Entity Formation in Finland

Ready for a permanent Finnish presence? We help you incorporate the right way, and stay alongside you for the accounting, payroll, and compliance that follow. Independent advice, including telling you when it is too early.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners
  • Honest timing

What incorporating in Finland means

An Oy (osakeyhtio, private limited company) is the standard vehicle for a permanent business presence, with zero minimum share capital and no notarial deed required: registration is by electronic filing with the PRH (Finnish Patent and Registration Office). Larger, listed operations use an Oyj (public limited company) instead. When you form one, you become the legal employer and operator in Finland, with full control and no per-employee EOR fees, in exchange for the registration requirements and the ongoing obligations.

01

Your own company

Your own Oy makes you the legal employer and operator in Finland, with full control of employment terms and a local brand presence.

02

Lower cost at scale

No per-employee EOR fees. For permanent, proven headcount, owning the entity is more cost-effective than ongoing EOR arrangements.

03

A structural requirement to plan for

At least one ordinary board member (and a deputy, if the board has fewer than 3 members) must be EEA-resident, or hold an individual permit from the PRH. Registration itself can clear in days once filed, but you cannot employ anyone until Trade Register entry completes, and getting the board structure right matters, which is why many companies bridge with an EOR first.

How incorporating in Finland works, step by step

From structuring the company to operating it compliantly.

01 — Structure & prepare

We confirm incorporation is right for you, then prepare the memorandum and articles of association, run the company-name availability check, and arrange your registered Finnish office address and board structure.

02 — Capital & notarisation

There is no notary and no minimum share capital to deposit: Finland abolished the old EUR 2,500 floor in 2019, so an Oy can be formed with EUR 0 in share capital. The board needs at least one EEA-resident member (or deputy), or an individual PRH permit for any member who is not.

03 — Register the company

The company is filed electronically with the PRH via the joint YTJ online service (paper filing is no longer available since 1 January 2026), entered in the Trade Register, then registered for corporate tax with Vero and for VAT if required, so you can operate and employ compliantly.

04 — Operate & stay compliant

Business bank account, then ongoing accounting, payroll, filings, and annual reporting, all of which we can run for you.

What incorporating in Finland costs

Two kinds of cost: the one-off formation, and the ongoing operating obligations. Finland’s formation cost is genuinely low, zero share capital and a modest registration fee; the real commitment is the ongoing compliance. We give you a clear figure before you commit.

Share capital & formation

Minimum share capital for an Oy is genuinely zero: no deposit is required before you incorporate. The PRH registration fee is EUR 300 for the guided online set-up package, or EUR 400 for a standalone start-up notification, with no notary fees since Finland does not require a notarial deed.

Corporate tax

20% flat rate, unchanged since 2014. A cut to 18% has been proposed for 2027 but is not yet enacted; we track it and confirm the position that applies when you incorporate.

VAT

Standard VAT is 25.5%, with a 13.5% reduced rate (cut from 14% on 1 January 2026) and a further 10% rate for newspapers and magazines. Registration is mandatory once turnover passes EUR 20,000 in a 12-month period.

Ongoing obligations

Accounting, monthly payroll (income tax, TyEL pension, and health and unemployment insurance), VAT and corporate tax filings, and annual financial statements filed with the Trade Register every year regardless of audit status, all of which we can manage for you.

Why form your Finnish company through Bradford Jacobs

Why companies incorporate in Finland through us rather than a one-off formation agent.

We advise you on the best time to incorporate

We are independent: we assess what you actually need, place you with the right vetted partner, secure pricing you will not get going direct, and stay on your side to escalate or renegotiate. You get advice, not a product pitch.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners only
  • On your side at renewal

End-to-end, not just the paperwork

We do not disappear after registration. We stay on for the accounting, payroll, and compliance, so your company runs, not just exists.

  • Beyond registration
  • Ongoing compliance
  • One team throughout

The right specialists, in place

Tax, accounting, and board-structure partners we have vetted and worked with, coordinated for you, so the process moves and nothing gets missed.

