Current issues

The Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland has prohibited Suomen Löytötavarapalvelu Oy from carrying out lost property office activities for a fixed period of one month from 12 September to 11 October 2023. The lost property office has repeatedly and seriously violated the Lost Property Act and Decree. 

On 25 February 2022, the Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland issued a decision prohibiting the lost property office activities of Suomen Löytötavarapalvelu Oy for a period of one month. On 11 July 2023, the Helsinki Administrative Court issued a decision (no 4110/2023) maintaining the a fixed-term operating prohibition imposed by the Regional State Administrative Agency. The prohibition of activities is valid from 12 September to 11 October 2023.

During the prohibition period, Suomen Löytötavarapalvelu Oy or its employees may not collect or receive lost property. The company’s lost property offices must be kept closed. Suomen Löytötavarapalvelu Oy may not market its activities. The company’s telephone services provided for a charge and its online enquiries must be kept closed. During the prohibition period, Suomen Löytötavarapalvelu Oy is prohibited from entering into new agreements with companies and other operators for the outsourcing of lost property services. The Regional State Administrative Agency will monitor whether Suomen Löytötavarapalvelu Oy complies with a fixed-term operating ban.

In its decision, the Regional State Administrative Agency has instructed Suomen Löytötavarapalvelu Oy on how it can inform customers of the prohibition of operations. The Suomen Löytötavarapalvelu Oy website, telephone service and online enquiry should contain a notification of the operating prohibition for customers requesting lost property. The notification must state that the Regional State Administrative Agency has imposed a fixed-term operating prohibition on Suomen Löytötavarapalvelu Oy. 

During the operating prohibition, consumers will not be able to pick up lost property from Suomen Löytövarapalvelu Oy's lost property offices, and the lost property will not be mailed to customers during the operating prohibition.

The Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland supervises the operations of lost property offices nationally

The Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland supervises the legality of lost property offices at the national level, for example by processing reports on their activities. The Regional State Administrative Agency intervenes in the activities of a lost property office if we learn of a negligence. Lost property offices are regulated by the Finnish Lost Property Act and Lost Property Decree. 

Read more about the topic:

• Oversight of lost property offices
• Lost Property Act (in Finnish)
• Lost Property Decree (in Finnish)

Further information for the media:
Lawyer Amanda Haavisto, tel. +358 295 018 252
[email protected]
Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland

Electronic services in the updated alcohol trade register Allu are now available in Finnish and Swedish. The register’s e-services will also be available in English later.

Allu is a register maintained by the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) and the Regional State Administrative Agencies, in which information about alcohol operators, alcohol licences and alcoholic products, as well as their production and deliveries, is saved. The register is used by various parties, ranging from serving licence holders to retailers, wholesalers, producers, industrial users and the authorities.

All alcohol licences, changes in licences, notifications and reports are now processed in Allu’s e-services following the one stop shop principle

Applications and notifications will be automatically forwarded to the correct Regional State Administrative Agency or Valvira for processing.

Active system development will continue. Visit our website for up-to-date information about the development of the register.

The alcohol trade register has shifted to the modern age 

The deployment of the new Allu register has a significant impact on the alcohol sector as a whole. 

“With the new Allu, the alcohol administration’s digitalisation goals can be achieved, as the system enables user-friendly e-services for notifications, licences and reports. What is more, the new register makes it easier to contact the authorities and also makes the alcohol administration’s activities more effective,” says Markus Henriksson, Director General of Valvira.

The new alcohol trade register also improves the quality of information.

“In the future, Allu will allow us to collect the information required to support effective licensing and supervisory activities,” says Henriksson.

Read more about Allu:

Visit our website for more information and videos that help you get started in using the new system.

Further information:

General questions about the alcohol trade register: alkoholi(at)valvira.fi
Technical questions about the alcohol trade register: allu(at)valvira.fi

The deployment date (18 April) of the new alcohol trade register Allu is approaching fast. In this news, we will tell you what you need to know about the deployment of the new alcohol trade register.

Electronic services will be temporarily closed during the deployment

The target date for deploying the new Allu e-services is 18 April 2023. As the current Allu register will be closed on Thursday 13 April at 9 am, information cannot be reported and product notifications cannot be submitted between 13 and 18 April.

