Certification of official competence

A Notary Public certifies the official competence (authority) of a signatory if the right of the person concerned to act, for example, on behalf of a company or a public authority has to be certified.

When you need to have the competence of the signatory of a document certified, you have to deliver the signed document to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

The right of the signatory of the document to act on behalf of a public authority or a private organisation or the authority of a self-employed person will be examined.

The notary public will check the situation from different registers or directly from the organisation that issued the document. A note confirming the competence will be recorded on the document and the notary public will sign the document.

Public notary services are in high demand at the moment, so make sure you book your appointment early. Without an appointment, you may very likely have to queue for a long time and you may still not be able to manage your affairs during the same day.

Do the following

  1. Deliver the document signed by a public authority or a private organisation to one of the offices of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency

    You do not need to visit the agency in person, but you can also send the document to the agency by post. 

    Service location addresses

    If you deliver the document personally, book an appointment with a Notary Public through the appointment service

    Appointment services

  2. The right of the signatory of the document to act on behalf of a public authority or a private organisation or the authority of a self-employed person will be examined

    The Notary Public will check the situation from different registers or directly from the organisation that issued the document.

  3. A note confirming the competence will be recorded on the document and the Notary Public will sign the document.

Price

The certification of competence costs EUR 27 per signature.

Processing time

If the Notary Public is available, you will get the certificate of competence while you wait.

Links to laws related to the matter

Act on Notaries Public (in Finnish)

Frequently asked questions

Notary Public

Book an appointment

Book an appointment to notary public

Email

Please use secure email if your message contains personal or otherwise confidential information. Please choose [email protected] as the recipient.

Send secure email

Telephone

Telephone service number is 0295 535 690

Service hours Mon–Fri 9–15.

If you need a public purchase witness, you can search for one on the website of the National Land Survey of Finland. 

Service locations

Addresses of the service locations

Population of Finland 5 666 778