  • Vetted specialists
  • Coordinated for you
  • Nothing gets missed

Two decades of formations

Two decades forming and running entities across global markets, with the local knowledge to keep you compliant and out of the common traps.

  • Incorporations
  • Legal & tax partners
  • Traps avoided

We run it after you form it

Incorporation is the start, not the finish. We stay on for accounting, payroll, tax filings, and annual accounts, so your company operates from day one without you building a local finance function.

  • Full back office
  • Accounting & payroll
  • Annual accounts

The incorporation trap nobody flags

A growing business hits a good quarter and someone says, let us just set up a proper Finnish company. It sounds responsible. It usually is not, yet. Here is what people expect against what happens in practice.

Employment & payroll obligations

Expectation: it takes a few weeks and is just admin. Reality: electronic PRH registration itself can clear in days, but a registered Finnish office, the right board composition (an EEA-resident member or an individual PRH permit), and registration with Vero and a pension insurance company all apply, and you cannot legally employ anyone until those registrations are live.

Tax, filing & reporting obligations

Expectation: we can always reverse it. Reality: dissolving a company needs a shareholder resolution, creditor notification, and a winding-up period. And once it exists, the obligations do not stop: annual financial statements, monthly payroll filings, corporate tax and VAT returns, and a statutory audit unless the company stays under two of three size thresholds (balance sheet EUR 100,000, turnover EUR 200,000, average staff of 3). None of this is a reason not to incorporate. It is a reason to do it at the right time, with the right partners already in place.

What we handle for your company

Beyond incorporation, we can run the full back office for your company.

Compliant payroll

Compliant Finnish payroll and employment administration, issued and maintained for you.

Payroll & filings

Monthly payroll run, with income tax, TyEL pension, and health and unemployment insurance calculated, withheld, and filed each month.

Statutory benefits

All statutory benefits administered: annual leave, sick pay, family leave, mandatory occupational healthcare, and lawful notice.

Compliance & support

Ongoing HR compliance and a single point of contact, for the life of the engagement.

Your questions answered

Straight answers on incorporating and running a company in Finland.

How long does it take to incorporate in Finland?

PRH’s own target is 21 calendar days from a complete submission, though electronic YTJ filings often clear in 1 to 3 business days once documents, the board structure, and the registered address are in place. You cannot legally employ anyone until Trade Register entry completes, which is why timing matters and why many companies bridge with an EOR first.

None. Finland abolished the old EUR 2,500 minimum in 2019, so an Oy can be formed with EUR 0 in share capital. The PRH registration fee is EUR 300 to EUR 400 depending on the filing route. The real cost is the ongoing accounting and compliance, which we can run for you.

For shareholders, yes, with no residency or citizenship requirement at all. The board is different: at least one ordinary board member (and a deputy, if the board has fewer than 3 members) must be EEA-resident, unless the non-resident members hold an individual permit from the PRH. You will need a registered Finnish office and the right board composition, which we arrange.

Incorporate when you have permanent, proven headcount and want full control, and the per-head savings justify the ongoing costs. Use EOR while you are still validating the market, need people working quickly, or do not yet have an EEA-resident board member in place. Most companies start with EOR and incorporate later. We advise on the crossover.

Accounting, monthly payroll (income tax, TyEL pension, and health and unemployment insurance), corporate tax and VAT filings, and annual financial statements filed with the Trade Register every year (plus a statutory audit unless the company stays under two of three size thresholds: balance sheet EUR 100,000, turnover EUR 200,000, average staff of 3). We can run all of it so the entity stays compliant without you building a local finance function.

Yes, and it is how most companies use us. Beyond incorporation we provide ongoing accounting, payroll, and compliance, so your Finnish company operates smoothly from day one without hiring locally for back office.

Ready to form your company in Finland?

Tell us your plans for Finland and we will tell you honestly whether now is the time to incorporate, then handle it end to end if it is, usually scoped within a day. No formation-mill upsell, just the right call.

Tax, company, and labour data verified July 2026 (Vero, PRH, ETK). Figures change; we confirm the current position when we scope your formation.