Start a limited liability company and file a start-up notification with the Finnish Trade Register
Limited liability companies come into being through registration at the Finnish Trade Register. For this purpose, you must file a start-up notification for the company.
You can start your company with or without share capital. If the company has no share capital, we will record in the Finnish Trade Register that the amount of share capital is 0 euros.
Choosing a name for your company is an important step. Study company names that already have been registered using our Name checking service for companies.Avautuu uuteen välilehteen
How to start a limited liability company
Start a limited liability company in the online service at ytj.fi in Finnish or Swedish. From 1 January 2026, it is not possible to file notifications on paper forms. You can choose from two alternatives, see below.
You can also use the same start-up notification to register details with the Finnish Tax Administration. We at the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) will process those parts of the notification that apply to the Finnish Trade Register, and the Finnish Tax Administration will process the parts that apply to its own registers.
Starting up online: choose from two alternatives
Alternative A
Guided set-up package (documents are created by the service)
Select the guided set-up package if all the following requirements are met:
- There is no subscription price for the shares, and the share capital is 0 euros.
- All the shareholders are adults.
- The persons you have filed have Finnish person identity codes (the shareholders and the members of the board of directors, as well as the managing director, auditor, holders of procuration and representatives, if any).
- Standard articles of association are sufficient.
The service creates a memorandum of association and standard articles of association.
The handling fee is 300 euros.
Alternative B
Start-up notification (you will add drafted documents yourself)
Select the start-up notification if the company is subject to one or more of the following situations:
- The company has share capital.
- The shareholders include companies or other organisations.
- The persons you have filed do not all have a Finnish person identity code (the shareholders and the members of the board of directors, as well as the managing director, auditor, holders of procuration and representatives, if any).
- Standard articles of association created by the guided set-up package in the online service are not sufficient.
- The company is a public limited company (Plc).
You will add the drafted documents and the articles of association yourself in the service.
The handling fee is 400 euros.
Go to the online filing at ytj.fiOpen link in a new tab in Finnish and Swedish.
Are you under 18 years of age?
You can subscribe for shares and sign the memorandum of association of a limited liability company in certain situations. Go to the page Minors in limited liability companies.
Private trader continuing business as a limited liability company
You can file a notification of that your private trader business will be continued as a limited liability company or that your private trader business will be closed down when registering a new limited liability company. See our instructions on continuing business as a limited liability company in Finnish and in Swedish.
A limited liability company involves obligations
Registered details about limited liability companies are widely used by enterprises, the financing sector, and authorities. Therefore, the importance of keeping the details updated does not just concern the company. The details that must be kept up to date include the following:
- Address and contact details
- Details of the board of director and the managing director (CEO), if any
- Details of actual beneficial owners (the persons who have ownership interest or control in the company)
Approved financial statements for each financial period, even if the company is not active.
In the start-up phase, it is also good to know how a limited liability company can be closed down. Under the Limited Liability Companies Act, a limited liability company cannot be informally closed. It is usually closed through liquidation procedure, which is subject to a fee and includes several phases and takes several months. Other ways to close a limited liability company include bankruptcy proceedings, merger and demerger.