Start-up notification to the Trade Register for a general partnership or limited partnership
General partnerships and limited partnerships must always file a start-up notification with the Trade Register in Finnish or Swedish.
The notification must be filed before the start of operations.
On this page:
- What is a general partnership?
- What is a limited partnership?
- Partnership agreement
- Who can file
- Fees
- What forms and attachments do I need?
- How to file
- Monitor the progress of your notification online
- More information on starting up general partnerships and limited partnerships
- Are you under 18 years of age?
What is a general partnership?
A general partnership has at least two partners who jointly carry on a trade on the basis of a contract (the partnership agreement).
The partners of a general partnership are personally liable for the debts and other obligations of the partnership. The partners can be either persons or organisations, such as other companies.
What is a limited partnership?
A limited partnership is the same as a general partnership except that limited partnerships have two types of partners: general partners (also called active partners) are personally liable for the obligations of the partnership in the same way as in general partnerships, while the liability of silent partners is limited to the amount of the partner's contribution agreed upon in the partnership agreement.
A limited partnership must have at least one general partner and at least one silent partner.
Partnership agreement
You must enclose a partnership agreement in Finnish or Swedish with the notification.
The Trade Register requires that at least the following details should be specified in the agreement:
- the name of the partnership;
- the place of registered office (municipality in Finland);
- the line of business (type of business);
- partners;
- for limited partnerships, please also specify who are general partners (also called active partners) and who silent partners; and
- the amount in euro of the contribution made by a silent partner of the limited partnership.
In the partnership agreement, you may however also agree upon other matters than those mentioned above, such as the representation of the partnership, the distribution of profits, the assignment of a partnership share, the resignation from the partnership, the notice to terminate a partnership agreement, the dissolution of the partnership, the death of a partner etc.
Most of these matters are included in the secondary provisions of the Finnish Partnerships Act, which are applied unless otherwise agreed by the partners.
The partnership agreement must be dated and signed by all the partners (also by the silent partners).
Who can file
The start-up notification of a general partnership is signed by a partner or a person authorised by a partner.
The start-up notification of a limited partnership is signed by a general partner (also called active partner) or a person authorised by such partner.
If an authorised person signs the notification, the original power of attorney, if it is a general power of attorney, or a certified copy of the power of attorney must be enclosed.
Fees
A start-up notification of a general partnership or a limited partnership costs 400 euros.
The fee for an auxiliary company name is 75 euros per auxiliary company name.
Pay the handling fee in advance and enclose the receipt with your notification. See our payment instructions.
What forms and attachments do I need?
Download and save the following forms to your computer and fill them in:
The forms are available in English, but you must fill in the details in Finnish or Swedish.
Use the personal data form to file any personal identification details with the Finnish Trade Register. Do not include personal identity codes or home addresses on any other notification forms.
Attach the following documents:
- Receipt for the handling fee
- The original partnership agreement in Finnish or in Swedish
Usually, no other documents are necessary. A copy of a business licence may however be necessary in some cases. Read more about permits to persons living abroad.
Do not attach any documents that contain personal identity codes, home addresses, or other sensitive information, such as health details.
How to file
File your notification using the online form Notification to the Finnish Trade Register in Finnish or Swedish.Avautuu uuteen välilehteen From 1 January 2026, it is not possible to file notifications on paper forms.
Pay the handling fee in advance.
Log in and select what your notification relates to.
Enter the requested details and add the forms and attachments.
Remember to press Send ("
Monitor the progress of your notification online
See the processing times in the Finnish Trade Register.
Monitor the progress of your notification using the Notification search in the Virre Information Service.Avautuu uuteen välilehteen Search by using the Business ID or the record number.
More information on starting up general partnerships and limited partnerships
The Suomi.fi website provides more information on the formation of limited or general partnerships. Go to the Suomi.fi website.Avautuu uuteen välilehteen
Are you under 18 years of age?
If you are under 18 years of age, you can be a partner if your guardians represent you in joining a company, and your guardians have permission from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), which is the Finnish guardianship authority. You also need your guardians’ backing and permission to become a silent partner. Go to our instructions: Minors in general partnerships and limited partnerships.