Types of matter

The appeals, administrative litigation cases and submissions dealt with by the administrative courts have been divided by type into the following categories, most of which are within the competence of all administrative courts.

For purposes of centralisation, however, only one administrative court is competent to deal with certain types of matters.

• The Administrative Court of Helsinki has exclusive competence over matters of value added tax, customs duties and asylum.
• The Administrative Court of Vaasa has exclusive competence over permit and compulsion matters under the Water Rights Act and the Environmental Protection Act.
• Both the Administrative Court in Rovaniemi and the Administrative Court in Oulu are competent in matters pertaining to reindeer husbandry.

Below a list of the most common matters in the different categories. The list is not exhaustive.

Constitutional law and general administration
Access to documents and protection of privacy, matters concerning passports, population information and names, guardianship services, legal aid decisions, trial charges, prison service, employment issues, rescue services and civil defence, matters relating to firearms, lottery and fund-raising licences, citizenship

Municipal matters
Appeals against decisions by municipal councils, municipal governments and municipal boards, appeals against decisions by federations of municipalities and other municipal matters.

Ecclesiastical matters
Appeals against decisions of a Cathedral Chapter and a Diocese Council as well as a parish and an assembly of parishes and other ecclesiastical appeals.

Immigration matters
Residence permits, deportations, refusals of entry and asylum

Land use and building
Zoning, building permits and permit exceptions, building prohibition and restriction on action, plot division, streets and public areas, decisions concerning the need for planning, maintenance of the environment and maintenance of buildings

Roads and real estate
Matters relating to public roads and the expropriation rights and the right of pre-emptive purchase concerning real estate

Environmental protection and environmental permits
Environmental permits, health control, waste management, combating oil pollution, environmental tax and charge, environmentally hazardous substances, matters according to the emission trading act, off-road and water traffic

Water management
Matters according to the Water Act

Nature conservation
Matters according to the Nature Conservation Act, animal protection, land resources, antiquities, protection of buildings

Social matters
Income support, taking into care and other child protection, child maintenance subsidies, special care for people with mental retardation, assistance for the handicapped, treatment for intoxicant abusers, care by relatives, child day-care and compensation for social welfare costs and customer charges

Health care
Public health work, mental health, health care, nursing services, food control, compensation for health care costs and customer charges

Medicine issues and pharmacy services
Pharmacy licences

Legal persons and industrial rights
Trade Register, Register of Associations, trademark

Trade
Supervision of the financial market, insurance operations, food commerce, explosives, real estate and housing agencies, accommodation and restaurant services, licence to dispense alcohol

Agriculture and forestry
Forestry, crop protection, reindeer husbandry, hunting and fishing

Support from the EU’s structural funds

Transport and communication
Driving licence and other driving permits, driving school, professional motor vehicle traffic, railway traffic, shipping and aviation, speed and weight limits and speed competitions, inspection and registration of vehicles, parking tickets, highway overload penalties, public transport penalty fees, charges for towed vehicles, televisions fees, data communication

Taxation
Income and wealth taxes, tax withholding, social security payments, real estate taxes, value added taxes, automobile and vehicle taxes and fees, customs and excise duties, inheritance and gift taxes, lottery taxes, stamp duties and asset transfer taxes

Updated on 13 May 2011