Register a company in Finland

Yes. With an apostilled power of attorney, the PRH filing, tax registrations and registered address can all be handled remotely. Banks set their own requirements: Nordea and OP may request one meeting, while fintechs often onboard by video.

Turnkey registration starts from €2,400, including PRH fees and the first year of the registered address. Packages with a bank or fintech account start from €4,200. Renewal with accounting starts from €1,800 per year.

Corporate tax is a flat 20%, with no local surcharges. Dividends to qualifying EU parent companies may be paid at 0%, while distributions to individual owners follow the separate entrepreneur regime. VAT is 25.5% on domestic sales, while exports and qualifying intra-EU supplies can be zero-rated.

For an unlisted Oy, dividends within an annual return of roughly 8% of company net assets can receive lighter tax treatment. The stronger the balance sheet and the higher the net assets, the more room there may be for such distributions; above the relevant limits, normal rates apply. The regime therefore favours capitalisation rather than rapid extraction.

At least half of the Oy’s board members must reside in the European Economic Area. Founders outside the EEA can address this through an EEA-resident co-director, board-support service or a PRH exemption in qualifying cases. The appropriate route should be chosen before filing.

Yes. The statutory minimum was abolished in 2019, and a zero-capital Oy is legally treated like any other company. In practice, banks still assess the balance sheet, while the dividend regime rewards net assets, so many founders capitalise the company at incorporation or shortly afterwards. The funds are not locked.

It is one of the highest standard VAT rates in the EU and matters most for businesses selling directly to Finnish consumers. For B2B, exports and qualifying intra-EU activities, VAT is largely passed through or zero-rated, so the impact depends on the business model.

Nordea, OP and Danske conduct detailed KYC on foreign-owned companies, including ownership structure, substance and expected transaction flows. A clean file can provide access to strong euro banking, while fintechs can often handle the initial operating layer more quickly.

Estonia stands out for 0% corporate tax until distribution and remote-first administration, making it attractive for reinvesting startups. Sweden offers the largest Nordic domestic market at 20.6% corporate tax but operates in krona. Finland combines a 20% corporate rate, the euro, the owner-dividend regime and a strong Nordic profile.

Plan on one to three weeks: several days for documents and the board solution, one to two weeks for PRH registration, followed by tax-register activation. Banking normally adds another one to two weeks. Finland is not always the fastest jurisdiction, but the process is designed around a durable operating structure.