Serving alcohol at events
You can apply for a temporary licence for serving alcohol for events and functions. This is usually the most suitable alternative for temporary serving of alcohol.
For more information on applying for an alcohol serving licence, see our Licence for serving alcoholic beverages page. [sisäinen linkki]
If the area has been approved as a licensed premises in advance, you can serve alcohol at events and functions there by submitting a notification of the serving of alcohol to the Finnish Supervisory Agency. This requires a valid alcohol serving licence.
Serving of alcohol at an approved licensed premises
Serving alcohol at an approved licensed premises requires the following:
- The owner or holder of the premises or area has applied for and received approval as a licensed premises.
- The party serving alcohol has a valid licence for serving alcohol.
- The party serving alcohol has contacted the owner or holder of the premises and has received the approval number of the licensed premises and any conditions and restrictions concerning the serving of alcohol.
The notification must be submitted to the Finnish Supervisory Agency no later than three days (72 hours) before the event. Submit an alcohol serving notification in the alcohol administration’s e-services.
You can find pre-approved licensed premises on the avoindata.fi website (in Finnish).
Please note that if you intend to continue serving alcohol after 01:30, you must also submit an extended licensing hours notification or application. These have different processing times than the notification of serving alcohol, and a separate processing fee is charged for these.
For more information on extended licencing hours, please see our licensing hours and extended licensing hours page. [sisäinen linkki]
Tip: Once you have downloaded an Excel file on valid licences from the Alcohol Trade Register, you can find valid approved licensed premises in the tab titled pre-approved licensed premises. In this tab, you can specify your search by entering a postal code, city, or municipality.
Approval of licensed premises
You can apply for an event venue to be approved as licensed premises if you are the owner or holder of the venue such as a banquet hall. In connection with the application, you can set conditions for serving alcohol that may be related to such things as licensing hours.
Apply for the approval of licensed premises in the alcohol administration’s e-service.
Use of the e-service will require a business ID. If you are acting on behalf of a company, you must have the right to sign for the company or an authorisation to act on behalf of the company granted by a person with the right to sign. Mandates can be granted on in the Suomi.fi service.
A pre-approved licensed premises may consist of several licensed areas. A licenced area refers to an area in which customers are allowed to drink alcoholic beverages. Licensed premises, on the other hand, refers to an entity consisting of a licensed area or licensed areas.
Provisions on serving alcoholic beverages only apply to pre-approved licensed premises when a notification of serving alcohol has been submitted for the area.
An application for the approval of licensed premises should be submitted well in advance and no later than one month before the start of operations.
Tip: Remember the alcohol serving licence application is not used when applying for the approval of a licensed premises. Instead, the application from for the approval of licensed premises is used. Please fill in the application accurately.
Fees for approval of licensed premises and notifications on serving alcohol in 2026
If you initiate a permit application by means other than our electronic service system, the fee will be increased by 20 percent. The increased fee will not be charged if it is not possible to initiate the application electronically.
A decision on the approval of licensed premises costs EUR 855, if the application has been initiated in the e-service. In an approved licensed premises, licence holders can serve alcohol by submitting a notification.
The notification of serving alcohol at an approved licensed premises costs EUR 185 if the application has been initiated in the e-service.
Contact information
Customer service for health and social affairs
Service form
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: +358 295 256 930 (Monday–Friday 9:00–15:00)