Preliminary check of association rules
A preliminary check of association rules carried out by the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) is especially suitable for federations of associations. Other associations can also apply for a preliminary check from the PRH, if, for example, they have an unusual rule proposal.
Preliminary checks are used in the following situations:
- Setting up a new association
- Amending the rules of a registered association
The PRH checks that the rules meet the requirements of the Finnish Associations Act and that the provisions are not manifestly unlawful. The PRH does not check the wording of the rules or if the association’s rules are appropriate for its purpose.
Please note: Example texts for association rules are not preliminarily checked. The texts are only available in Finnish and in Swedish.
Read more about our model texts in Finnish.
Read more about our model texts in Swedish.
Also read our instructions on the spelling of rules in Finnish.
Also read our instructions on the spelling of rules in Swedish.
How to apply for a preliminary check
Apply for a preliminary check of your association rules by sending an informal application containing the following:
Your desired timetable for handling the application, if it is anything other than a month of the date when the application arrives. The PRH will conduct the preliminary check within one month of the date the application arrived or, if possible, according to the client’s timetable.
In addition to your desired timetable, please include:
- The rules that need to be checked
- The receipt for the handling fee
- Also enter the name of any representative or other contact person. Enter the contact details of the contact person using the personal data form. Open: Personal data form. (pdf, 197.3 kt)The contact details of the contact person are not public in applications initiated on or after 1 January 2025.
The chairperson or someone else entitled to act on behalf of the association should sign the application or authorise someone else to sign it.
If an authorised person signs the application, enclose the original general power of attorney or a certified copy of a special power of attorney.
Send the application and the supporting documents to:
Finnish Patent and Registration Office
Register of Associations
FI-00091 PRH, FINLAND
How much does it cost?
The fee for a preliminary check is 385 euros.
Pay the handling fee in advance and enclose the receipt with your application. First read our payment instructions.
How to proceed when the PRH has approved the rules in a preliminary check
When the PRH has approved the rules in a preliminary check, the decision and the preliminarily checked rules will be sent to the association. The decision on a preliminary check is valid for two years.
The association must approve the preliminarily checked rules at its meeting. File the rules with the Register of Associations, either with a start-up notification or a notification of changes.
Please note: file the rules in exactly the same form as they were in the preliminary check.
How to set up an association
File a start-up notification for the association using a paper form. Go to our instructions on how to file a start-up notification using a paper form.