Private investigator licensing in Finland
Yes. Private investigators need a licence in Finland.
Finland has no separate private investigator licence, but uncovering crime aimed at a client or its property counts as guarding work under the Private Security Services Act (1085/2015). Firms doing that work need a security business licence from the National Police Board, and the people doing it need police approval as guards. Surveillance and information-gathering that does not involve uncovering crime, such as watching someone in public or gathering evidence for civil cases, needs no licence.
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Yes
Bond required
How to get licensed
- 1
Register the business in the Finnish Trade Register and get a business ID
- 2
Appoint a responsible manager who holds the security supervisor qualification
- 3
Apply to the National Police Board for a security business licence and, at the same time, for approval of the responsible manager
- 4
Have everyone doing crime-detection work complete the 120-lesson guard basic training
- 5
Apply in person at a police station for guard approval and the guard card
- 6
File the annual report and pay the supervision fee each year
Licensed somewhere else?
See whether you can take a case in Finland.
How to qualify
- Who holds the licence
- Individuals and agencies
- Training
- Guards: 120-lesson guard basic training (vartijan peruskoulutus, Decree 878/2016). The firm's responsible manager needs the security supervisor specialist qualification (turvallisuusvalvojan erikoisammattitutkinto)
- Bond or insurance
- No insurance or bond in the Act; the licence holder must have the financial means to run the business (s.71)
- Citizenship
- No citizenship requirement in the Act
- Fees
- 2026: security business licence €520; responsible manager approval €230; annual supervision fee €185; guard approval €82 (Interior Ministry Decree 1335/2025 as amended by 96/2026).Fees change often: check the regulator's current schedule before you pay.
- Processing time
- About 2 weeks for security-sector approvals when the application is complete (police stated time)
- Renewal
- Business licence valid indefinitely, with an annual report and supervision fee; guard approval valid for up to five years and ends at age 68.
- Firearms
- Guards may carry firearms only in bodyguard, cash-in-transit or certain high-importance guarding work, after yearly proficiency tests (s.19); crime-detection work is not among those tasks.
- Reciprocity
- Foreign certificates can satisfy licence and approval conditions (s.107, Act on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications 1384/2015)
Rules in the field
Recording conversations
One-party consent
You can generally record a conversation you are part of without telling the others.
GPS trackers
No tracker-specific statute. Repeatedly following or monitoring someone in a way that causes fear is stalking (Criminal Code 25:7a), and location data is personal data under the GDPR.
Sources
- 1 finlex.fi
- 2 opendata.finlex.fi
- 3 finlex.fi
- 4 opendata.finlex.fi
- 5 opendata.finlex.fi
- 6 opendata.finlex.fi
- 7 opendata.finlex.fi
- 8 suomi.fi
- 9 poliisi.fi
- 10 poliisi.fi
- 11 eduskunta.fi
Reference information, not legal advice. Confirm with the regulator before taking on work. Out of date? Tell us.
Questions about PI licensing in Finland
Do you need a licence to be a private investigator in Finland?+
Yes. Private investigators need a licence in Finland. Finland has no separate private investigator licence, but uncovering crime aimed at a client or its property counts as guarding work under the Private Security Services Act (1085/2015). Firms doing that work need a security business licence from the National Police Board, and the people doing it need police approval as guards. Surveillance and information-gathering that does not involve uncovering crime, such as watching someone in public or gathering evidence for civil cases, needs no licence.
Who licenses private investigators in Finland?+
Poliisihallitus – Turvallisuusalan valvonta (National Police Board, Security Sector Supervision), under Laki yksityisistä turvallisuuspalveluista 1085/2015 (Private Security Services Act).
How old do you have to be to become a private investigator in Finland?+
At least 18.
Is there an exam for a private investigator licence in Finland?+
Yes, applicants must pass an exam.
Do private investigators in Finland need a bond or insurance?+
No insurance or bond in the Act; the licence holder must have the financial means to run the business (s.71)
How often does a Finland PI licence need renewing?+
Business licence valid indefinitely, with an annual report and supervision fee; guard approval valid for up to five years and ends at age 68.
How much does a private investigator licence cost in Finland?+
2026: security business licence €520; responsible manager approval €230; annual supervision fee €185; guard approval €82 (Interior Ministry Decree 1335/2025 as amended by 96/2026).
How long does it take to get a PI licence in Finland?+
About 2 weeks for security-sector approvals when the application is complete (police stated time)
How do you get a private investigator licence in Finland?+
1. Register the business in the Finnish Trade Register and get a business ID 2. Appoint a responsible manager who holds the security supervisor qualification 3. Apply to the National Police Board for a security business licence and, at the same time, for approval of the responsible manager 4. Have everyone doing crime-detection work complete the 120-lesson guard basic training 5. Apply in person at a police station for guard approval and the guard card 6. File the annual report and pay the supervision fee each year
Can an investigator licensed elsewhere work a case in Finland?+
No short-term exemption: crime-detection work in Finland needs a Finnish security business licence, which requires a Trade Register entry, though foreign qualifications can be recognised (s.107).
Does Finland accept PI licences from elsewhere?+
Foreign certificates can satisfy licence and approval conditions (s.107, Act on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications 1384/2015)
Can a private investigator record phone calls in Finland?+
Finland is a one-party consent country: you can generally record a conversation you are part of without telling the others.
Associations for investigators in Finland
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