Completely new e-services will be deployed by noon on 18 April. Please note that there may be delays in processing during the deployment of the system.

Log in to the new Allu through Suomi.fi services 

You can access the alcohol trade register’s e-services through the Suomi.fi e-Identification service. If you have the right to sign for your company, you can log in to Allu using your online banking codes, for example. Other users must be provided with Suomi.fi authorisations to act on behalf of your company. 

Suomi.fi authorisations must be applied for everyone who submits product notifications, reports sales information or applies for licences on your company’s behalf. Without the authorisation, only individuals with the right to sign for your company can use the updated Allu system. Read instructions on how to apply for Suomi.fi authorisations.

Frequently asked questions about the Allu update

What will change in the new Allu?

• Until now, applications for alcohol licences have been submitted using paper or PDF forms. As a result of the Allu update, applications for alcohol licences must be submitted online, and the system for reporting alcohol sales data and submitting product notifications will become more user-friendly.
• Read more about the new alcohol trade register.

Does Allu indicate who processes my application?

• The processing authority and the processor are indicated in the processing section on the front page.

Does Allu indicate the processing status for my application?

• The status of processing is shown in the processing section on the front page. Once your application has been processed, you can read the decision in the decision section.

How do I know whether my application has been processed?

• Information about decisions is sent through the Suomi.fi Messages service if your company has enabled electronic notifications at Suomi.fi or on paper if electronic notifications have not been enabled. In addition, the processing status is also shown in real time in Allu.

Further information: alkoholi(at)valvira.fi

The electronic services of Allu, the new alcohol trade register, will be deployed soon. The targeted deployment date is 18 April 2023. As the current Allu register will be closed on 13 April, information cannot be reported, and product notifications cannot be submitted between 13 and 18 April.

Allu is a register maintained by the Regional State Administrative Agencies and the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira), in which information about alcohol operators, alcohol licences and alcoholic products, as well as their production and deliveries, is saved. The register is used by various parties, ranging from serving licence holders to retailers, wholesalers, producers, industrial users and the authorities.

From paper forms to e-services

Until now, applications for alcohol licences have been submitted using paper or PDF forms. In the new system, applications for alcohol licences and alcohol-related notifications will be submitted in e-services. At the same time, all existing electronic services of the current alcohol trade register will be updated. You can best prepare for the change by already obtaining the Suomi.fi authorisation, that is required for logging in to the Allu system.

Electronic services will be temporarily closed during the deployment

The deployment of the new register requires that the current electronic services are closed. The closing down takes place on Thursday 13 April at 9 am. This means that information cannot be reported, and product notifications cannot be submitted between 13 and 18 April. Completely new e-services will be deployed by noon on 18 April. 

Please note that there may be delays in processing during the deployment of the system.
Valvira provides licence holders with more detailed information through customer newsletters.

Further information is available from [email protected]. 

Read more about the new alcohol trade register.

Submit reports for 2022 in January as before. As a result of the update, it is important that reports are submitted on time:

• Submit six-month serving reports and annual retail reports by 31 January 2023.
• Submit December delivery reports and September–December kegging and bottling reports by 18 January 2023.

Also take care of your licences at first opportunity. There may be delays in the processing of applications close to the deployment date. Most recent information about the update is available on the website of the updated alcohol trade register (valvira.fi, only in Finnish).

Grant an authorisation for e-services at Suomi.fi

Only individuals with the right to sign for their company can use the new alcohol trade register’s e-services without any separate authorisation. This means that they need to grant an authorisation for other individuals or companies that submit product notifications, report sales data or apply for licences on their company’s behalf. The Suomi.fi website includes instructions on how individuals with the right to sign for their company can grant an authorisation for another individual or an accounting firm, for example. 

When granting an authorisation, note the following:

• Select “Mandate for transactions” as the authorisation type.
• Select the individual or company for which you want to grant an authorisation. Do not select Valvira as a party.
• Select “Applying permits and reporting of the alcohol sector” if you want to grant an authorisation to apply for alcohol licences and report data on your company’s behalf. If you only want to grant an authorisation to report data, select “Reporting of the alcohol sector to the authorities”. Do not select any other authorisations – select either of these two.

