructions to see if there are any restrictions on acting on behalf of a minor.  

Examples of restrictions that an e-service may have imposed: 

• Only a guardian can use the e-service with a mandate.  
• After the minor has reached a specific age, no one can act on behalf of the child. For example, in some of the e-services provided by wellbeing services counties, you cannot even use a mandate to act on behalf of children aged between 12 and 17.