Act on the Openness of Government Activities

• The right to information on government activities
• What documents are governed by the act?
• Requesting access to a document
• The right to access to information
• Restrictions on access
• Publications and brochures

Act on the Openness of Government Activities in the FINLEX database (in Finnish)

The right to information on government activities

Do you need information? Is the zoning of your residential area changing? How is a person working abroad taxed? Where can you cast your vote in advance?

Information can be obtained in several ways. It can for example be available in public material prepared by the authorities or you can request it directly from the authority. The Act on Openness of Government Activities provides for different ways of obtaining information.

Under the Act everyone has the right to obtain information from official documents in the public domain. Official documents are in the public domain unless specifically otherwise provided for. The principle of openness thus prevails in Finland.