Calls to numbers starting with 0294 are charged only for local or mobile calls. When calling from abroad, the price is set by the local operator.
New hunter and hunting card
New hunters who have passed the hunter’s exam can pay the game management fee in Oma riista, at best the next day. The Register of hunters will also send you an invoice for the current hunting year’s game management fee within about two weeks of your graduation.
Once the game management fee has been paid, the hunting card takes effect immediately.
Payment of the hunting card
In the Oma riista app
Log in to the app with your credentials, click on My details and then on Hunting card. Go to Pay and a payment path will take you to your destination. After a successful payment, your hunting card is immediately valid and visible in the app.
If the payment fails, you can contact maksut@riista.fi. You can also download and print a copy of your hunting card from the Oma riista service.
by e-invoice
An e-invoice contract for the payment of the game management fee can be concluded via an online bank. Those who pay their game management fee by e-invoice will receive a hunting card the size of a bank card with a “paid” mark along with the Metsästäjä magazine.
The e-invoices for hunting fees will be sent in May. If you wish to switch to e-invoicing, please sign an e-invoice contract with your online bank by 30 April to allow the change to take effect for the hunting year starting 1 August.
Switching to e-invoicing for game management fees is simple. Here’s how to do it:
Log in to your online bank.
Make a contract (new e-invoice) and select Suomen riistakeskus (the Finnish Wildlife Agency) as the invoicing party and riistanhoitomaksu (the game management fee) as the invoice subject.
Use your personal identification number as the unique identifier.
Note! Some banks require both a personal identity number and a reference number for e-invoicing. The reference number can be the previous season’s hunting card reference or reference number 1232. If you still cannot make an e-invoice, please contact your bank.
If your bank account changes, the old e-invoice agreement must be cancelled. A new e-invoice contract should only be concluded after the old contract has been cancelled.
For more information on how to set up an e-invoice, please visit your bank’s website.
If you do not have an online bank, you can sign a direct debit agreement with your bank.
Using the transfer form
The traditional paper transfer form for the next hunting year’s game management fee is sent out annually in July with the Metsästäjä magazine. It arrives for those hunters who have paid the game management fee at least once in the last five years.
The transfer form includes a personal reference number, which changes every year, to ensure that the payment is correctly recorded. This reference number must always be used when paying the game management fee. The game management fee for the 2025-2026 hunting year is €43 (€10 for under 18 year olds).
The game management fee can be paid online, via a payment envelope or by telephone. It can also be paid as a service fee at banks, but the bank does not currently stamp the hunting card.
The payment receipt or a copy of the bank statement must be attached to the transfer form as proof of payment. An advance receipt is not valid as proof of payment. The transfer form and the payment receipt together constitute a hunting card.
If your hunting card goes missing
If you lose your hunting card, you can use the electronic hunting card in the Oma riista app. This means that the user of the Oma riista does not have to order a new card to replace the lost one.
You can also download and print a copy of the hunting card from the Oma riista online service.
If you do not use Oma riista, you can order an extract from the Register of hunters to replace the lost card. A service fee will be charged.
Going hunting abroad?
Hunting card text translations
When hunting abroad, the local authority may want a text translation of the Finnish hunting card. For example, they often need confirmation of the validity of the insurance cover.
The translations below should be printed out to take with you on your trip.
You can print out your shooting test certificate from the Oma riista online service. It contains a statement in both English and German explaining which animals the card holder is entitled to hunt in Finland.
A hunting card is ordered for a foreign hunter through the game management association for a hunting year at a time. A foreign hunter will not receive a Metsästäjä magazine.
A copy of the hunting card or a reliable proof of the person’s right to hunt in his/her country of origin is presented to the Activity coordinator of the game management association. If a person is unable to provide acceptable proof of his/her hunting rights, he/she must pass a Finnish hunting examination in order to be able to hunt in Finland.
A Finnish citizen living abroad must pass a Finnish hunter’s examination, excluding dual nationals.
Ålanders receive their cards in the same way as foreigners.
A foreign hunter needs
Finnish hunting card
a Finnish shooting test certificate (i.e. a certificate of mutual recognition of a shooting test)
a hunting permit
a permit to bring a gun or dog into the country.
In obtaining permits, it is advisable for the host to assist his foreign guest and to consult the game management association’s Activity coordinator in good time.
Essential hunting card and permit
A Finnish hunting card can be issued to a foreigner for one hunting year at a time. To obtain a hunting card, the foreigner must present a valid hunting card or other reliable proof that he or she is entitled to hunt in his or her home country. Otherwise, foreign hunters must also pass a Finnish hunting examination.
A hunting card is ordered from the Hunter’s Register by the Game Management Association’s Activity coordinator. The card is only mailed from the register on the basis of an order from the coordinator.
Foreign hunters must also have a hunting permit for a particular area. Hunting permits are sold or issued by hunting rights holders, such as hunting clubs, landowners and, for state land, the Metsähallitus.
A certificate of the shooting test is compulsory
Foreigners must apply for a certificate of equivalence of the shooting test from the Game Management Association’s Activity Coordinator. The requirement is the right to hunt animals of equivalent size in their home country.
The association issues a certificate of mutual recognition of the shooting test taken in another country or of the above-mentioned certificate. The certificate issued is equivalent to the certificate for the shooting test.
The certificate issued by the Game Management Association is subject to a fee (EUR 20) and is valid for a maximum of three years. If a shooting test taken abroad is valid for a shorter period, the certificate will be issued for a maximum of the corresponding period.
The shooting test certificate can be obtained at the same time as the guest’s Finnish hunting card is ordered. A valid certificate of a shooting test passed in another country, together with a translation, if necessary, will be submitted to the Game Management Association’s Activity Coordinator if mutual recognition is requested on the basis of a shooting test passed. In other cases, proof of the foreigner’s right to hunt game of a similar size in his/her own country must be provided.
If the hunter does not have a shooting test certificate or is unable to provide an acceptable proof, he must take a Finnish shooting test in accordance with the provisions in force. Shooting tests are organised by the Game Management Associations. A certificate is issued upon successful completion, which is valid for three years from the date of the test.
For those participating in Finnish elk hunting, a visit to the shooting range, the zeroing of weapons and training in the Finnish elk pattern are also useful preparation for the hunt.
Import of dogs and weapons into Finland is subject to authorisation
The requirements for importing hunting dogs, firearms and ammunition vary depending on the country from which the dog and gun are imported.
Holders of Nordic firearms licences and EU firearms passports can bring a firearm with them, but they must also have a written invitation from the hunting organiser.
