WHAT'S NEW 

 

 

TRANSFER OF COMPETENCE TO FINDATA UNDER THE ACT ON THE SECONDARY USE OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL DATA AS OF 15 MAY 2026

Following the amendment to the Act on the Secondary Use of Health and Social Data that entered into force at the beginning of May, data permits can be applied for under a decentralized competence model either centrally from Findata, the Data Permit Authority for the Social and Health Sector, or separately from each data controller.

The Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV) will transfer its competence to issue data permit and data request decisions, as well as to process data based on these permits, to Findata as of 15 May 2026 in cases where the permit is applied for under the decentralized competence model. The transfer is based on the Act on the Secondary Use of Health and Social Data (552/2019).

After the transfer, Findata will process applications concerning DVV register data under the Act on the Secondary Use of Health and Social Data, issue the related decisions, and be responsible for data processing when the data are combined with data from one or more data controllers referred to in Section 6(1–8) of the Act.

The Digital and Population Data Services Agency will continue to grant data permits independently in situations where data are requested solely from DVV, or where DVV register data are combined with data from the Finnish Centre for Pensions and/or Statistics Finland.

Further information on the data permit procedure and how to apply for a data permit is available on Findata’s website.
 

 

AVAILABILITY OF BUILDING AND DWELLING DATA EXTRACTS FROM THE DIGITAL AND POPULATION DATA SERVICES AGENCY AND THE RYHTI TRANSITION

The new national Built Environment Information System (Ryhti) brings together data on construction and land use. The Finnish Environment Institute (Syke) acts as the responsible authority for the system.

Standardized extracts of building and dwelling data (RHR), as well as waste management extracts, can be ordered from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s extraction and update service for public administration until 31 December 2027.

RHR extracts can be ordered by municipalities, joint municipal authorities, wellbeing services counties, and regional councils. Waste management extracts can be ordered by municipalities, joint municipal authorities, municipal waste management boards, and waste management companies owned by municipalities or joint municipal authorities.

For inquiries concerning Ryhti, we kindly ask you to contact the following address:

[email protected]

More information below:

https://ryhti.syke.fi/
https://ryhti.syke.fi/palvelut/palvelut-tiedon-hyodyntajille/
 

 

Public administration sampling and updating service

Through the service, public administration organisations can:

  • access personal and construction data from the Population Information System with their chosen sampling criteria.
  • keep their customer register up to date with data from the Population Information System.

Samplings and updates are done in bulk. This means that the registers undergoing updates and the person and building groups that are sampled often comprise tens of thousands of units. We tailor the content of the disclosed data to the applicant's needs.

Inquiries or requests for information concerning individuals are not covered by this service.

For whom and for what purpose?

The data generated in the service is typically used for the planning and investigation tasks of the authorities and for scientific research. Personal sampled or updated data can also be used in register-based studies.

The service customers include different public administration organisations, such as

  • national and regional authorities
  • a municipality or joint municipal authority
  • regional rescue services
  • universities and various research institutes.

 

What does sampling mean?

In the sampling process, certain persons or buildings that meet the sampling criteria are retrieved from the Population Information System. From the selected target group, a random sample or all individuals or buildings belonging to the target group can be selected.

Examples of sampling criteria include:

  • age, gender or mother tongue of the person,
  • building features, such as intended use or outfitting,
  • area, such as the person's municipality of residence or the municipality where the building is located.

Samplings may be one-off events or repeatedly performed according to the customer's needs. Only the information that is essential for the purpose of use is disclosed on the persons or buildings. The sampling services also offer information packages of different sizes that contain data on persons or buildings.

What is a customer register update?

The personal data in the customer's register is updated on a one-off basis with up-to-date data from the Population Information System. The update is carried out on the basis of personal identity codes. If there are no personal identity codes in the customer's register, the persons can be identified from the Population Information System based on their name and date of birth.

Registers that are updated include:

  • standard student data updates by educational institutions
  • updates to membership information of unemployment funds
  • data updates of compensation recipients of insurance companies.

Non-standard updates include updating address information to invite a specific set of patients or research subject group to a follow-up visit.

Follow these instructions

An organisation wishing to use the services must receive a data access authorisation from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (administrative decision) and pledge to observe the terms and conditions of the authorisation.

Go to e-service

You can contact the service by sending an email to [email protected].

Content of disclosed data

Processing time and prices

Mass data requests for media

Contact the Digital and Population Data Services Agency's Communications Department.

See also

Other bulk sampling and updating services provided by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency:

  • Data extraction for municipalities is a self-service application, which makes it possible to extract personal data needed by the municipality for the performance of its statutory tasks and to contact inhabitants of the municipality. 
  • The modified data update service enables government or municipal authorities to keep their registers up to date. The service is particularly suitable for updating large registers that are used daily. The modified data update service updates registers with the changes recorded in the Population Information System at certain intervals.
  • Private sector information services provide private companies and organisations with the opportunity to keep their customer registers up to date using the Population Information System data. Information is provided to private actors through the Digital and Population Data Services Agency's partners.

Other useful links:

 

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