How to report a person in need of guardianship 

You can submit a notification of a person who, in your opinion, needs guardianship. A precondition for submitting a notification is that the person concerned is unable to manage their own affairs due to illness, deteriorated state of health or another similar reason, and that their affairs cannot be managed in an appropriate manner using alternatives to guardianship. You can submit the notification regardless of confidentiality provisions.  

According to the appointment decision, the guardian may manage 

  • another person's property and financial affairs for the time being 
  • another person’s property and financial affairs only for a certain period, such as two years 
  • an individual task only, such as the sale of a property or the distribution of inheritance. 

Even if a guardian is appointed to manage the client's property and financial affairs, they must also make sure that their client is properly cared for and for arranging such care. If ordinary guardianship is not sufficient to ensure, for example, appropriate care and housing, the guardian may also be appointed to represent their client in matters concerning the client's person, such as deciding on their care. This is only possible if the person is not personally able to understand the matter in question.  

You can propose a private person, such as a relative or another person close to the person the notification refers to, as the guardian if they give their consent to taking on the task and are suitable for the task. The guardian may also be a public guardian whose full-time job is to manage the financial affairs of several different persons. 

Please remember that  

  • the guardian submits an annual statement to us so that we can supervise their activities 
  • the guardian has the right to receive a reasonable fee and compensation for any expenses incurred from the task 
  • a guardian may not disclose information on the client to others without the client’s consent. 

Read more about the duties of a guardian.

Do the following  

1. Find out whether the person's affairs can be managed using alternatives to guardianship. Appointing a guardian is not a fast process.  

2. If alternatives to guardianship cannot be used, fill in the notification of a person in need of guardianship to the best of your knowledge. It does not matter if you do not know the answers to all the sections of the form.  

  • Remember, however, to justify why the person referred to in the notification needs a guardian. Please note that an illness or living in a sheltered housing facility alone are not sufficient grounds if the person's affairs are otherwise managed in an appropriate manner.  

  • It would be good if you could provide the contact details of the physician treating the person the notification refers to as accurately as possible so that we can request a medical certificate from them.  

  • Suggest also who could become a guardian. If you suggest a private person, first discuss the matter with them.  

Submit a notification using our online form

For use of the online form, you will need online banking codes or a mobile certificate.

Notification submitted by a private person

Notification of a person in need of guardianship, online form (in Finnish)

Notification submitted by a professional

A professional’s notification of a person in need of guardianship, online form (in Finnish)

Are you unable to handle your matter online?

  1. Fill out the form Notification of a person in need of guardianship (pdf in Finnish) 

  2. Send the notification to us at Digital and Population Data Services Agency / Guardianship Services, PO Box 1004, FI-00531 Helsinki.

You will speed up the processing of the matter if you can submit the following documents at the same time: 

3. We will process your notification and investigate whether the individual the notification refers to is in need of guardianship.  

  • If we consider guardianship necessary, we will submit an application to the District Court on the matter. The District Court will decide whether or not a guardian is appointed for the person to whom the notification relates. Please note that as the person who submitted the notification, you will not be informed of how the processing of the matter proceeds. 

  • If we do not consider guardianship necessary, we will inform you about it. 

4. The District Court decides on the matter.  

  • If the District Court appoints a guardian for the person the notification refers to, the person referred to and the guardian appointed for them will be informed. 

  • If the District Court does not appoint a guardian, the person the notification refers to will be informed. 

Price 

The service is free of charge for the person submitting the notification. The person to whom the notification refers to will be charged for the service instead. 

  • An application to the District Court submitted by us that leads to the appointment of a guardian costs EUR 172 per application. 
  • An application to the District Court submitted by us that leads to the appointment of a guardian, the processing of which requires the presence of our employee at a District Court hearing, costs EUR 344 per application. 

Starting from 1 January 2025

  • An application to the District Court submitted by us that leads to the appointment of a guardian costs EUR 182 per application. 
  • An application to the District Court submitted by us that leads to the appointment of a guardian, the processing of which requires the presence of our employee at a District Court hearing, costs EUR 365 per application.  

The fee will not be charged if the net income of the person on whose behalf the notification has been submitted (including different social benefits) is less than EUR 8,147 per year. 

Processing time 

The average processing time is 6 months. 

We process applications in their order of arrival. Processing times are longer when not all necessary reports have been included as attachments.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need help?

Telephone service: 0295 536 256

Service hours: Mon–Fri 9–15. 

Our chat service is temporarily unavailable in English.

Laws related to the matter

Guardianship Services Act (442/1999)

Government Decree on the fee of a guardian (696/2012, in Finnish) 

Decree of the Ministry of Finance on the Fees Charged for Digital and Population Data Services Agency in 2023 (1070/2022, in Finnish) 

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