Privacy statement for beneficial owner details
Controller
Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH)
Mailing address: Finnish Patent and Registration Office, FI-00091 PRH, Finland
Street address: Sörnäisten rantatie 13 C, Helsinki, Finland
Tel. +358 29 509 5000
Representative of controller
Mr Lalli Knuutila
lalli.knuutila(at)prh.fi
Tel. +358 29 509 5018
Data protection officer
tietosuojavastaava(at)prh.fi
Tel. +358 50 473 3129
Purpose of and legal basis for processing personal data
The processing is necessary to comply with the controller’s legal obligation. Under the Finnish Trade Register Act (Kaupparekisterilaki 129/1979), the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) registers details about actual beneficial owners.
The purpose of processing personal data about beneficial owners is based on the Finnish Act on Preventing Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Laki rahanpesun ja terrorismin rahoittamisen estämisestä 444/2017).
The objective of the Act 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. Actual beneficial owner is defined in chapter 1, sections 5–7 of the Act.
Personal data and categories of data subjects in the register
The following details about beneficial owners are entered in the register: full name, personal identity code, nationality, and municipality of residence. The date of birth is recorded for persons who have no Finnish personal identity code. For persons living abroad, the home address is recorded instead of the municipality of residence.
In addition, an entry is made about the grounds for and the extent of the beneficial owner’s control or share of ownership.
Sources of information
As a rule, the details of actual beneficial owners are registered based on notifications submitted by companies.
Most companies are obliged to file a notification of their beneficial owners with the Trade Register. The obligation does not apply to listed companies, private traders, housing companies, mutual real estate limited companies, associations and foundations.
When the registered beneficial owner details change, companies must submit the new details to the register.
Under chapter 6, section 5 of the Act on Preventing Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, the PRH also updates the registered details about beneficial owners based on notifications submitted by the anti-money laundering supervisory authority, the Finnish Bar Association or organisations referred to in chapter 1, section 2(1) of the Act.
Disclosure of personal data to third parties
To disclose details about actual beneficial owners, the PRH requires that the party requesting the details report the purpose of use in accordance with the Act on Preventing Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing.
The last four digits of Finnish personal identity codes can only be disclosed if the requirements laid down in section 16(3) of the Finnish Act on the Openness of Government Activities (Laki viranomaisten toiminnan julkisuudesta 621/1999) are fulfilled.
Details about beneficial owners can be obtained online from the Virre Information Service or by ordering register extracts.
Contract customers can have data directly delivered to their application through a technical interface.
Transfer of personal data to countries outside the EU or the EEA or to international organisations
No data are transferred to countries outside the EU or the EEA or to international organisations.
Storage periods of personal data
The storage periods of the registered personal data are based on a filing plan which allows the data to be stored permanently.
Profiling and automated decision-making
The registered data are not used for profiling, and no automated decision-making is performed on the data.
Right of access to personal data
The data subject has the right to check what personal data about them have been entered into the register, or to find out that there are no such register entries. The data subject can ask the controller for access to their personal data. Read our instructions on how to request access to data.
Right to rectification of data
The data subject has the right to demand that the controller rectify without undue delay any inaccurate or incorrect personal data concerning them. Read our instructions on rectification of data.
Right to restriction of processing
The data subject has the right to demand that the controller restrict the processing of data, if the data subject contests the accuracy of the personal data. The idea is to restrict the processing while the controller verifies the accuracy of the personal data.
Right to deletion of data
The right to deletion, i.e. the ‘right to be forgotten’, does not apply to beneficial owner details because their processing is regulated by law.
Right to lodge complaint with supervisory authority
The data subject has the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority (the Data Protection Ombudsman).