Every legal form in Finland, each with its abbreviation, the kind of entity it is, liability and typical use where they are well established, and the values the Prometiam company object returns.
This guide lists the 44 legal forms the Prometiam dictionary knows for Finland: what each is called, how it is abbreviated, what kind of entity it is and how it appears in the company object. Use it to read the legal_form of a company registered in Finland, or to decode a form you meet in a contract or on an invoice. It is a general reference, not legal advice.
Coverage and limits for Finland: company records only (no officers, no registry-compliance signal); insolvency notices are linked by business ID.
| Form | Abbreviation | Kind | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osakeyhtiö | Oy, Ab | Private limited company | A limited company (osakeyhtiö): shareholders’ liability is limited to their investment. There has been no minimum share capital since 2019, and it cannot offer shares to the public. The usual form for businesses. |
| Julkinen osakeyhtiö | Oyj, Abp | Public limited company (joint-stock company) | A public limited company: it may offer its shares to the public and be listed. |
| Avoin yhtiö | Ay, Öb | General partnership | A general partnership: the partners are jointly and personally liable without limit. |
| Kommandiittiyhtiö | Ky, Kb | Limited partnership | A limited partnership: at least one partner is liable without limit, the limited partners only up to their contribution. |
| Toiminimi | Tmi, T:mi | Sole proprietorship | A sole trader: no separate legal person, and the owner is personally liable. |
Every company object carries four legal-form fields: legal_form (the standard abbreviation, null when the form is not mapped), legal_form_family (the cross-country family, so a private limited company compares across countries), local_legal_form (the register’s own value or code as stored) and local_legal_form_name (the register’s name for it, where it publishes one). Each form below shows the values the API returns for it.
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer rk_live_..." \ "https://api.prometiam.com/functions/v1/risk-api/companies/search?country=FI&name=<company name>" # each result carries, for example: # "legal_form": "Oy" # "legal_form_family": "private_limited_company"
Private limited company: a company with its own legal personality whose owners are, as a rule, not personally liable for its debts and whose shares are not offered to the public.
A limited company (osakeyhtiö): shareholders’ liability is limited to their investment. There has been no minimum share capital since 2019, and it cannot offer shares to the public. The usual form for businesses.
Oy, Ab, Oy Ablegal_form Oy, legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form OYAs Oy, Asunto Oy, Bostads Ablegal_form As Oy, legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form AOYKiinteistö Oy, Fastighets Ablegal_form Kiinteistö Oy, legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form KOYlegal_form Limited insurance company, legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form VOYlegal_form Other real estate limited company, legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form 56Public limited company (joint-stock company): a company with its own legal personality and share capital whose owners are, as a rule, not personally liable; the family of forms that can usually raise money from the public.
A public limited company: it may offer its shares to the public and be listed.
Oyj, Abp, Oyj Abplegal_form Oyj, legal_form_family public_limited_company, local_legal_form OYJSElegal_form SE, legal_form_family public_limited_company, local_legal_form SElegal_form Public limited insurance company, legal_form_family public_limited_company, local_legal_form VOJGeneral partnership: the owners run the business together and, as a rule, answer personally for its debts.
A general partnership: the partners are jointly and personally liable without limit.
Ay, Öblegal_form Ay, legal_form_family general_partnership, local_legal_form AYLimited partnership: at least one partner answers without limit for the debts, the others only up to what they contributed.
A limited partnership: at least one partner is liable without limit, the limited partners only up to their contribution.
Ky, Kblegal_form Ky, legal_form_family limited_partnership, local_legal_form KYSole proprietorship: one person trading in their own name with no separate company; the owner is, as a rule, personally liable.
A natural person, not a company. A sole trader: no separate legal person, and the owner is personally liable.
Tmi, T:milegal_form Tmi, legal_form_family sole_proprietorship, local_legal_form the register’s own textCooperative: an organisation owned and run by its members.
osklegal_form osk, legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form OKlegal_form European co-operative society, legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form SCElegal_form European co-operative bank, legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form SCPlegal_form Mortgage society, legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form HYOPlegal_form OP, legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form OPlegal_form Association for carrying on economic activity, legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form TYHlegal_form Housing co-operative, legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form 1legal_form Other economic association, legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form 38Civil partnership: a company under civil rather than commercial law, often used for property holding, farming or professional practices.
legal_form Business partnership, legal_form_family civil_partnership, local_legal_form 57Economic interest grouping: members cooperate in a shared activity while staying independent businesses.
legal_form European economic interest grouping, legal_form_family economic_interest_grouping, local_legal_form ETYAssociation: a membership body, usually non-profit.
ry, rf, r.y.legal_form ry, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form AYHlegal_form Right-of-occupancy association, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form ASYlegal_form Other association, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form 29legal_form Forest management association, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form 35legal_form Religious community, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form 46Foundation: assets set aside for a purpose, with no owners.
sr, sr.legal_form sr, legal_form_family foundation, local_legal_form SÄÄlegal_form Other foundation, legal_form_family foundation, local_legal_form 39Mutual: a body owned by its members, typical for insurance and guarantees.
legal_form Public mutual insurance company, legal_form_family mutual, local_legal_form KVJlegal_form Mutual insurance company, legal_form_family mutual, local_legal_form KVYlegal_form Insurance association, legal_form_family mutual, local_legal_form VYBranch of a foreign company: an establishment or registration of a company incorporated abroad.
legal_form Finnish branch of a European economic interest grouping, legal_form_family branch_of_foreign_company, local_legal_form ETSlegal_form sivuliike, legal_form_family branch_of_foreign_company, local_legal_form SLPublic body: a state, local-authority or other public-law entity.
legal_form State-owned company, legal_form_family public_body, local_legal_form VALTLLCo-ownership: joint ownership of property by several owners, often without legal personality.
legal_form Joint interest groups, legal_form_family co_ownership, local_legal_form 50legal_form Collective forest, legal_form_family co_ownership, local_legal_form 55Estate or trust: assets held for heirs, creditors or beneficiaries.
legal_form Bankrupt's estate, legal_form_family estate_or_trust, local_legal_form 54Other entity type.
legal_form Resident-administered area, legal_form_family other, local_legal_form ASHlegal_form Savings bank, legal_form_family other, local_legal_form SPlegal_form Foreign organisation, legal_form_family other, local_legal_form 60legal_form Taxable grouping, legal_form_family other, local_legal_form 51legal_form Other subject with joint liability to tax withholding, legal_form_family other, local_legal_form 52legal_form Local community, legal_form_family other, local_legal_form 71legal_form Other juridical persons, legal_form_family other, local_legal_form 63See the Finland company data API guide for the register behind these records and the free Y-tunnus lookup to try an identifier. For the register states that go with these forms, read company status in Finland. All countries: company legal forms.
Search by name or identifier and read legal_form, legal_form_family and local_legal_form on every result, or filter a bulk list by family.
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