Entry into force of a power of attorney

A power of attorney will enter into force only after the Digital and Population Data Services Agency has confirmed it.

Confirmation of power of attorney

You can apply for the confirmation of power of attorney if you have been appointed as donee in another person's power of attorney. The precondition for the confirmation of the power of attorney is that the person (donor) who has signed the power of attorney document has become unable to management their own affairs due to their deteriorating health. For the purpose of the confirmation, you must obtain a medical certificate or other comparable and reliable account on the donor’s health.

You can also apply for the confirmation of power of attorney if you have been appointed as the deputy donee in the power of attorney and, the actual donee for reasons related to disqualification, illness or for some other reason, is temporarily prevented from performing their duties. The actual donee can be disqualified for example if the donee, their child, or spouse or some other person who the donee represents is a party to the matter at hand. Parties include the seller and buyer, the landlord and the tenant, or the widow(er) and heirs to an estate.

You can also apply for the confirmation of power of attorney when you have been appointed secondary donee in the power of attorney document and the donee does not accept the position or steps down from it.

This is what to do

Obtain a medical certificate on the donor’s state of health for the confirmation of the power of attorney.

Complete the application for the confirmation of power of attorney.

Submit the application, the medical certificate, and the original power of attorney document to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

The processing of the matter will be faster if the application is accompanied by a statement by the donor and/or a statement by the donor's spouse. A statement by the donor is needed if he or she understands the importance of the power of attorney. In addition to the statement of the donor, a statement from the donor’s spouse is usually also needed.

Price

The decision fee for confirming power of attorney is EUR 130.

Processing time

Nationally, the processing of a power of attorney matter takes approximately three months. This processing time estimate is indicative. In individual cases, the processing time may be shorter or longer than expected depending on the number of cases pending at the moment and the complexity of the matter in question. The processing time will be prolonged if the authority has to wait for the relevant information from the applicant or other parties (e.g. a medical opinion).

As a rule, cases are processed in their order of arrival.

Frequently asked questions about acting as a donee

The donee will submit an application to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency for confirmation of the power of attorney. The application can be submitted on an application form with the original power of attorney document and a medical certificate, which concerns the donor’s ability to manage their own affairs, as its attachments. Read more about confirmation here (link to the webpage for the confirmation of continuing power of attorney).

The donee has the right to obtain a medical certificate on the donor. The physician is therefore obliged to issue a medical certificate to the donee who has been granted power of attorney to confirm the power of attorney. If no medical certificate is attached to the application, the guardianship authority will ask the donee to supplement the application in this respect. This will delay the processing of the matter by the authorities. The guardianship authority does not therefore request a medical certificate from healthcare providers. This is one of the donee’s duties. It is determined on a case-by-case basis how new the medical certificate concerning the matter must be.

Within a period of three months of a power of attorney being confirmed, the donee must submit to the guardianship authority a property inventory on the donor’s assets and debts that the power of attorney mandates the donee to manage. If the donor subsequently receives property, the inventory on acquired property must be submitted with a month of receiving the property.

If the donor becomes a stakeholder in an estate, the donee must submit the estate inventory deed to the guardianship authority within a month of the estate inventory being settled.

Guardianship Services contact information

Email

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

Digital and Population Data Services Agency / Guardianship, PO Box 1001, FI-02151 Espoo

With the exception of property inventories, annual statements and final statements, you can send all post to the Guardianship Service to the address listed above. The three separately specified reports must be mailed to the postal address of the service location responsible for their monitoring.

Telephone number

The telephone service is open 9.00-15.00 on weekdays

Service number +358 295 536 256

Service locations

Addresses of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s service location