OpenAccountants/Finland/Finland Company Formation & Entity Choice

Finland Company Formation & Entity Choice

Name: OpenAccountants MCP Server
Author: OpenAccountants

Source-cited draft: company formation & entity choice for Finland (tax year 2025) — rates, thresholds and rules with primary-source citations. Unverified; pending local-accountant review.

Applicable period 2025Source-cited draft· Last updated Jun 25, 2026

Source-cited draft.Written from sources but not reviewed by a licensed practitioner, so it may be incomplete or wrong. General reference only; don't file or take a position on it without professional review.

Use Finland Company Formation & Entity Choice in your AI agent

Add OpenAccountants so your AI can retrieve this Guide during a conversation. Any output remains a draft unless a qualified professional separately reviews your specific facts.

View source on GitHub Add to your AI

Use this with your AI

Use OpenAccountants for Company Formation & Entity Choice in Finland.

Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or any AI that has OpenAccountants added. Add it to your AI first if you haven't.

Need help applying this to your situation?

Send the OA team a short request. We will check accountant availability; this Guide’s author and reviewers are not automatically assigned to your request. Scope and fees are agreed separately before professional work begins.

Request professional help →

Key figures — Finland, 2025

Every figure is drawn from this Tax Guide and cited to its source.

Private limited company (Oy)

Osakeyhtiö — separate legal person, limited liability; most common formLimited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006)

Public limited company (Oyj)

Julkinen osakeyhtiö — may offer shares publicly; minimum share capital €80,000 EURLimited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006)

Sole trader (toiminimi, tmi)

Private trader / self-employed; no separate legal personality, unlimited personal liabilityTrade Register Act (Kaupparekisterilaki)

Partnerships

General partnership (avoin yhtiö, Ay) and limited partnership (kommandiittiyhtiö, Ky)Partnerships Act (Laki avoimesta yhtiöstä ja kommandiittiyhtiöstä 389/1988)

Minimum share capital (Oy)

None (€0) — minimum abolished from 1 July 2019 (was €2,500)Limited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006), as amended 2019

Registration authority

Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) Trade Register; company exists only after registrationTrade Register Act (Kaupparekisterilaki); Limited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006) — https://www.prh.fi/en/kaupparekisteri.htmlView source ↗

Trade Register registration fee

Approx. €270–€380 (online start-up notification typically cheaper than paper)PRH fee schedule (Trade Register notifications)

Incorporation timeline

Typically about 3–4 weeks; faster via the PRH online service (approx — confirm)PRH Trade Register processing guidance

Shareholders & board

At least one shareholder; board of at least one member plus a deputy; at least one board member (and managing director, if any) must reside in the EEA unless PRH grants exemptionLimited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006)

Formation documents

Memorandum of association (perustamissopimus) and articles of association (yhtiöjärjestys) requiredLimited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006)

Bookkeeping & financial statements

Double-entry bookkeeping and annual financial statements required; financial statements filed with PRH Trade RegisterAccounting Act (Kirjanpitolaki 1336/1997)

Statutory audit exemption

Audit may be waived for small companies below 2 of 3 thresholds (e.g. balance sheet ~€100,000, turnover ~€200,000, ~3 employees)Auditing Act (Tilintarkastuslaki 1141/2015)

Annual general meeting

AGM held within 6 months of the financial year end to adopt accounts and decide on profit distributionLimited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006)

Annual corporate tax return

CIT return filed within 4 months of the month of period end; VAT and payroll returns filed periodicallyAct on Assessment Procedure (Laki verotusmenettelystä 1558/1995)

Rendered from the canonical facts model. General reference only — confirm with a qualified professional before acting.

The full Guide

Common business entity types

The private limited company (osakeyhtiö, Oy) is the most common form for business in Finland. Other forms include the public limited company, partnerships and the sole trader.

Private limited company (Oy) — Osakeyhtiö — separate legal person, limited liability; most common form (Osakeyhtiö) (Limited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006))
Public limited company (Oyj) — Julkinen osakeyhtiö — may offer shares publicly; minimum share capital €80,000 EUR (Julkinen osakeyhtiö) (Limited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006))
Sole trader (toiminimi, tmi) — Private trader / self-employed; no separate legal personality, unlimited personal liability (Trade Register Act (Kaupparekisterilaki))
Partnerships — General partnership (avoin yhtiö, Ay) and limited partnership (kommandiittiyhtiö, Ky) (Partnerships Act (Laki avoimesta yhtiöstä ja kommandiittiyhtiöstä 389/1988))

Incorporating an Oy — capital, steps, cost

Since July 2019 a private Oy has no minimum share capital. Incorporation is done by registering with the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) Trade Register, with company existence dating from registration.

