Phase 2: Inclusion of private digital mail service providers 2026–2027

Suomi.fi Messages is being developed so that, in the future, users will be able to choose to read their official messages not only in Suomi.fi Messages but also through other approved digital mail services.

This change will not affect how public sector organisations deliver official communications. Organisations will continue to send official documents requiring formal service and other messages to Suomi.fi Messages, which serves as the central background service for official messages. The intention is not for organisations to build separate integrations or deliver official documents directly to individual digital mail service providers.

The change will benefit both senders and recipients: organisations need to send a message only once, while users can choose to read their official messages either in Suomi.fi Messages or through other approved digital mail services that have joined the ecosystem.

How does the solution work?

The Suomi.fi Messages background service receives messages sent by authorities and acts as their central storage location. Official messages remain stored in Suomi.fi Messages, but users may also access them through approved digital mail services for which they have provided separate consent.

Digital mail services do not store messages in their own systems. Instead, they serve as user interfaces for messages stored in the Suomi.fi Messages background service. User permissions are stored in a consent register maintained by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, enabling authorised digital mail services to display official messages to users.

• An authority sends a message only once.
• The message is stored in the Suomi.fi Messages background service.
• Messages are not copied or permanently transferred to other digital mail services.
• The user can read the same message through different services.
• When a message is opened in one service, the read status is updated across all other services as well.

Base implementation and timeline

The Digital and Population Data Services Agency will have the technical capability to onboard private digital mail service providers from 30 September 2026 onwards. The first release will be a base implementation, with additional functionalities to be introduced in later development phases.

End-user functionalities included in the base implementation:

• Selecting a digital mailbox and granting or withdrawing consent.
• Browsing and reading messages and attachments in other digital mail services.
• Acknowledging receipt of recorded delivery messages in other digital mail services.
• Email notifications from Suomi.fi Messages about new and unread messages.

End-user functionalities not included in the base implementation (available only in Suomi.fi Messages):

• Replying to messages or sending new messages through other digital mail services.
• Deleting or managing messages through other digital mail services.
• Viewing or sending messages on behalf of another person through other digital mail services.

The changes will become visible to users only once the first digital mail service provider joins the ecosystem. The Digital and Population Data Services Agency will inform organisations as soon as more information becomes available regarding the onboarding schedule of the first digital mail service provider. A communications materials package will also be published to support organisations in their communications and customer guidance activities.

What does the change mean for sending organisations?

• Organisations will continue to send official documents requiring formal service and other customer communications through Suomi.fi Messages.
• An organisation is technically prepared for the change if it uses the Suomi.fi Messages REST API for sending and receiving messages.
• There is no need to build separate integrations with individual digital mail services, as all official messages are routed through the same central service.
• Through Suomi.fi Messages, organisations can reach approximately four million users regardless of which approved service they choose for reading their official messages.

The key principle is that an organisation sends an official document requiring formal service or another message once through Suomi.fi Messages, while the user may choose to access that message through any approved digital mail service that has joined the ecosystem.

Use of private digital mail services is voluntary

Suomi.fi Messages will remain the primary service for electronic official communications. The use of private digital mail services is an optional additional feature for users who wish to access their official messages through services other than Suomi.fi Messages.

• Users decide for themselves whether they want to use other digital mail services to read messages.
• Messages do not automatically appear in other digital mail services. The user must provide separate consent.
• Users can grant or withdraw consent at any time.
• Users may choose one or more approved digital mail services.
• Suomi.fi Messages will always remain available to users who receive official messages electronically.

Security and message storage

• Digital mail service providers will be entrusted with an auxiliary public administrative task, which entails specific obligations.
• A digital mail service provider may display messages only to users who have explicitly granted permission.
• Providers have no access to the messages of other users. Permissions are managed through a service maintained by Digital and Population Data Services Agency.
• Digital mail service providers must comply with Digital and Population Data Services Agency's requirements regarding information security, data protection, technical implementation and service functionality.
• Unless explicitly requested by the user, a digital mail service provider may not permanently store messages or their attachments in its own service.
• Messages may be retained only for the duration of a user session and are subject to a technical maximum retention period of five minutes.
• Digital mail service providers may not use any information contained in official messages for marketing purposes or for targeting advertising to users.

For further information on the introduction of private digital mail services, please visit the website of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV)Opens in a new window..