Guardianship of a minor child   

An orphan’s pension is paid to a child under the age of 18 in the even that they lose their guardians. This pension may be used for their living costs.  

If the pension as a whole is spent on the minor’s living costs, it is possible to direct the pension income directly to the parent’s account. Otherwise, they must be deposited in the minor’s account.  

Receiving an orphan’s pension does not remove the parent’s maintenance obligation.

Funds that have been set aside as savings must be invested safely. For example, an insurance compensation received by a minor must always be deposited in a bank account in their name or in another investment object in their name. Any property acquired with the funds of a minor, such as a moped, must be in the minor’s name. Read more about the use of a minor’s property.

The guardian is required to keep account statements, receipts and other documents related to the management of the minor’s property. These documents will help the guardian show their adult child how they managed their property while they were a minor. We may also ask the guardian to present these documents. 

Due to their age, minors cannot look after their own interests and rights. It is for this reason that the child's guardians act on behalf of their underage child and are required to manage the child's property on the child’s behalf.

When the value of the property belonging to a minor exceeds EUR 20,000 and we are informed of this fact, we will begin monitoring the management of the child’s property. This is our statutory task, and our monitoring is not affected by the form or origin of the property.  

We can make an entry in the register to safeguard the interests of a minor, even if the value of their property is less than EUR 20,000.  

We guide guardians in their duties and supervise on behalf of the minor that their property is managed according to their best interests. In this way, we can work together with the child’s guardians to ensure that the child’s rights are realised. 

If two people have custody of the minor, both of them are guardians regardless of which parent the minor lives with. The parents must jointly take care of their guardianship duties.  

A minor becomes a stakeholder in an estate 

When a minor becomes a stakeholder in an estate, their guardian, i.e. the person who has custody of the minor, must provide us with a copy of the estate inventory deed within one month of the estate inventory. 

A minor receives insurance compensation 

When a minor receives insurance compensation, the insurer must inform us in the event that  

• the compensation exceeds EUR 1,000; and 
• the compensation is provided for reasons other than compensation for costs caused by the insurance transaction or losses of property. 

The guardian is required to seek a permit or substitute 

The guardian of a minor, i.e. the person who has custody of them, needs a permit and/or substitute to handle certain measures, such as the division of an inheritance or the sale of a house or apartment. They must apply for the permit and substitute from us.  

The guardian must inform us  

The guardian must inform us when the value of their minor’s property exceeds EUR 20,000. Read more about submitting a notification.

When the minor turns 18 

The guardianship of a minor ends when they turn 18. The guardian does not need to notify us of the matter separately, but they must provide us with a final statement without delay.

We decide to end it on the basis of an application 

We can make a decision to remove the guardianship of a minor from the register when the guardian sends us an application demonstrating that the value of the minor’s property has been permanently reduced to EUR 15,000 or less and we have approved this figure. In other words, the guardian can notify us with a free-form application that the guardianship is no longer necessary. The application must include a document or account statement that demonstrates the reduction in the property’s value. The guardian may request the termination of the guardianship at the same time as the guardian submits the annual statement. If the value of the property owned by a minor has decreased due to the actions of their guardian, we will not remove the minor’s guardianship from the register.  

Even if we remove the minor’s guardianship from the register, the guardians must continue managing the minor’s financial affairs. In this case, however, the guardians are not accountable to us.  

The minor moves abroad 

If the minor’s place of residence changes to a foreign state, the guardianship does not end as such, but we can decide that we will stop supervising the guardian's activities in Finland. Instead of us, the authority of another country can begin supervising the guardian’s activities. 
Ending the supervision requires one of the following: 

• The supervision of the guardian’s activities has been organised abroad. 
• In practice, our supervision in Finland will become ineffective. 

We can make a decision on our own initiative or on the basis of a minor's or guardian's application.  

If the minor has moved abroad, the guardian should first assess how the authorities in the new country of residence can supervise their activities. After this, they can submit a free-form application for terminating our supervision.  

If the minor has moved to another Nordic country, the supervision will not be discontinued, but it will be transferred to the authority of their new country of residence. In other words, the transfer is made between Nordic authorities. In this case, you should contact us so that we can agree on any practical matters. 

We are often unable to solve the problems related to the guardian's activities ourselves, as we are mainly able to issue recommendations on how the guardian should act.  

In practice, the consequences of the complaint depend on what is revealed in the course of the matter’s investigation. We may deem that no action is required, or we may 

• provide instructions 
• draw the guardian’s attention to good guardianship practices or a certain issue to ensure that the situation is not repeated 
• issue a notice to the guardian if they have acted unlawfully or neglected their responsibilities 
• take action to  
• discharge the guardian from their duties and appoint a new guardian for the minor Please note that only a District Court can make any custody-related changes. 
• the guardian is appointed a substitute for certain actions. 

1. We recommend submitting your complaint using our form. Save the form on your device before filling it in. 

Complaint concerning the activities of a guardian (in Finnish)

You can also submit a free-form complaint. Remember to enter the same information that is requested in the form. 

2. You can submit your complaint to us by email.

Use the Secure Email service to send your email to ensure that your information is properly encrypted. Select [email protected] as the recipient of your secure email. 

You can also mail your complaint to: Digital and Population Data Services Agency / Guardianship Services, PO Box 1001, 02151 Espoo, Finland. 

3. We will process the complaint. 

We will determine whether the matter presented in the complaint can be resolved in another way, such as by advising the guardian.  

If the matter cannot be resolved otherwise, we will process the complaint and request a report from the guardian on the matter. We will attach your complaint as-is to the request for clarification sent to the guardian.  

4. We will issue a decision on the matter. 

A minor is a person under the age of 18. Minors are not entitled to make decisions concerning their property, conclude important agreements or take other significant measures. However, a minor is entitled to take normal measures that are of a minor significance in relation to their circumstances. A minor who has reached the age of 15 can decide on how they will use the property they have earned through their work. Under the Guardianship Services Act, a minor is referred to as a ward, i.e. a person whose property is managed by their guardian. 

The guardians of a minor are usually the minor’s parents, who have custody of the minor. If two people have custody of the minor, both of them are guardians regardless of which parent the minor lives with. The parents must jointly take care of their guardianship duties. In some cases, a person who does not have custody of the minor may also be appointed as their guardian. The same responsibilities apply to every guardian of a minor. 

In the Guardianship Services Act, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency is referred to as a guardianship authority. Our task is to ensure that the minor’s property is properly managed.

 

The Register of Guardianship Affairs provides information on whether a person has a guardian, who their guardian is, and what the guardian’s duties are.

An inventory in which the guardian reports the minor’s property and debts on the commencement date of our supervision. 

The statement submitted to us by the guardian each calendar year on how the minor’s property has been managed.

When the guardianship ends, the guardian must provide us with an account of the management of the minor’s property for the period for which no annual statement has been submitted.