Table of Contents
Data Sources
Finland uses two official data sources. Company profile data and legal representatives are AI-parsed from the official Trade Register Extract (kaupparekisteriote) PDF document, while activity codes are fetched from the YTJ open data API.- PRH VIRRE (Trade Register) — The Finnish Trade Register, maintained by PRH since 1896, is the primary source for Finnish entity data. PRH operates the VIRRE information service for fetching Trade Register Extracts and Articles of Association, and for searching companies by name. The Trade Register Extract PDF is AI-parsed to produce structured company data including company name, legal form, status, registered address, share capital, activity description, and legal representatives.
- PRH ESR (Beneficial Owner Register) — PRH’s separate Beneficial Owner Register (ESRServices10) provides Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO) data. Companies are required to register their beneficial owners with PRH. The ESR API returns structured ownership and voting rights data for natural persons who hold significant control over a company.
- YTJ (Yritys- ja yhteisötietojärjestelmä / Finnish Business Information System) — The YTJ open data API provides structured company data including official TOL (Toimialaluokitus) activity classification codes assigned by Statistics Finland. It is used to search by id and for fetching TOL codes, from which NACE and ISIC codes are derived deterministically.
Finland’s data extraction is document-based: the system fetches the
official Trade Register Extract PDF from PRH’s VIRRE service and uses AI to
parse structured company data from it. This means company profile and legal
representatives are extracted from the same authoritative document. Legal
form, status, activity descriptions, and role classifications are all
AI-parsed from the extract. Activity codes (TOL) are sourced separately from
the YTJ API and mapped deterministically to NACE and ISIC. UBO data comes
from the separate PRH ESR register.
Company Identifiers
Query Identifiers
| Company Type | Source | Format | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All companies | PRH Trade Register | 7 digits + hyphen + check digit | 1234567-8 | Business ID (Y-tunnus), validated with check digit algorithm |
Identifiers in API Response
Once you retrieve company data, theidentifiers object contains all available identifiers for that entity:
| Identifier Type | Format | Example | Found In |
|---|---|---|---|
businessId | 7 digits + hyphen + check digit | 1234567-8 | All companies |
VAT | FI + 8 digits (no hyphen) | FI12345678 | VAT-registered companies |
Search Capabilities
| Search Type | Pattern | Example | Match Type | Expected Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| By Business ID (Y-tunnus) | 7 digits + hyphen + check digit | 1505551-4 | Exact | Single company (1 result) |
| By Name | Text string (3-100 chars) | "Alko" | Fuzzy | Multiple results |
ID search implementation: Searching by Business ID uses the YTJ open data
API for fast, direct lookups. Name searches use the PRH VIRRE API for curated
results.
Quirks & Gotchas
| Quirk | Details |
|---|---|
| AI-parsed data | All company data (profile, status, legal form, legal representatives, activity description) is AI-extracted from the Trade Register Extract PDF. Field availability depends on what is present in the document. |
| No shareholders | PRH does not provide shareholder information through the Trade Register. Share ownership is privately held by each company. Only total share capital and share classes are registered with PRH. |
| UBO availability varies by entity type | UBO data comes from PRH’s ESR register, which is separate from the Trade Register. Only entities required to register beneficial owners will have data. Public limited companies (Oyj), state-owned companies, associations (ry), and foundations (sr) typically declare no beneficial owners or are not in the ESR registry. Sole entrepreneurs (Tmi) are not required to register UBOs. Private limited companies (Oy) are the most likely to have UBO data. |
| No employee count | PRH does not provide employee count data. |
| Processing time | Company profile and legal representatives are extracted asynchronously from the Trade Register Extract. Typical processing time is 1-3 minutes, longer for companies with extensive management structures. |
| Trade Register Extract is dual-purpose | The Trade Register Extract is both the source of structured data (AI-parsed) and a downloadable document. Company profile and legal representatives come from the same document. |
| Bilingual data | Finland is bilingual (Finnish and Swedish). Company names, activity descriptions, and legal forms may appear in either language in the Trade Register Extract. Commercial names may include Finnish, Swedish, and English variants. |
| Articles of Association availability | Articles of Association are always listed as available but actual content depends on the company having filed them with PRH. |
| Legal form AI-enriched | Legal form standardization, English translation, and ISO 20275 assignment are AI-enriched. The local Finnish legal form name is always preserved from the Trade Register Extract. |
| Activity codes deterministic | TOL codes are fetched from the YTJ API. NACE and ISIC codes are derived deterministically (TOL first 4 digits = NACE, then formal ISIC mapping). All activity codes have isAIInferred: false. Falls back to AI inference if the YTJ API does not return a TOL code. |
| VAT number format | The VAT number in the identifiers uses the format without country prefix (e.g., 15055514), while the taxId object includes verification against VIES. |
