Business rules for the service

This page is preliminary and will be supplemented during autumn 2026. The business rules apply to publishable content in the Finnish Service Catalogue (FSC).

Impact of the general description on service information

If a general description id has been given for the service, the general description information is part of the service information.

• Information provided for the service supplements the general description.
• The information-specific business rules specify in more detail whether the information obtained from the general description, for example, replaces or supplements existing information.

Service information

Name

• Mandatory
• The maximum length is 100 characters.
• The service name and summary cannot be the same.
• If no name is given for the service and a general description id is provided: the general description name is used as the service name.
• If a name is given for the service, it will replace the general description name as the service name.

Alternative name

• Optional
• The maximum length is 100 characters

General description id

• Optional
• Provided if information from a specific general description is used to describe the service.
• The general description must be published.
• The general description must be described in at least one of the languages in which the service is described.

External id

• Optional, see General business rules, External id for more details.

Service type

• Mandatory
• Select one of the following: Service, Permits and obligations, Professional qualification.
• If the general description (General description id provided) is used to describe the service, the service type is determined based on the general description and the service cannot be changed to something else.

Summary

• Mandatory
• The maximum length is 150 characters
• The service name and summary cannot be the same.

Description

• Mandatory
• The maximum length is 5000 characters
• See General business rules, Formatted text field
• If the general description id has been added, the service description supplements the main description given in the general description. At least one of the descriptions is mandatory.

Background description (from the general description)

• If the general description id has been added and a background description given for the general description, the background description of the general description supplements the service information.

Instructions

• Mandatory
• The maximum length is 5000 characters
• See General business rules, Formatted text field
• If the general description has been given and the general description contains instructions, the service instructions supplement the instructions given in the general description. At least one of the instructions is mandatory.

Terms and criteria

• Optional
• The maximum length is 5000 characters
• See General business rules, Formatted text field
• If the general description id has been provided, the service terms and criteria supplement the terms and criteria given in the general description.

Deadline description

• Optional
• The maximum length is 700 characters
• See General business rules, Formatted text field
• Can only be added if the service type is "Permits and obligations" or "Professional qualification".
• If the general description id has been added, the deadline description for the service supplements the deadline description given in the general description.

Processing time/Description of processing time

• Optional
• The maximum length is 700 characters
• See General business rules, Formatted text field
• Can only be added if the service type is "Permits and obligations" or "Professional qualification".
• If the general description id has been provided, the processing time for the service supplements the description of processing time given in the general description.

Period of validity/Description of validity

• Optional
• The maximum length is 700 characters
• See General business rules, Formatted text field
• Can only be added if the service type is "Permits and obligations" or "Professional qualification".
• If the general description id has been provided, the period of validity for the service supplements the period of validity given in the general description.

Legislation links

• Optional
• You can add one or more links to legislation.
• If a link to legislation is provided, enter both the name and the web address of the link. The web address must start with http:// or https://.
• The maximum length of the name of a legislation link is 500 characters.
• The maximum length of the web address of a legislation link is 500 characters.
• The same link cannot be added more than once.
• If the general description id has been provided, the legislation links for the service are a combination of the links given in the general description and those given separately for the service. The business rules apply to the entity formed by the legislation links of the general description and of the service.

Languages in which the service is available

• Mandatory
• Select one or more languages.

Region in which the service is available

• Mandatory
• See General business rules, Regional information

Information on fees

• Mandatory
• Select one of the following: Payable, Free.
• You can also add Additional information on fees
• The maximum length is 700 characters
• If a general description id has been provided and information on the fees charged for the service has been entered in the general description: separate information on the fees cannot be entered for the service, and the information on the fees from the general description will be used for the service.

Additional information on fees

• Optional
• See General business rules, Formatted text field
• If the general description id has been provided and information on fees has been given in the general description, the additional information on fees supplements the fee information for the service.

Classifying information for the service

The classifying information or keywords are not visible to end users but they affect how easily the services can be found, for example, in the Suomi.fi web service.

Target group

• Mandatory
• Select one or more target groups (main target group or sub-groups).
• One of the target groups must be the main target group. The main target groups are: Citizens, Businesses and non-government organisations, Public authorities.
• The same target group (main target group or sub-group) must not occur more than once.
• The service must not be given a target group or a sub-group that already comes from the general description.
• If a general description id has been provided for the service, the target groups of the general description (main target group or sub-group) supplement the service information. The business rules apply to the entity formed by the target groups of the general description and the target groups of the service.

