Summary: You Must Pay to Access the Company Register
| Request sent to | Finnish Trade Register (Click here) |
| Outcome of request | Information refused |
| Time taken to respond | 2 working days (Deadline is 7 days) |
| Reason for refusal |
Must pay for access. |
A request was sent to the Finnish Trade Register on 4 November 2013. Only two days later, on 6 November, we were told that if we wanted to order documents, we would need to fill in a form on the Trade Register’s website and that these documents would then be delivered via post or email after paying the prescribed fee.
We were also told that we could order a wide range of products through the Finnish Virre Information Service or that we could become a contract client instead. Please see the table below for more information on how to access the data in the Finnish company register.
On 13 November 2013 Access Info clarified the request, stating that we were seeking access to the entire content of the database for free, but also inquiring what the price for bulk access is. On 15 November 2013, we were sent detailed information about the provisions for public access and the various information services available for purchase.
Finland recognises the right of access to information in its Constitution, but its access to information law does specifically make reference to other laws that could permit charging for access to information, which is why Access Info Europe decided not to appeal further.
On 1 January 2014 the Finnish Trade Register Act changed in order to protect personal identity codes and home addresses of those who are registered. The register website states:
“Personal identity codes are no longer shown on Trade Register extracts. Neither will home addresses of those living abroad. After the amendment of the Act, you no longer have to submit the home address of those living in Finland to the Trade Register. (…) the Trade Register continues to be a public register. However, disclosing the following information from the Trade Register will not be allowed:
- the last four digits of the personal identity code
- home addresses of natural persons living abroad.”
All information on the new Trade Register Act is available here: http://www.prh.fi/en/kaupparekisteri/rekisterointipalvelut/personal_identity_codes_and_home_addresses.html
Accessing the Finnish Company Register
| Information available (for free) | Business Identity Codes (Business ID), Company names, Parallel company names, Auxiliary company names, Domiciles or municipalities where the activities are managed, Postal addresses or street addresses and other contact information if given by the party liable to register, Main lines of business, the language of the company (Finnish or Swedish), Legal entity forms of companies. |
| Provision for public access | Accessing information via the Finnish Business Information System (BIS): https://www.ytj.fi/english/yrityshaku.aspx?kielikoodi=3 A blank search is not possible. You can search for a company by its name, Business ID, or LEI code. Basic information is then available for free: company’s activity status, name, company form, home municipality, language, main line of business, registration information and business ID history.The website suggests a visit to the Virre Information Service for “full details”. Accessing information via the Virre Information Service: This service allows you to run for free a company search to get basic company information. By paying a fee you can get access to all the register entries (the website mentions as examples: “responsible persons” and “history”). The fee is 5.00 € + VAT (which is 6.20 €). A blank search isn’t possible either. You must search by a company’s name or business ID. Information available for free includes: Company’s name, Business ID, company type, language, registration information, company status and postal address. By paying the 6.20 € fee you can get access to: the company’s names, lines of business, capital details, assignments and positions in company, financial periods, all register entries, all notifications from the company and microfilm addresses. Both websites embrace open data models, which enables you to search, browse and download information in a machine-readable format for free. |
| Cost per record | 6.20 € |
| Cost for whole database | Data not available. |
Additional Information:
Finland´s Right to Information (RTI) Rating: (Click here)
Finland´s Act on the Openness of Government Activity (Click here)
Information about the Register: