Privacy and legality

A plate number isn't personal data in itself, so publishing it isn't generally illegal. Plate numbers are visible all the time, e.g. in sales ads, parking enforcement and everyday life. Problems can arise if personal data, such as the owner's name or address, is linked to the plate number without permission.

If a plate number is linked to an identifiable person in a way that violates their privacy or spreads sensitive information, it may be a data protection violation. In such cases, publishing may breach data protection law or even criminal law.

A car owner isn't notified when their vehicle's details are searched on a register service such as 16500.fi. Register search services process data within the limits of the law and keep logs for possible use by the authorities, but don't share them with the searched person.

This means you can search confidentially and the vehicle's owner won't know – provided your use is lawful and justified.

Traficom lets you restrict the disclosure of your own register details in certain cases. For example, you can ban marketing use or restrict your details if you have a justified reason to protect yourself from harassment or another threat.

However, restricting your details doesn't prevent all requests, such as searches by the authorities or private persons with a lawful reason. You can set a disclosure ban directly in Traficom's e-services or by contacting their customer service.

Yes, license plate search is completely legal in Finland as long as it's used appropriately and within the law. Traficom's vehicle register data may be disclosed to private persons under certain conditions, and several providers – such as 16500.fi – offer paid searches based on this data.

Data processing complies with data protection law, the Vehicles Act and the rules of use for Traficom's register. Searching is permitted, for example, when you're considering buying a car or need to settle liability after a traffic incident.