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Responsible for the service ELY Centre

Authorisation for the transfer of holdings of natural sources of livelihood

  • Permit or other obligation
  • Nationwide except the Åland Islands
  • Public service

The transfer of holdings of natural sources of livelihood that are subject to the restrictions referred to in section 37 of the Act on Nature-Based Livelihoods (610/1984), or the transfer of a part thereof (sale, donation, partitioning, division, exchange, lease), is subject to authorisation by the ELY Centre. Should you fail to apply for an authorisation, the transfer shall be considered null and ...

Do the following

Send a free-form application requesting authorisation for the transfer to the Lapland Ely Centre or to the Rural Livelihood Authority of the municipality where the holding is located. The Rural Livelihood Authority will issue a statement and send the application and the statement to the ELY Centre. You can also use the ELY Centre's application form.

Please attach a document proving that the conditions for transfer are fulfilled (preliminary purchase agreement, deed of donation, deed of partition, deed of distribution of inheritance, etc.). The reasons for the transfer must also transpire from the document.

If you do not have a buyer yet but are planning to sell a holding of natural sources of livelihood or a part thereof, you should make dependable inquiries regarding potential buyers engaged in nature-based livelihoods before filing the application for authorisation. You should make your intent to sell known to the Rural Livelihood Authority of the municipality in question and to the Reindeer Master of the local reindeer herding cooperative, orally or in writing. You should publish a sale advertisement in your local newspaper and/or online. The advertisement should mention that the property is a holding of natural sources of livelihood or a part of such a holding. Attach a copy of the newspaper and/or online advertisement to your application.

To whom and on what terms

Owners of holdings of natural sources of livelihood that are subject to the restrictions referred to in section 37 of the Act on Nature-Based Livelihoods (610/1984) must apply for an authorisation to transfer their holdings. Transfer restrictions are in force for 30 years from the date when the bill of sale for the holding or the supplementary land has been signed.

If you are uncertain whether your holding is encumbered by transfer restrictions, you should consult the abstract of the charges register or the extract from the land registry to see if there are any restrictions as referred to in section 37 of the Act on Nature-Based Livelihoods (610/1984) mentioned there. If any doubts remain, you can consult the ELY Centre in the matter.

Authorisation is granted if the recipient is a person whose main livelihood comes from natural sources and who has lived permanently within the region covered by the Act on Nature-Based Livelihoods for the past five years. If that is not the case, authorisation can only be granted if there are compelling reasons to do so.


Processing time

An average of 1–2 months. Please note that the ELY Centre might request statements from the Rural Livelihood Authority of the municipality and possibly also from the Reindeer Herding Association, which requires time.

Period of validity

Unless stated otherwise, the authorisation is valid indefinitely.

The service is provided by

ELY Centre for Lapland

Other responsible organisations

ELY Centre for Lapland

Responsible for the service

ELY Centre
Text edited by: ELY Centre
Updated: 17/8/2020