New businesses
For more information on different company forms and establishing a business in Finland, see also the web sites Invest in Finland and Suomi.fi
Duty to notify
Today, most businesses must be registered at the Trade Register. A start-up notification must be submitted for a new business, containing basic information on the business and the trade it carries on.
Following businesses are invariably obliged to file a start-up notification:
- A private trader who
- carries on a licenced trade; or
- who has a permanent place of business, i.e. premises separate from his/her own residence; or
- who has in his/her employment a person other than his/her spouse or child or grandchild who is underage or otherwise under his/her guardianship.
However, persons engaged in agriculture or fishing are not under obligation to file a notification.
2. General partnerships and limited partnerships
3. Limited companies
4. Housing companies (The start-up notifications of housing companies are handled at the Local Register Offices.)
5. Co-operatives
6. Mutual insurance companies
7. Savings banks
8. Mortgage associations
9. Insurance associations
10. Public businesses
11. Tenant-owners' societies
12. Non-profit organizations and foundations that, for the purpose of carrying on a trade, have a permanent place of business or employ at least one person.
13. Foreign traders who establish a branch in Finland.
14. European economic interest groups and interest groups registered elsewhere that establish a place of business in Finland.
15. Societas Europaea
16. European Cooperative Societies
A start-up notification can be submitted even by a business not obliged to do so. For example, an enterprise mortgage used as a security for a loan can only be registered on the property of a registered business enterprise. Registration is the most efficient way of protecting the trade of a business enterprise.
The start-up notification must be filed before start of operation.