The activities of the Regional State Administrative Agencies will end at the end the year 2025. Most of our tasks will be transferred to the new Finnish Supervisory Agency, which will launch its operations on 1 January 2026. Tasks related to animal health and welfare and to food will be transferred to the Finnish Food Authority. Competition and consumer administration tasks will be transferred to the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority.
Read more: Reform of regional state administration
Animals can be kept on display in zoos, animal farms and petting zoos or touring animal shows or exhibits. Animals can also be used in a circus. Different types of animal-assisted activities (therapeutic, wellbeing and experience activities) are also considered as petting zoos.
If you are planning to keep animals on display in a petting zoo , you must submit a notification of the activities. Read more on our website Keeping of animals requiring notification.
If you are planning to keep animals on display in a permanent or touring animal show or to use them in circus performances, you must obtain a permit from the Regional State Administrative Agency.
Zoos mainly exhibit animals which belong to the wild species.
A zoo must:
In addition, a zoo must participate in the following:
Different types of animal-assisted activities (therapeutic, wellbeing and experience activities) are also considered as petting zoos.
In a petting zoo, you can keep on display cats and dogs and the following mammal and bird species:
Mammals
Birds
If animal species other than those mentioned above are displayed, a permit for a permanent animal show is required.
If you are planning to keep animals on display in a petting zoo, you must submit a notification of the activities. Read more on the Notification of a petting zoo page.
In a touring animal show, animals are kept on display in a non-permanent setting.
Following animal species may be kept on display in a touring animal show:
In a circus, the audience can be shown the skills taught to animals. A permit for such operations must be applied from the Regional State Administrative Agency, also when animals are used in other similar shows.
In a circus, you can keep the same animals as in a touring animal show. You can find the list of these animals in the section on touring animal show of this website.
The same animal species that can be kept on display in a petting farm may also be kept on display in a permanent animal show. A small number of animal species considered as wild animal species may also be kept on display in a permanent animal show.
In this case, a wild animal species means an animal raised in captivity that is not defined as a production animal in the law. For example, if a peafowl, a golden pheasant or a parrot is kept in a petting farm or a similar facility, a permit for a permanent animal show must be obtained for the activity.
Wild animals may not be captured to be kept in a permanent animal show.
In a permanent animal show, the activities and the conditions in which the animals are kept must meet the requirements specified in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry decree on zoos and permanent animal shows (MMMa 2/EEO/2003).
A permit for a permanent animal show is also required for different types of animal-assisted activities (therapeutic, wellbeing and experience activities) if they include animals that are not permitted in petting zoos.
Before you apply for a permit, you need to study the animal protection requirements associated with keeping animals.
Send your permit application to the Regional State Administrative Agency. The permit must be applied for in good time before you start your operations.
Remember to register as an animal husbandry operator with the rural development officials of your municipality.
The application can be free in form.
Include at least the following information in the application:
If you are applying for a permit to use the animals in a circus, also append the following documents:
If you are applying for a permit to keep the animals in a zoo, also append a report on how the zoo intends to participate in
The Regional Veterinary Officer will process the permit application. If required, we will request for additional information.
We will inspect the location where the animals are kept, before we issue a permit. We will contact the permit applicant to make an appointment for the inspection.
A permit for touring and permanent exhibits carries the same permit fee.
The processing fees for a permit:
We will send you an invoice afterwards.
The same fee applies regardless of whether or not a permit application is successful.
We will issue a permit, when the places where the animals are kept, the care of the animals and the activities fulfil the legal requirements.
In addition, the stunts and numbers that the animals perform must adhere to relevant legislation.
We will issue a permit for a zoo when, in addition to the general requirements stated above, the zoo also participates in the protection of wild fauna and the preservation of biodiversity.
If there are essential changes in the operation of your animal exhibit, you need to apply for a new permit from the Regional State Administrative Agency.
Essential changes include, for example
The Regional State Administrative Agency and the municipal veterinarian supervise the zoos, animal exhibits, animal farms and circuses.
If you suspect that an animal has been ill-treated or neglected, you can report it. Anyone can file an animal cruelty report.
Submit a notification to the Regional State Administrative Agency or the municipal veterinarian.
On the basis of the notification, the Regional State Administrative Agency or the municipal veterinarian can conduct an animal welfare inspection in the zoo, animal exhibit, animal farm or circus. We also conduct inspections when no neglect is suspected in the keeping of animals.
We can also inspect a zoo, animal exhibit, animal farm or circus when there are changes in their operations.
