Compliance with the Tobacco Act is monitored by the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) at a general level and by municipalities at a local level. Espoo Region Environmental Health Services monitors in its area (Espoo, Kauniainen and Kirkkonummi):
1. compliance with provisions on the sale or other supply of tobacco products, tobacco substitutes, smoking accessories, electronic cigarettes and nicotine-containing liquids and the related self-monitoring;
2. compliance with provisions on the marketing and display bans laid down in the Tobacco Act (549/2016);
3. compliance with provisions on smoking prohibitions and restrictions. Contact information:
Sale of tobacco: tupakkavalvonta@espoo.fi
Smoking bans: tupakointikieltopaatos@espoo.fi
Municipalities are responsible for granting licences for the sale of nicotine products and monitoring compliance with the law in their area. The monitoring of the sale of nicotine products and the related retail licences are linked to the retail sale of tobacco products.
The processing of retail licence applications for nicotine replacement products and the systematic monitoring of the sale of nicotine products are subject to a fee. The monitoring of compliance with regulations on the sale of nicotine products takes place in connection with monitoring under the Tobacco Act.
A separate retail licence application (see “Downloadable files”) must be submitted for each sales outlet and operator. Your application must include a self-monitoring plan.
A retail licence for tobacco products and nicotine-containing liquids is always granted to a specific sales outlet and operator. The retail licence is granted by the municipality where the sales outlet is located. You can use the online application(external link, opens in a new window) (in Finnish) on the Valvira website or send a paper application to:
Espoo Region Environmental Health Services
P.O. Box 210
02070 City of Espoo
Your application must include a self-monitoring plan for the sale of tobacco products and nicotine-containing liquids.
Espoo Region Environmental Health Services is responsible for granting retail licences in Espoo, Kauniainen and Kirkkonummi. A fee is charged for the processing of applications in line with the price list approved by the Espoo City Board. In addition, retail licence holders must pay an annual supervisory fee.
According to the Tobacco Act, a housing corporation may submit an application requesting the municipality to forbid smoking on premises that are under the control of residents. A housing company can apply for an official ban if the majority of shareholders are in favour of it. The decision is made at a general meeting. The occupants of the premises must be heard on the matter before the application is submitted.
The municipality must, upon application, impose a smoking ban if tobacco smoke can spread to the indoor or outdoor areas of another apartment. The threshold for imposing smoking bans on apartment balconies and outdoor areas used by apartments is generally quite low.
Smoking may be prohibited inside an apartment only if the spreading of smoke cannot be reasonably prevented by repairing the structures and the occupant of the apartment has been given an opportunity to take measures to prevent the smoke from spreading. The ban on smoking inside an apartment does not apply to the use of electronic cigarettes.
All the occupants of the premises must be heard by the housing corporation before the decision on applying for a ban is made. We recommend that housing corporations use the form available on the website of the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) for the hearing. Information on the hearing must be provided no later than two weeks before the general meeting to all shareholders and residents, including tenants and shareholders residing elsewhere.
The hearing and application must provide clear information on which premises the ban is applied for, such as balconies, terraces or apartment yards. If the occupants of the premises are only heard on the ban on balcony smoking, the application and ban cannot be extended to apply to other outdoor areas used by the occupants.
A housing corporation may, without applying for a ban from the municipality, prohibit smoking in shared outdoor areas under its control.
Housing corporations can submit their applications for smoking bans by email to tupakointikieltopaatos@espoo.fi