Finnish courts
The courts exercise judicial power, that is, they decide individual cases. The courts are independent: They are bound only by the law in force. No outside party can intervene in the decision-making of the courts. The independence of the courts is guaranteed by the Constitution.
The district courts deal with criminal and civil cases. The decision of a district court can normally be appealed in a court of appeal. The decisions of the courts of appeal, then, can be appealed in the
Supreme Court, provided that the Supreme Court grants leave to appeal.
The administrative courts review the decisions of the authorities. The decisions of the administrative courts can be appealed in the Supreme Administrative Court.
There are also certain special courts. These are the Market Court, the Labour Court, the Insurance Court and the High Court of Impeachment.
This website contains general information on the activities of the courts. Special cases and exceptions have been omitted. You will not necessarily be able to take care of your judicial problems without legal counsel and merely by reference to this website. The Ministry of Justice assumes no responsibility for possible errors in the contents of this website.
The agencies of judicial administration provide service in the Finnish and Swedish languages.