| Incorporation date | Some companies return both registrationDate (Trade Register entry) and incorporationDate (company formation date), which may differ. |
Mappings
Company Status
Company status is AI-parsed from the Trade Register Extract document. The AI extracts the current registration status and maps it to standardized status values.| Local Status | English Translation | Standardized Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rekisterissa | Registered | Active | Company is currently registered and operating |
| Active | Active | Active | Alternative status text in English-language extracts |
| Lakkautettu | Dissolved | Closed | Company has been dissolved |
| Selvitystilassa | In Liquidation | Under Insolvency Proceeding | Liquidation proceedings in progress |
| Konkurssissa | In Bankruptcy | Under Insolvency Proceeding | Bankruptcy proceedings in progress |
| Rekisterista poistettu | Removed from Register | Closed | Company has been removed from the Trade Register |
Because status extraction is AI-parsed from the Trade Register Extract
document, the exact local status text may vary. The AI maps Finnish or Swedish
status descriptions to standardized values. The
active boolean is derived
from the statusDetails.status field.Legal Forms
Finland uses a variety of legal forms defined in the Trade Register. Legal form mapping is AI-enriched — the AI parser reads the legal form from the Trade Register Extract and maps it to standardized categories and ISO 20275 codes.Key Business Forms
| Finnish Name | Abbreviation | English Translation | Standardized | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osakeyhtiö | Oy | Limited Company | Limited Liability Company | Most common Finnish company type |
| Julkinen osakeyhtiö | Oyj | Public Limited Company | Corporation | Listed or public company |
Partnerships
| Finnish Name | Abbreviation | English Translation | Standardized | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avoin yhtiö | Ay | General Partnership | Partnership | All partners jointly liable |
| Kommandiittiyhtiö | Ky | Limited Partnership | Partnership | At least one general and one limited partner |
Sole Proprietorships
| Finnish Name | Abbreviation | English Translation | Standardized | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yksityinen elinkeinonharjoittaja | Tmi | Sole Trader | Sole Proprietorship | Individual business operator |
Cooperatives
| Finnish Name | Abbreviation | English Translation | Standardized | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osuuskunta | Osk | Cooperative | Cooperative | Member-owned cooperative |
Non-Profits & Foundations
| Finnish Name | English Translation | Standardized | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yhdistys | Association | Nonprofit Organization | Registered association |
| Säätiö | Foundation | Nonprofit Organization | Registered foundation |
Branch Offices & European Forms
| Finnish Name | English Translation | Standardized | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sivuliike | Branch | Branch or Representative Office | Branch of a foreign company |
| Eurooppayhtiö (SE) | European Company (SE) | Corporation | Societas Europaea |
| Eurooppaosuuskunta (SCE) | European Cooperative (SCE) | Cooperative | Societas Cooperativa Europaea |
Because legal form standardization and ISO 20275 assignment are AI-enriched,
exact mappings may evolve. The local Finnish legal form name is always
preserved verbatim from the Trade Register Extract.
Legal Representatives
Legal representatives are AI-parsed from the Trade Register Extract document. The AI extracts persons from sections such as “Hallitus” (Board), “Toimitusjohtaja” (CEO), and “Edustaminen” (Representation rules), and classifies them as legal representatives or other key persons.Board & Executive Roles
Board & Executive Roles
| Finnish Role | English Translation | Standardized Role | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hallituksen puheenjohtaja / Puheenjohtaja | Chairman of the Board | Chairman of the Board | Legal Representative |
| Jäsen (under Hallitus) | Board Member | Board Member | Legal Representative |
| Toimitusjohtaja | Chief Executive Officer | Chief Executive Officer | Legal Representative |
| Varatoimitusjohtaja / Toimitusjohtajan sijainen | Deputy CEO | Deputy CEO | Legal Representative |
Signatory & Procuration Roles
Signatory & Procuration Roles
| Finnish Role | English Translation | Standardized Role | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nimenkirjoittaja / Nimenkirjoitusoikeus | Authorized Signatory | Authorized Signatory | Legal Representative |
| Prokuristi / Prokura | Procuration Holder | Authorized Signatory | Legal Representative |
Roles Excluded from Legal Representatives
Roles Excluded from Legal Representatives
| Finnish Role | English Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tilintarkastaja | Auditor | Excluded from legal representative extraction |
| Varajäsen | Deputy Board Member | Excluded unless representation text explicitly grants rights |
The classification of each role as legal representative vs. other key
person is AI-enriched and depends on the representation rules described in
the “Edustaminen” section of the Trade Register Extract. Board members are
included as legal representatives when the extract states that the board
represents the company by law (e.g., “Lain nojalla yhtiötä edustaa hallitus”).
Signatory rights (alone or jointly) are noted but do not affect extraction —
all named signatories are included.
