Individuals resident in the European Economic Area (EEA) may carry on a legal trade in accordance with good practice as private entrepreneurs. Non-EEA residents need a permit from the National Board of Patents and Registration. With respect to the establishment of a business, citizenship is not of importance. The decisive factor is the individual's place of residence.
If a permit is required, a free-form application in Finnish or Swedish shall be filed with the National Board of Patents and Registration.
The application must contain the following information:
1. the applicant's name, citizenship and place of residence, as well as the State in which the place of residence is located
2. the permit applied for (the permit to act as a private entrepreneur)
3. the enterprise the application applies to. In addition to the business name, the business ID must be given, if the company already has one
4. the grounds on which the permit should be granted
5. the postal address and any other contact information (such as telephone number) of the applicant or his/her representative.
The application is to be signed by the applicant or a representative authorised to sign it by a power of attorney. If the application is signed by a power of attorney, the power of attorney is to be attached to the application. A certified copy of the applicant's passport is to be attached to the application.The application fee is EUR 110. The fee is payable for each permit for which a decision has been taken. The decision will be delivered to the applicant or his/her representative C.O.D. (cash on delivery).
