Requests for information

Under the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999), everyone has the right of access to the public documents of the Ministry.

Please make your request as detailed as possible as this will help us to find the document more easily. You should provide any details of the document you may have, e.g. the date or title. If it is not possible to specify the document, the Ministry's Information Services can help you with the use of subject indexes.

Some of our records are kept at the Ministry, while others are stored elsewhere. Please read about the records stored at the Ministry before sending a request for information. This will help you to direct your request to the right authority.

We will try to respond to requests for documents within two weeks. In extensive data searches we may need more time to respond (four weeks).

Records of the Ministry

Registry

The Registry stores documents of those cases which have been initiated since 1 May 1999. However, all the instructions and regulations issued by the Ministry can be found at the Registry regardless of the date of issue. Contact details of the Registry: tel. +358 295 418 888, e-mail: kirjaamo(at)intermin.fi

Archives

The Archives contain documents dating from 2008. The older records can be found at the National Archives. Contact details: tel. +358 295 418 888, e-mail: kirjaamo(at)intermin.fi

Archives of the ministers

Each Government is an independent records creator, and records relating to their activities are not stored at the Ministry. Information on archives of the ministers can be requested from the Government Registry.

Documents relating to issues of border areas and displacements of people can be found at the National Archives.

Records in the Government Project Register

Legislative projects, other reform, fact-finding and development projects as well as committees, advisory boards and working groups are registered in the Government Project Register — HARE. The Register also includes information on the composition of certain permanent governing bodies of state offices and agencies and unincorporated state enterprises as well as on the composition of permanent advisory committees, councils and boards.

Archives of the projects which have been registered in the Project Register are transferred to the National Archives within six months of the end of the project. Information on these documents can be found at the Government Project Register (in Finnish).