Regional administrative courts

The regional administrative courts are:

• Helsinki,
• Hämeenlinna,
• Eastern Finland,
• Northern Finland,
• Turku and
• Vaasa administrative court.

The judicial districts of administrative courts are determined in accordance with the regional division of the counties so that one judicial district may include one or more counties. However, the legal proceedings of certain categories of matters have been concentrated on only one or a few administrative courts. For example, asylum matters are dealt with in four administrative courts. In addition:

• The Helsinki Administrative Court deals, among other things, with all matters relating to value added tax and customs duties.
• The Vaasa Administrative Court shall consider appeals against permit and obligation decisions under the Water Act and the Environmental Protection Act.
• The administrative court of Hämeenlinna handles appeals concerning agricultural subsidies, support for rural development and agricultural structural support.
• The Administrative Court of Northern Finland handles appeals against matters concerning reindeer husbandry and natural livelihoods as well as certain matters to be decided under the Skolt Act.

Approximately 20,000 appeals are brought to administrative courts every year, with a total of over 500 staff in administrative courts.

The administrative act shall apply to the handling of an administrative matter by an authority. The Administrative Court shall be governed by the Act on Judicial Procedure in Administrative Matters. The Act entered into force on 1.1.2020 and replaced the previously in force Administrative Judicial Procedure Act (586/1996) with subsequent amendments.