Can I hunt on my own land in Finland?
Yes — hunting rights belong to the landowner, but that removes no personal requirements. On your own land you hunt without anyone else's permission, yet the personal requirements don't disappear. You need the hunter's examination and a valid hunting card — the game-management fee is €43 for the 2026–2027 season, €10 under 18 — plus police-issued firearms permits. Species seasons, quotas and catch reports bind you exactly as they bind everyone else. The big trap is deer-family game: moose require a hunting permit, a passed shooting test and a sufficiently large contiguous area — your own plot alone will not do. The shooting test is required for bear as well.
📋 The rules
- Hunting rights follow land ownership — no third-party permission needed on your own land, and the right can be leased e.g. to a hunting club.
- The hunter's exam and game-management fee are always mandatory: €43 for 2026–2027 (€10 under 18).
- Possessing a firearm requires a police permit — on your own land too.
- Species seasons, quotas and catch reports bind everyone; deer-family animals need permits and minimum areas.
- A shooting test is required for deer-family and bear hunting.
🔓 Exceptions
- Invasive small predators (raccoon dog, mink) have lighter rules — but the card and gun permits still apply.
- In the Section 8 area (Lapland and certain municipalities), residents may hunt freely on state land within their home municipality.
- The hunting right can be leased or granted — a landowner may give a guest a hunting permission or lease the right to a hunting club by written agreement.
⚠️ Penalties
Hunting without a card, a firearms permit or a hunting permit is a hunting violation, or a hunting crime in more serious cases: fines, imprisonment when aggravated, forfeiture of weapons and catch, and a fixed-term hunting ban. The ban is in practice the heaviest consequence, because it shuts the hobby down for years. Killing a protected animal also brings species-specific compensation to the state, and the firearms permit can be revoked by police decision. Catch reports and quotas bind you on your own land too.
📎 Sources
- Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry · Hunting card and fee →
- Finnish Wildlife Agency · Hunting card →
- Finnish Government · Game-management fee →
❓ Frequently asked questions
How much is the hunting card in 2026?
The game-management fee for 2026–2027 is €43, and €10 for under-18s. You pay it in the Oma riista service, and the card is valid only for the season paid for — last season's receipt won't do.
Can I shoot a moose on my own land?
Only with a hunting permit — moose hunting requires the Wildlife Agency's permit, a passed shooting test and a sufficiently large contiguous area (about 1,000 ha per permit). A small plot does not meet the area requirement.
Does a landowner need the hunter's exam?
Yes — the exam and the game-management fee are personal requirements that land ownership does not replace. The same goes for the gun: a police permit is needed to possess a firearm on your own land too.
Can I let a friend hunt on my land?
Yes — you can lease the hunting right, for example to a hunting club, or grant a single hunting permission. Put it in writing, because the scope (species, area, dates) decides what is lawful hunting.
Is a shooting test always required?
Not for all hunting — the shooting test is required for deer-family game and bear. For small game the hunter's exam, a valid game-management fee and a police firearms permit are enough.
🔎 What people search
Searches that lead to this question.
- “hunting own land Finland”
- “Finland hunting card fee 2026”
- “moose permit Finland area”
- “hunter exam Finland required”
- “lease hunting rights Finland”
- “shooting test Finland hunting”