Registering a vessel used for commercial fishing
- Permit or other obligation
- Nationwide except the Åland Islands
- Public service
Vessels and boats must be registered before they can be used for commercial fishing.
Vessels used in sea areas are registered in one of two groups depending on the vessel’s capacity: 1) fishing vessels whose overall length is less than 12 metres (coastal vessels) and 2) fishing vessels whose overall length is more than 12 metres (deep-sea vessels).
The available tonnage in the register is measured in terms of gross tonnage (GT) and propulsion power (kW). Therefore, the immediate registration of a ship is not always possible if the applicant does not simultaneously remove at least an equivalent amount of capacity from the register.
Increasing the capacity of a vessel also requires registration before the fishing vessel’s use for commercial fishing may be continued. In that case, the applicant must acquire the required register tonnage.
Vessels used in inland waterways are divided into two groups on the basis of their purpose of use: 1) trawlers and 2) other ships. There are no limits for capacity.
If the specifications of a vessel are changed, the ELY Centre must be notified without delay.
The fishing vessel register is used for monitoring and regulating the fishing capacity of Finnish fishing vessels and for the monitoring, research and development of commercial fishing and aquaculture and for compiling statistics on them. The register is maintained by the Ely Centre for Southwest Finland.
Do the following
Apply for registration by filling the printable form (sea areas: “Kaupalliseen kalastukseen käytettävän aluksen rekisteröintihakemus” / inland waterways: “Sisävesialuksen rekisteröintilomake”) and send it and the required documents to the registry office of the Ely Centre for Southwest Finland as attachments to the general online form (“yleinen sähköinen asiointilomake”). You can also send the application by mail. ELY Centres’ contact information is available under Service locations.
If the specifications of your vessel change, fill the printable form (“Kalastusaluksen rekisteröintilupa, aluksen poisto tai muutos”) and send it to the Ely Centre for Southwest Finland as an attachment to the general online form or by mail.
To whom and on what terms
Prerequisites for registering a fishing vessel or boat are that the vessel or boat is Finnish and that the register has enough room for the vessel or boat.
A fishing vessel may not be used for commercial fishing if it does not have a valid fishing licence whose data is up to date.
The service is free of charge.