- Marriage
- Examination of impediments to marriage
- Marriage ceremony
- Prenuptial agreement
- Notification of a marriage concluded abroad
- Divorce granted abroad
- Registration of the act applicable to the matrimonial property regime
- Registration of a deed of division of property
- Dissolution of cohabitation
- Removal of marital rights to property
- Extracts issued of the register on the right to officiate at weddings
- Having or adopting a child
- Names
- Moving
- Elections and Right to vote
- Suomi.fi Web Service
- Citizen Certificate and electronic identity
- Guardianship
- Continuing power of attorney
- Appointment of a guardian
- Duties of the guardian
- Guardianship for a minor
- Who can act as a guardian?
- Actions that require the permission of the guardianship authority
- Permit to buy or sell a dwelling
- Permit for purchase or sale of real estate
- Permit for the partition or separation of property and the division of inheritance
- Renunciation of inheritance, for the surrender of one’s share of an inheritance or an agreement on the joint administration of an estate
- Engaging in trade or the establishment of a company
- Property management plan
- Pledging of property and for borrowing and lending
- Leasing or investing a client’s property
- Limited account or the management of the earnings
- Appointing a substitute guardian
- Termination of guardianship
- Giving up the guardian’s task
- Guardianship authority's means of supervision
- Looking after the interests of an absent person or the future owner of the property
- Restrictions to competency and declaration of incompetence
- Extracts from the Register of Guardianship Affairs
- Certificates from the Population Information System
- Population information in the Population Information System
- Registration of a gift notification
- Services of notary public
- Certification of purchase
- Citizens’ initiative
- Death and estate inventory
- Living abroad
- Moving
- Registration of citizenship
- Divorce granted abroad
- Death abroad
- Registration of a child born abroad
- Registration of a name change performed abroad
- Notification of a marriage concluded abroad
- Registration of the act applicable to the matrimonial property regime
- Legalisation of foreign documents
- Notification of retaining Finnish citizenship
- Moving to Finland
- Public Service Info
- Address service
- Forms
Duties of the donee
The donee must conscientiously ensure the rights of the donor and promote the donor’s best interests. Before donee makes any decisions concerning the tasks they are charged with, they must ask for their client's opinion, if it is important to do so and the hearing can be arranged without significant difficulty. However, a hearing will not be necessary, if the donor is unable to understand the meaning or significance of the action.
The donee must keep the money and other assets belonging to the donor separate from their own assets.
What kind of affairs does the donee handle?
The affairs that must be managed are usually very ordinary daily matters, such as the payment of bills and managing property. The donee may be required to handle very important matters as well such as the sale of real property, housing shares or vehicles. If the donor has a business, the donee may, if necessary, take measures to organise the business activity. Examples are easy to find and list.
Instructions
In a continuing power of attorney, the donee is given the right to represent the donor in the management of the donor's affairs. In addition, it may be necessary to provide the donee with more detailed instructions on how these powers should be used. Such instructions are individual, and they bind the donee. It is advisable to draw up the instructions in writing. When drawing up a continuing power of attorney, the donor should think about whether they would like to provide the donee with more detailed instructions on how to manage certain matters that are important to the donor. Such instructions may be related to selling property, its storage, or the use of the assets.
Reporting to the guardianship authority and the supervision of the donee’s actions
In the power of attorney document, the donor can issue more detailed orders on how the activities of the donee will be supervised. In addition, the donee will be obliged to report on their activities to the authorities.
The most important reporting obligations are the preparation of a property inventory and an annual statement.
Property inventory. Within a period of three months of a power of attorney being confirmed, the donee must submit to the Digital and Population Data Services Authority a property inventory on the donor’s property and debts that the power of attorney mandates the donee to manage.
Annual statement. If the power of attorney concerns the representation of the donor in financial matters, the donee is obliged to keep a record of the donor’s assets and debts and the events of the financial year. However, the donee does not need to draw up a separate annual statement on the management of affairs to the authority, unless the donor has entered a requirement for this into the power of attorney
More information on accountability and the supervision of the donee’s activities
Remuneration and expenses
The donor may give instructions for the remunerations and compensation of expenses paid to the donee in the power of attorney or in the instructions. The donor and the donee may also agree on them between themselves. If they have not been determined or agreed on, the donee has the right to be receive compensation for the necessary expenses resulting from carrying out the responsibilities and a reasonable remuneration, the amount of which is affected by the nature and extent of the responsibility. The instructions issued by the Ministry of Justice for the fee paid to a guardian under the Guardianship Services Act cannot be directly applied to the duty of the donee and the remuneration charged by the donee.
