No­ti­fi­ca­tion of ben­e­fi­cial own­ers with the Tra­de Reg­is­ter

Most companies must file details of their actual beneficial owners, i.e. the persons who have ownership interest or control in the company, with the Finnish Trade Register and then keep the details in the register up to date.

Limited liability companies and co-operatives must file their beneficial owner details with the Finnish Trade Register. Private traders do not file a notification.

The notification of beneficial owners is free of charge.

The company must file a notification even if:

  • the company has no beneficial owners or the company does not know them.
  • the details of the board of directors, or other persons responsible for the company, are up-to-date.

On this page:

Why do I need to file a notification?

It may become difficult for the company to carry out its operations if it does not file the beneficial owners’ details and keep the details up to date. The PRH imposes a negligence fee on your company and can order your company into liquidation or remove it from the Trade Register if the company does not submit beneficial owner details or rectify incorrect details despite requests to do so. Read more about the consequences of not filing a notification.

How to check if my company has filed a notification

The PRH sends a register extract about beneficial owners by post when the notification has been registered. 

You can also use our Virre Information ServiceAvautuu uuteen välilehteen to check if a notification of beneficial owners has been registered for the company or organisation. Search by using Business ID. A notification of beneficial owners is indicated in the basic details of the company and at the end of the company's register extract, which you can download free of charge.

The people responsible for the company, such as members of the board of directors or the managing director, can check the registered details by logging in to our Beneficial owner information service. They can download a beneficial owner extract free of charge using the service. Read more in our announcement.​

When do I file?

You must file a notification without delay in the following situations:

  • The company has not filed its beneficial owner details with the Finnish Trade Register.
  • The beneficial owner details have changed or are no longer up to date.
  • A new company has been registered, and you did not set up your company using the online filing service at ytj.fi.

Which companies file a notification?

Limited liability companies and co-operatives as well as some general partnerships and limited partnerships must file a notification. Private traders do not file a notification. Which companies file a notification?

Who is a beneficial owner?

A beneficial owner is a person who either owns a company or otherwise exercises control over the company. For example, the estate of a deceased person, a company, a county or an organisation or a public entity cannot be filed as a beneficial owner. Who is a beneficial owner?

How to file

You can file your notification free of charge using the online service at ytj.fi.Avautuu uuteen välilehteen Please note that the service is only available in Finnish and in Swedish. Read our instructions: How to file a notification of beneficial owners.​

How to access beneficial owner details

Unlike other details entered in the Finnish Trade Register, the details on beneficial owners are not public. However, the information about the registration of notifications is public. Read more: Information services and details of beneficial owners.

See the legislation for more information

Various authorities and organisations are working closely together to prevent money laundering. The moneylaundering.fi websiteAvautuu uuteen välilehteen contains information on preventing money laundering. The website is jointly maintained by a number of different authorities. ​

The Finnish Act on Money Laundering and the underlying EU directives on money laundering require that companies and organisations

  • identify their actual beneficial owners;
  • file the beneficial owners’ details for registration; and
  • keep the details up to date.

The objective of the Finnish Act on Money Laundering is to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing, to help revealing and detecting such activities, and to enhance the tracking down and recovery of criminal benefit.

Provisions on filing and registering actual beneficial owners are laid down in the following acts:

  • Actual beneficial owner is defined in chapter 1, sections 5–7 of the Finnish Act on Money Laundering.
  • Provisions on registering the actual beneficial owners of companies are laid down in the Finnish Trade Register Act.
  • Provisions on registering the executive committee members of associations are laid down in the Finnish Associations Act.
  • Provisions on registering the members of the committee of directors in religious communities are laid down in the Finnish Freedom of Religion Act.
  • Provisions on registering the members of the board of trustees and the supervisory board in foundations are laid down in the Finnish Foundations Act.

Read more in the reference database of Finnish legislation Finlex in Finnish or in Swedish.
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