All games distributed in Finland as recordings shall be notified to the Finnish Board of Film Classification prior to their distribution. The submission of the notification is primarily the duty of the importer or manufacturer of a game but the party who conveys the game to a consumer is ultimately responsible for the legality of the game.
The notification may be submitted through an electronic system (P-ILMO) or on a notification form. P-ILMO may be used free of charge but it requires the conclusion of a user contract. For further information, please contact Mr. Jarno Lehtonen (firstname.lastname@vet.fi, telephone: (09) 2285 4467). The notification form may be submitted to the Finnish Board of Film Classification by mail or, upon agreement, also as an e-mail attachment.
The Finnish Board of Film Classification shall automatically register and approve all games with a PEGI rating. If there is no PEGI rating, the importer shall, in the notification, suggest an age category for the game and the Finnish Board of Film Classification shall, after consideration, approve it or negotiate with the distributor regarding a more suitable age category. If mutual understanding cannot be reached, the Finnish Board of Film Classification may request the game for prior classification. The classification is subject to a charge.
PEGI-rated games may immediately after the registration be distributed to consumers; other games shall be equipped with the domestic age-category marking.
Each game format (PS2, XBOX, PC, etc.) shall be separately notified to the Finnish Board of Film Classification. This applies also to rereleases of games if the EAN code, which functions as the identification number of the game, changes.
Game demos distributed with magazines shall also be notified. In such a notification, the name and number of the magazine, in connection to which the recording is distributed, shall be notified as the name of the recording.
If the game demo recording contains also traditional audio-visual programmes (for example movie trailers), they shall be classified (if the purpose is to distribute the demo/magazine also to persons who have not attained the age of 18) or notified as audio-visual programmes to be distributed only to adults (in which case, the age category shall be 18). In that case, also the age category marking shall be different.
Online games as well as games downloadable from the network need not be notified and they are not registered at the Finnish Board of Film Classification.
Games played in arcades and other public premises shall also be notified and the registration extract, issued by the Finnish Board of Film Classification, indicating the statutory information regarding the game, inter alia the age category and the distributor, shall be kept in connection to the game.