The guardianship authority cannot give the donee more detailed or case-specific instructions for the amount of the remuneration. The sum of the remuneration may be assessed by the authority, for example, in connection with an audit of the accounts or when the donee’s activities have been reported to the authority.
The donee’s duty to confidentiality
As a rule, the donee cannot without the donor's consent disclose information they have learned as a result of their duties, which must be kept secret to protect the donor’s financial interests or privacy.
Checklist
- Check and read through the decision on the confirmation of the power of attorney, the power of attorney document and any possible instructions.
- Check whether the decision or the power of attorney document includes provisions on the submission of annual statement or other supervisory arrangements.
Frequently asked questions about the duties of the donee
The confirmation of a power of attorney does not limit the donor’s capacity to act. The donor can sell their residence themselves if their state of health does not impair their ability to understand the meaning and significance of the matter.
A donee may use the services of an official representative in individual matters. However, the donee cannot transfer responsibility for the management of their duties to another person.
The donee may not donate the assets of the donor. Even so, the donee can give a gift the specific grounds for which are provided in the power of attorney. However, they must not be disqualified.
Guardianship Services contact information
When sending an email, please use the Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s secure email to ensure that your information is sent securely. Select [email protected] as the recipient in the secure mail
Send the email as a secure email
Postal address
Property inventories, annual statements and final statements must be sent to the postal address of the service location.
All other post to the Guardianship Service must be sent to the address:
Digital and Population Data Services Agency / Guardianship, PO Box 1001, FI-02151 Espoo
Telephone number
The telephone service is open 9.00-12.00 on weekdays
Service number +358 295 536 256
Chat service
You can also contact us via chat at our web pages. Chat service is open Mon-Fri from 9.00 to 15.00. Please do not give sensitive information, such as your personal ID number on the chat.
Service locations
Addresses of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s service location
- Individuals
- Marriage
- Examination of impediments to marriage
- Marriage ceremony
- Prenuptial agreement
- Notification of a marriage concluded abroad
- Divorce granted abroad
- Registration of the act applicable to the matrimonial property regime
- Registration of a deed of division of property
- Dissolution of cohabitation
- Removal of marital rights to property
- Extracts issued of the register on the right to officiate at weddings
- Having or adopting a child
- Names
- Moving
- Elections and Right to vote
- Suomi.fi Web Service
- Citizen Certificate and electronic identity
- Guardianship
- Continuing power of attorney
- Appointment of a guardian
- Duties of the guardian
- Guardianship for a minor
- Who can act as a guardian?
- Actions that require the permission of the guardianship authority
- Appointing a substitute guardian
- Termination of guardianship
- Giving up the guardian’s task
- Guardianship authority's means of supervision
- Looking after the interests of an absent person or the future owner of the property
- Restrictions to competency and declaration of incompetence
- Extracts from the Register of Guardianship Affairs
- Certificates from the Population Information System
- Population information in the Population Information System
- Registration of a gift notification
- Services of notary public
- Certification of purchase
- Citizens’ initiative
- Death and estate inventory
- Living abroad
- Moving
- Registration of citizenship
- Divorce granted abroad
- Death abroad
- Registration of a child born abroad
- Registration of a name change performed abroad
- Notification of a marriage concluded abroad
- Registration of the act applicable to the matrimonial property regime
- Legalisation of foreign documents
- Notification of retaining Finnish citizenship
- Moving to Finland
- Public Service Info
- Address service
- Forms
- Marriage
- Organisations
- Certificates
- Updating customer registers
- Sampling and analysis services
- Search services of the Population Information System
- Local Register Office Register search services
- Extracts from registers
- Maintaining the Population Information System
- Suomi.fi services
- Services to promote digitalisation
- Digital security services
- Services of notary public
- Certification of purchase
- Right to officiate weddings
- E-services
- About the agency