Setting up a business in Finland
27 October 2009by Ina Dimireva -- last modified 28 October 2009
The Finnish administrative authorities aim to help entrepreneurs starting a business in the country in all areas. Many companies located in Finland do business in other Nordic countries, as well as the Baltic countries and Russia. Finland offers an advantageous market position for some 80 million people.
Legal requirements
In some cases, there are limits on rights to doing certain types of business in Finland. Businesses affected can be found in the Companies Act. There are laws and regulations for licensed trade which stipulate which authority should be consulted when applying for a licence. In some cases a licence is not required, only written notification from the entrepreneur. The County Ministry Board awards the licences in the region where the company is set up.
As well as smooth start-up procedures, any successful new business requires a sound commercial strategy and secure financing.
Administrative procedures
New companies are registered in the Trade Register of the National Board of Patents and Registration.
National board of Patents and Registration
A business name has to be chosen before documents signalling the startup of a company have been filled in and the company has been entered into the Trade Register. This should be the company's insignia and be very different from existing company names.
A business name must not be confusable with the protected business name of another company, any secondary symbol or trademark. It should be acceptable for the general public, not be misleading and comply with principles of good practice. A business name is registered either under a Finnish or Swedish name.
Tax administration offers information on choosing the form of the company and setting up a business, how to enter the company into different registers and matters relating to taxation.
New Business website - Tax Administration [FI]
Resources
Suomi.fi is the address common to all public administrative bodies in Finland. Help is available for Finnish citizens from these websites, all organised thematically. Information about Finland has been collected on the Info Bank website, available in 15 languages.
Virtual Finland is a multilingual website where non-Finnish nationals can find information about Finland.
Finnfacts serves companies in matters relating to international communication, publishes material on industry and business life in Finland and organises visits to Finnish companies for journalists.
Personalised help and advice
EnterpriseFinland provides information for entrepreneurs on how to set up a business, on growth, international matters, taxation and developing business activities. It also offers guidance on how to transfer a business, public funding and general principles to be adhered to when acting as an employer or employee.
Employment and Economical Development centres (TE-keskukset) offer regional guidance, advice on developing businesses and financial services that are linked to questions related to employment and business. Employment and Economic Development centres give support and guidance to small and medium-sized companies in different phases of their life cycles. They also promote the technological development of businesses and help enterprises in matters related to export and international issues. They provide expertise in EU funding and give significant amounts of EU financial help.
Employment and Economical Development centres
Invest in Finland is an organisation run by the Ministry of Employment and Economy. Its aim is to help enterprises and entrepreneurs find means of establishing contacts and making contact with businesses in Finland. It provides guidance and contact information in several languages.
Finnvera is a state-owned financing company which specialises in developing the activities carried out by Finnish companies in Finland and promotes export and internationalisation using various funding mechanisms. The Finnvera financing service includes loans, guarantees and export credit guarantees. Finnvera's aim is to offer financing solutions tailored to the company's level of development. Finnvera is the official body for export guarantees in Finland.
The Confederation of Finnish Industries EK represents the entire private sector and companies of all sizes. Its objective is to ensure common standards are maintained throughout the business world. The website covers information in several EU languages as well as Chinese and Russian.
Confederation of Finnish Industries EK
The Enterprise Europe Network provides businesses with information and advice through its local partners.
Enterprise Europe Network – contact points – Finland
SOLVIT helps businesses deal with problems that arise when national authorities wrongly apply EU market rules.
SOLVIT – contact points – Finland
Source: European Commission
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