Minimum share capital (Oy) — None (€0) — minimum abolished from 1 July 2019 (was €2,500) EUR (Limited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006), as amended 2019)
Registration authority — Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) Trade Register; company exists only after registration (Trade Register Act (Kaupparekisterilaki); Limited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006) — https://www.prh.fi/en/kaupparekisteri.html)
Trade Register registration fee — Approx. €270–€380 (online start-up notification typically cheaper than paper) EUR (approx — confirm current PRH fee) (PRH fee schedule (Trade Register notifications))
Incorporation timeline — Typically about 3–4 weeks; faster via the PRH online service (approx — confirm) (PRH Trade Register processing guidance)
Shareholders & board — At least one shareholder; board of at least one member plus a deputy; at least one board member (and managing director, if any) must reside in the EEA unless PRH grants exemption (Limited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006))
Formation documents — Memorandum of association (perustamissopimus) and articles of association (yhtiöjärjestys) required (Limited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006))

Core annual compliance

Finnish companies must keep statutory accounts, file financial statements, hold a general meeting, and meet tax-filing obligations. Audit requirements depend on size thresholds.

Bookkeeping & financial statements — Double-entry bookkeeping and annual financial statements required; financial statements filed with PRH Trade Register (Accounting Act (Kirjanpitolaki 1336/1997))
Statutory audit exemption — Audit may be waived for small companies below 2 of 3 thresholds (e.g. balance sheet ~€100,000, turnover ~€200,000, ~3 employees) (approx — confirm current thresholds) (Auditing Act (Tilintarkastuslaki 1141/2015))
Annual general meeting — AGM held within 6 months of the financial year end to adopt accounts and decide on profit distribution (Limited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006))
Annual corporate tax return — CIT return filed within 4 months of the month of period end; VAT and payroll returns filed periodically (Act on Assessment Procedure (Laki verotusmenettelystä 1558/1995))

Pasting this into your AI section by section is slow and easy to get wrong. Add to your AI and it loads the whole Guide automatically — with dependency resolution and conservative defaults, every figure cited to its source.

All Finland Guides

More Finland Tax Guides

Other Finland computations in the OpenAccountants Tax Library.

Finland Corporate Income Tax fi-income-tax fi-prepayments finland-vat-return Finland Tax Overview fi-yel-social

See all Finland Guides →

Common business entity types

The private limited company (osakeyhtiö, Oy) is the most common form for business in Finland. Other forms include the public limited company, partnerships and the sole trader.

Private limited company (Oy) — Osakeyhtiö — separate legal person, limited liability; most common form (Osakeyhtiö) (Limited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006))

Public limited company (Oyj) — Julkinen osakeyhtiö — may offer shares publicly; minimum share capital €80,000 EUR (Julkinen osakeyhtiö) (Limited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006))

Sole trader (toiminimi, tmi) — Private trader / self-employed; no separate legal personality, unlimited personal liability (Trade Register Act (Kaupparekisterilaki))

Partnerships — General partnership (avoin yhtiö, Ay) and limited partnership (kommandiittiyhtiö, Ky) (Partnerships Act (Laki avoimesta yhtiöstä ja kommandiittiyhtiöstä 389/1988))

Incorporating an Oy — capital, steps, cost

Minimum share capital (Oy) — None (€0) — minimum abolished from 1 July 2019 (was €2,500) EUR (Limited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006), as amended 2019)

Registration authority — Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) Trade Register; company exists only after registration (Trade Register Act (Kaupparekisterilaki); Limited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006) — https://www.prh.fi/en/kaupparekisteri.html)

Trade Register registration fee — Approx. €270–€380 (online start-up notification typically cheaper than paper) EUR (approx — confirm current PRH fee) (PRH fee schedule (Trade Register notifications))

Incorporation timeline — Typically about 3–4 weeks; faster via the PRH online service (approx — confirm) (PRH Trade Register processing guidance)

Shareholders & board — At least one shareholder; board of at least one member plus a deputy; at least one board member (and managing director, if any) must reside in the EEA unless PRH grants exemption (Limited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006))

Formation documents — Memorandum of association (perustamissopimus) and articles of association (yhtiöjärjestys) required (Limited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006))

Core annual compliance

Finnish companies must keep statutory accounts, file financial statements, hold a general meeting, and meet tax-filing obligations. Audit requirements depend on size thresholds.

Bookkeeping & financial statements — Double-entry bookkeeping and annual financial statements required; financial statements filed with PRH Trade Register (Accounting Act (Kirjanpitolaki 1336/1997))

Statutory audit exemption — Audit may be waived for small companies below 2 of 3 thresholds (e.g. balance sheet ~€100,000, turnover ~€200,000, ~3 employees) (approx — confirm current thresholds) (Auditing Act (Tilintarkastuslaki 1141/2015))

Annual general meeting — AGM held within 6 months of the financial year end to adopt accounts and decide on profit distribution (Limited Liability Companies Act (Osakeyhtiölaki 624/2006))

Annual corporate tax return — CIT return filed within 4 months of the month of period end; VAT and payroll returns filed periodically (Act on Assessment Procedure (Laki verotusmenettelystä 1558/1995))