Can I keep money I find in Finland?
Not directly — but honesty is rewarded by law. The Lost Property Act is clear: found money or goods must be returned to the owner or delivered to the police without delay. Pocketing a banknote from the street is embezzlement of lost property. In exchange the law gives the finder real rights: a 10% reward when the owner collects their property — and if no owner comes forward within three months of delivery to the police, the find becomes yours entirely. Here is the detail that surprises people: money found in a shop, a bus or an office is a premises find, handed to staff with no reward, and it never passes to the finder.
📋 The rules
- Lost property — cash included — must be returned to the owner or delivered to police without delay.
- Finders are entitled to a reward: 10% of the value when the owner retrieves the property.
- If the owner isn't reached within three months of delivery to police, the find passes to the finder.
- Premises finds (shops, public transport, offices) are handed to the operator — no reward, no transfer to the finder.
- Bank cards, IDs and the like always go to police or the bank — they're never 'finders keepers'.
🔓 Exceptions
- Worthless or trivial items (a faded mitten) fall outside the procedure in practice — reasonableness rules.
- Clearly abandoned property (left at a bin) isn't lost property — but the abandonment must be evident.
- Bank cards, ID documents and the like never pass to the finder — they always go to the police or the bank.
⚠️ Penalties
Keeping a find is embezzlement: fines or up to 1 year and 6 months in prison, and more when aggravated. Getting caught isn't theoretical — cameras and card use expose these acts in practice almost every time. Paying with a found card is its own crime: payment-instrument fraud stacks on top of the embezzlement, and the sums grow with every purchase. Compare that with the alternative: a find delivered to the police yields a 10% reward, or after three months the whole sum lawfully — honesty is the better-paying option here.
📎 Sources
- Finlex · Lost Property Act 778/1988 →
- Police of Finland · Lost property →
- Finlex · Criminal Code ch. 28 — embezzlement →
❓ Frequently asked questions
I found €50 on the street — what does the law actually require?
Deliver it to the police; an electronic report works online. If the owner turns up you get 10%, and if they aren't reached within three months the whole sum is lawfully yours.
What about a wallet with cards?
Straight to the police — cards and an ID make the return urgent. The owner is usually traced within minutes, and cards never pass to the finder in any case.
Can I keep a tenner found on the bus?
No — finds on public transport, in shops and in offices are premises finds handed to the staff. They carry no reward and never pass to the finder.
Who gets treasure found in the woods?
Ancient artefacts belong to the Heritage Agency against redemption. Ordinary hidden cash is handled as lost property — to the police, and possibly to you after three months.
What happens if I pay with a found card?
Payment-instrument fraud stacks on top of the embezzlement as an independent offence. Card transactions leave a trace on every purchase, so getting caught is practically certain.
🔎 What people search
Searches that lead to this question.
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