Registration
As a travel organiser, you must deposit a security if you meet one of the following criteria
- you collect booking fees and/or final payments for travel packages in advance
- the travel time is over 24 hours or the package includes overnight accommodation
- the travel package includes transport
- you sell gift vouchers entitling the holder to purchase a travel package
- you operate as a retailer for an organiser established outside the EU/EEA.
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The organiser is always responsible for the entire travel package the contract concerns.
A security must be deposited if advance payments are collected from travellers. Advance payments include booking fees and final payments collected from travellers before the start of the travel package, including payments remitted by the organiser to its subcontractors.
No security is needed if
- the total price of the travel package is paid after the travel, and it does not include transport.
- the travel time is less than 24 hours and the package does not include accommodation.
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A retailer of a foreign organiser sells travel packages organised by and on behalf of its principal not established in the EU/EEA.
The retailer of a foreign travel organiser must deposit a security if their foreign principal has not deposited a security in an EU country.
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No registration with the Travel Guarantee Register is required for organising travel to Finland from abroad (‘incoming business’).
The arrangements for incoming business must ensure that the booking has been made and all travel services are sold in the foreign country of departure.
Instructions on how to register a company
This is how you enter a company in the FCCA’s Travel Guarantee Register
1. Pay the EUR 150 registration fee
Danske
BIC: DABAFIHH
IBAN: FI2981299710012469
Nordea
BIC: NDEAFIHH
IBAN: FI3518043000015255
2. The following documents are required for registration
Companies (public limited company, limited partnership, general partnership, registered association) and cooperatives should submit the following attachments:
- Receipt of registration fee payment
- Extract from the Trade Register (no older than one month)
- Articles of Association
Private traders (Tmi) should submit the following attachments:
- Receipt of registration fee payment
- Extract from the Trade Register (no older than one month)
- Life certificate, see the Digital and Population Data Services Agency
- Certificate from the Register on Bankruptcies and Restructurings, see the Legal Register Centre
- Extract from the Register of Guardianship Affairs, see the Digital and Population Data Services Agency
3. Registration
Registration of a company can be performed by the following persons:
- An authorised signatory
- A person who, on behalf of the company, has a Suomi.fi e-Authorization to carry out securities-related affairs concerning providers of combined travel services (Guarantee services for travel combination providers)
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If you are unable to register a company using strong authentication, do the following.
3a. Fill in the forms
3b. Send the signed application to the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority
You can send the application either by post or e-mail.
Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority
P.O. Box 5
00531 HelsinkiE-mail: https://turvaviesti.kkv.fi/ addressed to kirjaamo@kkv.fi
Registered organisers are charged an annual supervision and insolvency protection fee from the year of registration on.
Supervision fees
The processing time of the application is two to six weeks*.
No acknowledgement of receipt referred to in the Act on the Provision of Services (1166/2009) will be sent to the service provider, as the registration decision will be made within approximately two weeks after the security required for registration has been received.
You can speed up the processing of your registration by ensuring that all the necessary information and attachments are included in the application. The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority will contact the organiser about the amount of the security.
4. Providing a security and further actions
When the organiser has received a decision on the security, they should arrange a security with the financial institution of their choice. The financial institution should use one of the security templates approved by the FCCA.
Registered organisers report on their operation to the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority at least once a year and whenever the FCCA considers reporting necessary.
Reporting instructions for registered organisers
5. Organiser’s responsibility for the performance of a travel service combination
The service provider is responsible for the entire travel package, including
- transport
- additional services, and
- accommodation.
This responsibility cannot be transferred to subcontractors participating in the performance, for example
- a transport company
- an accommodation provider, or
- another travel agency.
Before the contract on a travel package is concluded, the organiser must provide the traveller with the information required under the Ministry of Justice Decree:
- information on traveller’s rights
- standard information form annexed to the Decree, and
- information about the following:
- travel organiser
- retailer
- main features of the travel services provided
- total price of the package, any additional costs and terms of payment
- the required minimum number of travellers and the consequences if the minimum number of travellers is not met by the deadline
travel documents - traveller’s right to cancel the contract before the start of the travel package
- mandatory or voluntary travel insurance
The traveller must additionally be given, when concluding the contract on the travel package or afterwards without undue delay
- a copy of the contract, or
- contract confirmation in a permanent form.
The contract on a travel package or the contract confirmation must include the information required under the Ministry of Justice Decree listed above.