Car owner details
How do you find a car's owner? License plate search is a reliable way to find the owner's or holder's name and, if needed, their phone number and contact details by SMS.
Text the plate number to 16500
SMS price: €3.90
Or
Source: Transport register, Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom
More services
Full details
In addition to the basic and history details, full details include extensive technical data: dimensions, engine, fuel consumption and safety equipment.
History
Besides the current owner and latest inspection, the history shows previous owners as well as inspection and odometer history.
Owner's number
If your search finds a match, a follow-up message gets you the phone number and address of the vehicle's owner or holder.
How the vehicle search works
Type the plate number in a text message, for example:
- Basic details: ABC-123
- History: T2 ABC-123
- Full details: T3 ABC-123
Send the message to 16500. Price per successful search:
- Basic details: €3.90
- History: €3.90
- Full details: €5.90
You'll get a link to the result in a reply message. The link is valid for 24 hours.
If your search found a result, a follow-up message gets you the owner's or holder's contact details. Price: €1.50.
Who owns the car?
Car owner details always require a paid service. If the registered owner is a third party, such as a finance company, license plate search also conveniently shows the car's holder.
The owner's or holder's contact details, such as their phone number, aren't in the vehicle register. After the register search, however, you can do a follow-up search with the owner's details directly in the 16500 directory service.
When am I allowed to look up a car's owner?
License plate search must be used appropriately and within the law, never for harassment. Traficom's vehicle register data may be disclosed to private persons under certain conditions.
Searching is permitted, for example, when you're considering buying a car, want to find the owner of a badly or dangerously parked car, or need to settle liability after a traffic incident.
How many owners has the car had?
Basic vehicle details only include the current owner and holder, but the history reveals the full ownership history and the number of previous owners.
If the owner has banned the disclosure of their details, they may not be shown in the service. Searches made through Traficom's e-services leave a trace in a log that the owner can see – but searches made through commercial services such as 16500.fi are never shown to the car's owner or holder.
Car imports and ownership history
A car's full details include plenty of information about its history, such as the year of first use, first registration, changes of ownership and inspection history.
If the car was first registered abroad, the registration certificate may not show the importer directly. However, the ownership and inspection history reveals the first person or company to use or inspect the car in Finland. With a justified reason, you can order the official import notification from Traficom's e-services.