Our previous piece of news includes instructions on how an individual requiring an authorisation can request it and how an individual with the right to sign for their company can approve the request. An authorisation can also be obtained like this. More information about requesting an authorisation is available on the Suomi.fi website.

Further information:

• Suomi.fi: Granting mandates as an organisation
• Avi.fi: Information about obtaining a Suomi.fi authorisation
• Updating the alcohol register

The update of the Allu alcohol trade register is progressing. As a result of the update, applications for alcohol licences must be submitted online, and the system for reporting alcohol sales data and submitting product notifications will become more user-friendly.

Prepare for the update by obtaining a Suomi.fi authorisation for everyone who submits product notifications, reports sales data or applies for licences on your company’s behalf. Without the authorisation, only individuals with the right to sign for your company can use the updated Allu system. Instructions for authorisation applicants:

1. Go to Suomi.fi – e-Authorizations. Click “Identification”.
2. Identify yourself using your online banking codes, a certificate card or a mobile certificate.
3. Click “Personal mandates” and then “Request mandates” on the next page.
4. On the “Parties” page, click “Add a company” and enter the name of the company you represent.
5. On the “Mandate themes” page, select “Applying permits and reporting of the alcohol sector” if you apply for alcohol licences and report data in your company. If you only report data, select “Reporting of the alcohol sector to the authorities”. As the other options are intended for the authorities, select either of these two options.
6. Proceed according to the instructions given in the Suomi.fi service and confirm your request, after which the request will be forwarded to an individual with the right to sign for your company for approval.
7. They must then log in to Suomi.fi e-Authorizations to approve your request.

The new alcohol trade register will be deployed at the beginning of next year. A more accurate date will be announced later this autumn. Applying for an authorisation is the best way to prepare for the update at this stage.

More instructions on how to apply for an authorisation is available in the Suomi.fi service.

For more information, please contact:

Markku Paavilainen, senior officer, Valvira +358 50 472 5865

Joona Leppälahti, systems specialist, Valvira +358 50 436 5538

Fujitsu Finland Oy has been chosen to implement the new service provider register Soteri. The commissioning of the Soteri register will take place at the beginning of 2024.
Soteri is a new register for licensing and supervisory authorities. Basic information on all private and public social and healthcare service providers and private early childhood education and care service providers will be collected in the new service. Soteri also serves as a register for inspection data.

The information in the register serves the information needs of The National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health Valvira, the Regional State Administrative Agencies and several stakeholder groups. The information can also be used by health and social services customers.
The aim is to turn Soteri into a customer-oriented e-service that brings together comprehensive, uniform, and up-to-date information on all service providers in one register. Soteri replaces the previous separate registers, and after implementation, the data is maintained only in Soteri, facilitating the work of both service providers and the authorities. Soteri is also an important part of the expansion of Valvira's digital services and the government program for promoting digitalization.

Further information:

Administrative Director Jussi Luomajärvi, 0295 209 362, Valvira
Chief Information Officer Oskari Halttunen, 0295 209 220, Valvira

There are good news concerning the alcohol trade register ALLU. The reform of the system is progressing, and its commissioning will take place at the end of the year. According to the current estimate, the system will be available to customers in December 2022. Next summer’s permit applications will already be handled through the new ALLU system. 

The exact commissioning date will be confirmed in the early autumn. During the autumn, a more precise schedule for customers’ end-of-year reporting will also be confirmed.

The reform of the ALLU register into fully electronic format will clarify and accelerate the application process for alcohol licences and improve access to information and the quality of information.

Allu contains information on alcohol sector operators and alcohol-related licenses. Information on alcohol deliveries between license holders as well as restaurant and retail sales volumes is also recorded on the system for supervisory purposes. The data is used to generate statistical information on capacity, sales and consumption nationally, which is published annually by the National Institute for Health and Welfare.

Further information: 

Systems Specialist Joona Leppälahti, tel. +358 295 209 373, joona.leppalahti(at)valvira.fi