Enrichment from Trade Register Extract
The AI parser also extracts:- Start dates: From person-level “Rekisteröity DD.MM.YYYY” dates or section-level registration dates
- Nationality: From “Voimassa olevat henkilötiedot” section (e.g., “Suomen kansalainen” = FI)
- Residence: City and country from personal details section
Other Key Persons
Auditors (“Tilintarkastajat”) and deputy board members (“Varajäsen”) are excluded from the legal representative extraction. These roles are present in the Trade Register Extract but are not currently extracted as structured data.Shareholders
The Finnish Trade Register (PRH) does not provide structured shareholder data. Individual shareholder information is not available through the PRH VIRRE API or the Trade Register Extract. Shareholder details may appear within the Articles of Association document if the company’s bylaws reference specific shareholders or share classes, but this is not extracted as structured data.Finland’s Trade Register does not maintain a shareholder register. Share
ownership information is held privately by each company. Only the total share
capital and share classes are registered with PRH.
Activity Code Mapping
The official TOL (Toimialaluokitus) code is fetched from the YTJ open data API. NACE and ISIC codes are then derived deterministically — no AI inference is involved when TOL is available.| Classification | Source | Example | AI Inferred? |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOL | YTJ API (official, assigned by Statistics Finland) | 47250 | No |
| NACE | Derived from TOL (first 4 digits → XX.YY) | 47.25 | No |
| ISIC | Derived from NACE (formal UN mapping) | 4722 | No |
Deterministic mapping: When the YTJ API returns a TOL code, all activity
codes (TOL, NACE, ISIC) have
isAIInferred: false. If the YTJ API does not
return a TOL code for a given company, the system falls back to AI inference
from the Finnish activity description text (in which case isAIInferred will
be true).Supported Entity Families
| Entity Family | Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Companies | ✅ | Oy, Oyj, Ay, Ky, Osk, SE, SCE — all commercial entity forms |
| Sole traders / entrepreneurs | ✅ | Tmi (Yksityinen elinkeinonharjoittaja) |
| Associations / organisations | ✅ | Yhdistys (associations), Säätiö (foundations) |
| Closed / dissolved entities | ✅ | Lakkautettu (dissolved), Rekisterista poistettu (removed from register) |
Data Availability
Data Availability Matrix
| Data Type | All Company Types | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Company Profile | ✅ Async | AI-parsed from Trade Register Extract (1-3 min) |
| Onboarding Profile | ✅ Async | Company profile + legal representatives in a single request |
| Legal Representatives | ✅ Async | AI-parsed from Trade Register Extract (1-3 min) |
| Shareholders | ❌ | Not available from PRH |
| Ultimate Beneficial Owners | ⚠️ | From PRH ESR register. Available for private limited companies (Oy). Not available for Oyj, state-owned, associations, foundations, or sole entrepreneurs. |
| Establishments | ❌ | Not available from PRH |
| Activity Codes | ✅ | TOL from YTJ, NACE + ISIC derived deterministically |
| Employee Count | ❌ | Not available from PRH |
| Phone / Website | ❌ | Not available from PRH |
| Commercial Names | ✅ | Finnish, Swedish, and English name variants from PRH |
| Share Capital | ✅ | Amount and currency from Trade Register Extract |
| VAT Verification | ✅ | Verified against EU VIES system |
Why UBOs are not always available: Finnish law requires a natural person
to hold >25% of shares or voting rights (or exercise other significant
control) to be registered as a UBO. Public companies (Oyj) have dispersed
ownership below this threshold. State-owned companies have no natural person
owner. Associations, foundations, and cooperatives have no “owners” in the
legal sense. Sole entrepreneurs (Tmi) are not separate legal entities from
their owner, so UBO registration does not apply.
Documents by Company Type
All Finnish company types have the same documents available:| Document Type | API Category | Format | SKU | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade Register Extract | tradeRegisterExtract | fin-register-extract | Paid | Official kaupparekisteriote from PRH. Also used as source for AI-parsed company data. | |
| Articles of Association | articlesOfAssociation | fin-article-of-association | Paid | Company bylaws (yhtiöjärjestys), share classes, governance rules. |
Both documents are always listed as available for any Finnish company.
However, actual content depends on PRH having the document on file.
Example API Responses
All examples use placeholder data. Query:POST /company with { "id": "<id>", "countryCode": "FI", "dataPoints": ["companyProfile"] }
Active Oy (Limited Company)
Active Oy (Limited Company)
Public Limited Company (Oyj)
Public Limited Company (Oyj)
incorporationDate may differ from registrationDate for older companies.Company with Procurists (Authorized Signatories)
Company with Procurists (Authorized Signatories)
UBO Response (dedicated datapoint)
UBO Response (dedicated datapoint)
Query with Note: UBO data comes from PRH’s ESR register (separate from Trade Register). Control types include
"dataPoints": ["ultimateBeneficialOwners"] for Holvi Payment Services Oy (2193756-4):ownership-of-shares (from ownershipExtent), voting-rights (from voteExtent), and significant-influence-or-control (from otherBeneficialOwnership). The residenceAddress.city is resolved from the Finnish municipality code (kuntanumero). Companies that declare no beneficial owners return an empty array. Public companies (Oyj), state-owned entities, associations, and foundations typically have no UBO data.Available Documents
Available Documents
Query with Note: Both documents are always listed as available for any Finnish company. The Trade Register Extract is the source document for AI-parsed company data.
"dataPoints": ["availableDocuments"]: