New businesses

For more information on different company forms and establishing a business in Finland, see also the web sites Invest in Finland and EnterpriseFinland.

Duty to notify

Today, most businesses must be registered at the Trade Register. A Start-Up Notification must be submitted for a new business, containing basic information on the business and the trade it carries on.

Following businesses are invariably obliged to file a Start-Up Notification:

• a private trader who

• carries on a licenced trade; or
• who has a permanent place of business, i.e. premises separate from his/her own residence; or
• who has in his/her employment a person other than his/her spouse or child or grandchild who is underage or otherwise under his/her guardianship.
  

• general partnerships and limited partnerships
• limited companies
• housing companies (The Start-Up Notifications of housing companies are handled at the Local Register Offices.)
• co-operatives
• mutual insurance companies
• savings banks
• mortgage associations
• insurance associations
• public businesses
• tenant-owners' societies
• non-profit organizations and foundations that, for the purpose of carrying on a trade, have a permanent place of business or employ at least one person
• foreign traders who establish a branch in Finland
• European economic interest groups and interest groups registered elsewhere that establish a place of business in Finland
• Societas Europaea
• European Cooperative Societies

However, persons engaged in agriculture or fishing are not under obligation to file a notification.

general partnerships and limited partnerships limited companies housing companies (The Start-Up Notifications of housing companies are handled at the Local Register Offices.) co-operatives mutual insurance companies savings banks mortgage associations insurance associations public businesses tenant-owners' societies non-profit organizations and foundations that, for the purpose of carrying on a trade, have a permanent place of business or employ at least one person foreign traders who establish a branch in Finland European economic interest groups and interest groups registered elsewhere that establish a place of business in Finland Societas Europaea European Cooperative Societies

A Start-Up Notification can be submitted even by a business not obliged to do so. For example, an enterprise mortgage used as a security for a loan can only be registered on the property of a registered business enterprise. Registration is the most efficient way of protecting the trade of a business enterprise.

The Start-Up Notification must be filed before start of operation.