Instructions for requesting review of environmental health care fees

If the invoicing issue can be resolved over the telephone or by email, a written request for administrative review is not required and the invoice can be corrected without a formal decision.

If you are dissatisfied with a service-based fee or the annual supervision fee or basic charge, you can submit a request for administrative review of the fee to Espoo Region Environmental Health Services in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act or lodge an administrative appeal with the Administrative Court. An appeal may not be lodged with the Administrative Court if a request for administrative review must be submitted first. You can lodge an appeal against the decision on the request for administrative review with the Administrative Court.

A request for administrative review or an administrative appeal can be submitted by the party on whom the fee has been imposed or whose rights, obligations or interests are directly affected by the fee (interested party). A request for administrative review may be submitted on the grounds that the fee has been determined or imposed incorrectly.

Requests for administrative review concerning fees under the Food Act should be submitted to elintarvikevalvonta@espoo.fi 

Requests for administrative review concerning fees under the Health Protection Act should be submitted to terveydensuojelu@espoo.fi

Requests for administrative review concerning the supervision fee based on the Tobacco Act should be submitted to tupakkavalvonta@espoo.fi

You can also submit the request for administrative review to the City of Espoo Registry Office:

• Street address: Siltakatu 11, 02770 Espoo
• Postal address: P.O. Box 1, 02070 City of Espoo
• Tel. +358 9 8165 6000
• Email: kirjaamo@espoo.fi
• The Registry Office is open Mon–Fri 10:00–15:45.

Appeals concerning supervision fees under the Medicines Act and service-based fees under the Tobacco Act must be submitted to the Helsinki Administrative Court:

Appeals to the Administrative Court should primarily be filed through the e-services of administrative and special courts at https://asiointi.oikeus.fi/hallintotuomioistuimet(external link, opens in a new window).

You can also submit the appeal to the registry of the Helsinki Administrative Court:

• Email: helsinki.hao@oikeus.fi
• Street address: Radanrakentajantie 5, 00520 Helsinki
• Postal address: Radanrakentajantie 5, 00520 Helsinki
• Tel. +358 29 564 2069 (customer service / registry)
• Customer service is open Mon–Fri 8:00–16:15.

An electronic document submitted to an authority is deemed to have been received within the prescribed time limit if it arrives no later than on the last day of that period. A request for administrative review or appeal document in paper form must be submitted to the authority no later than on the last day of the time limit for requesting review, before the registry office closes.

A request for administrative review concerning service-based fees under the Food Act or the Health Protection Act must be submitted within 30 days of being notified of the fee. 

An appeal to the Administrative Court concerning service-based fees under the Tobacco Act must be filed within 30 days of being notified of the decision, or of the fee if the fee is not imposed by a decision. 

If a basic supervision charge under the Food Act has been unduly collected, a request for administrative review may be submitted within three years from the beginning of the calendar year following the year in which the charge was imposed.

A request for administrative review concerning an unduly collected basic supervision charge under the Health Protection Act or a supervision fee under the Tobacco Act may be submitted within three years from the beginning of the calendar year following the year in which the fee was imposed, but no later than 60 days after being notified of the fee. 

If a basic supervision charge has not been imposed, through no fault of the party liable to pay the fee, a request for administrative review may be submitted within one year from the beginning of the calendar year following the year in which the charge was imposed or should have been imposed. 

An appeal concerning a supervision fee under the Medicines Act may be submitted to the Helsinki Administrative Court with 30 days of being notified of the fee.

The interested party is deemed to have been notified of the fee, unless proven otherwise, within seven days after the invoice was sent by post, at the time indicated by the advice of delivery, or at the time indicated on a separate certificate of receipt. If the notification of the fee was served as an electronic message (e.g. e-invoice), the interested party is deemed to have been notified of the fee on the third day after the message was sent, unless proven otherwise. 

The day of receipt of the notification is not included in the time limit for requesting review. If the last day of the time limit for requesting review falls on a Saturday, Sunday, Independence Day, May Day, Christmas Eve, Midsummer Eve or other public holiday, the request may be submitted on the first working day thereafter.

All requests for a review of a fee must be submitted in writing. An electronic document also meets the required written form.

The request must indicate:

• the invoice to be reviewed;
• the changes requested;
• the grounds on which the changes are requested. 

The request must also include the name, address and telephone number of the party requesting review. If the legal or authorised representative of the party requesting review is to exercise the right to be heard, then their contact details must also be provided. The authority handling the request for review must be notified without delay of any changes in the contact details while the matter is pending.

If the reviewing authority’s decision can be served as an electronic message, an email address should also be provided. Submitting an appeal or other document through the administrative court’s online service is deemed to be a notification of the use of the online service as the address for service.

The appellant must pay a court fee as laid down in the Act on Court Fees (1455/2015). Up-to-date information on court fees is available on the Finnish courts website(external link, opens in a new window). No fee is charged for the processing of a request for administrative review.