Sub-group

• If Citizens is selected as the main target group, the following sub-groups can also be selected: Senior citizens, Children and families with children, Young people, Chronically ill patients, Expatriate Finns, and Disabled people. Note: only select a sub-group if the service is intended for a specific target group.
• If Businesses and non-government organisations is selected as the main target group, at least one sub-group must be selected: Companies seeking international growth, Inventors, Companies in the domestic market, Foreign business owners in Finland, Large enterprises, Employers, Organisations and communities.

Service class

• Mandatory
• Select a maximum of 4 service classes.
• Select at least one sub-class.
• The same service class or sub-class must not occur more than once.
• The service must not be given a service class or sub-class that already comes from the general description.
• If a general description id has been provided for the service, the service classes of the general description supplement the service information. The business rules apply to the entity formed by the service classes of the general description and the service classes of the service.

Keyword

• Mandatory
• Select a maximum of 10 keywords.
• The keyword identifier (url) must come from one of the core ontologies in the Finto-service’s KOKO ontologyOpens in a new window.: Finnish Ontology for Public Administration JUHO, Finnish Ontology for Public Administration Services JUPO, Finnish Ontology of Health and Welfare TERO, TSR ontology, General Finnish Ontology YSO.
• The same keyword must not occur more than once.
• The service must not be given a keyword that already comes from the general description.
• If a general description id has been provided for the service, the keywords of the general description supplement the service information. The business rules apply to the entity formed by the keywords of the general description and the keywords of the service.

Freely assigned keyword

• Optional
• The maximum length is 100 characters
• You can add one or more freely chosen keywords.
• The freely assigned keyword may not come from the ontologies used by the FSC. See the Keyword section above.
• The same freely assigned keyword must not occur more than once.
• The service must not be given a freely assigned keyword that already comes from the general description.
• If a general description id has been provided for the service, the freely assigned keywords of the general description supplement the service information. The business rules apply to the entity formed by the freely assigned keywords of the general description and the freely assigned keywords of the service.

Life event

• Optional
• You can select one or more life events if Citizens has been selected as the main target group for the service.
• The same life event cannot appear more than once.
• The same life event must not occur more than once.
• The service must not be given a life event that already comes from the general description.
• If a general description id has been provided for the service, the life events of the general description supplement the service information. The business rules apply to the entity formed by the life events of the general description and the life events of the service.

Industry

• If companies and organisations has been selected as the main target group for the service, one of the following must also be specified: the service is industry-independent, or one or more industries
• The same industry must not occur more than once.
• An industry that already comes from the general description must not be assigned to the service.
• If a general description id has been provided for the service, the industries of the general description supplement the service information. The business rules apply to the entity formed by the industries of the general description and the industries of the service.

Information on organising the service

Main organisation responsible for the service

• Mandatory
• There can be only one main responsible organisation.
• The selected organisation must be published and the user must have the right to that organisation.
• Note: when publishing the service, the organisation must have the same language versions that it wants to publish for the service.

Other responsible organisation

• Optional
• Any organisation that has not already been set as the main responsible organisation can be designated as an other responsible organisation for the service.
• You can add one or more other responsible organisations.
• The selected organisation must be published.
• Note: other responsible organisations cannot edit the content of the service.

Type of funding

• Mandatory
• One of the following must be selected: Public funding, Private funding.
• Note: select Public funding as the funding type if the service is produced by a public service provider. Select Private funding as the funding type for commercial services and services provided by organisations and communities.

Service provision method - Self-produced service

• Mandatory
• Select Yes or No.
• If you select Yes, add at least one of the organisations responsible for the service as the service provider. The provider may also be a sub-organisation of the main responsible organisation.
• If you select No, add one or more service providers: see Service provision method - Procured service, Service provision method - Other implementation method.

Service provision method - Procured service

• Optional
• You can add one or more organisations saved in the FSC (the organisation must be published and it cannot be the main responsible organisation or an other responsible organisation).
• You can add one or more other providers as free text (the provider's must appear in all language versions of the service). The maximum length of the provider name is 150 characters.

Service provision method - Other implementation method

• Optional
• You can add one or more organisations saved in the FSC (the organisation must be published and it cannot be the main responsible organisation or an other responsible organisation).
• You can add one or more other providers as free text (the provider's information must appear in all language versions of the service). The maximum length of the provider name is 150 characters.

Service voucher

• Mandatory
• Select one of the following options:

Service voucher not in use or information has not been provided

• No other additional information can be added.

Service voucher available with no information on the webpage

• You can also add additional information (optional).
• The maximum length of the additional information is 500 characters.

Service voucher available with information on the webpage

• If this option is selected, add information for at least one webpage.
• You can add information for more than one webpage.
• See General business rules, Website.