Are Finnish stamps public domain?

It depends on the date. In the archive's reading, Finnish stamps issued before 1990 are public domain because a public body issued them, while stamps from 1990 on are copyrighted until 70 years after the designer's death. Wikimedia Commons is narrower and accepts a pre-1990 stamp only when its image is cropped from an official decision.

Does Commons accept every Finnish stamp from before 1990?

No. Wikimedia Commons accepts a Finnish stamp issued before 1990 only when its image is cropped from a decision or statement of a public body, and otherwise assumes copyright until 70 years after the author's death, or 70 years after publication for an anonymous work. The archive goes further and treats every pre-1990 Finnish stamp as public domain.

Are Åland stamps covered by the Finnish rule?

Not according to Wikimedia Commons, whose discussion of Finnish stamps says it does not concern Åland. Åland has issued its own stamps since 1984 and has its own laws on postal matters.

Will the 1990 cutoff change?

No. The 1990 cutoff for Finnish stamps marks the year the state post became a state-owned enterprise, Posti-Tele, so it is a fixed date. Stamps issued before 1990 are public domain in the archive's reading, and the line does not move with the calendar.

Finland

Are Finland stamps public domain?

Finnish stamps issued before 1990 are public domain in the archive's reading of Wikimedia Commons, because a public body issued them. Commons itself marks them maybe copyrighted: it accepts a stamp image cropped from an official decision and otherwise assumes copyright. Commons treats stamps from 1990 on as copyrighted until 70 years after the designer's death. The cutoff is fixed.

Why 1990?

Section 9 of Finland's Copyright Act of 1961 gives no copyright to decisions and statements of public authorities.¹ Commons says stamps were issued by such a body until 1990, and its license tag for Finnish stamps covers a stamp published by Posti- ja telelaitos before January 1, 1990 when the image is cropped from a decision or statement uploaded to Commons and the stamp is not an independent work.¹² For stamp images from anywhere else Commons calls the effect uncertain and assumes copyright: 70 years after the author's death, or 70 years after publication if the author is anonymous.¹ In 1990 the post became a state-owned enterprise, Posti-Tele, and Commons assumes it was no longer a public body.¹ The archive's rule goes further than Commons for the earlier period: in the archive's reading every stamp issued before 1990 is public domain, wherever its image comes from.

Postal history and copyright

Finland issued its first stamps in 1856 as an autonomous grand duchy of the Russian Empire, and its first stamps of its own design on October 1, 1917, two months before it declared independence on December 6, 1917.³⁴ Commons' note does not separate the stamps of the grand duchy from later ones, and the archive applies the same rule to every stamp issued before 1990. Åland has issued its own stamps since 1984 and has its own laws on postal matters; Commons says its discussion of Finnish stamps does not concern Åland.¹⁵ Sources differ on the change of status: Finnish Wikipedia says the post became a state enterprise in 1989 and stopped being a central agency in 1990.⁵

References 5

↑ Copyright rules for Finland. Wikimedia Commons, September 2, 2025. Accessed October 8, 2026.
↑ Wikimedia Commons license tag (Finland). Wikimedia Commons, March 19, 2023. Accessed October 8, 2026.
↑ Postage stamps and postal history of Finland. Wikipedia, July 30, 2026. Accessed October 8, 2026.
↑ Finland (Q33). Wikidata, September 19, 2026. Accessed October 8, 2026.
↑ Suomen postilaitoksen historia. Wikipedia, March 26, 2026. Accessed October 8, 2026.

Copyright law in Finland

The archive has not been able to settle the details of Finland stamps specifically. Here is its reading of the copyright law of Finland, and how it reaches a general answer from it. A design answers Likely yes or Likely no only when every term that could apply agrees, and Unclear when they disagree.

Named designer: 70 years after the designer’s death
Anonymous: 70 years from issue
Note: A stamp issued by a public body before 1990 may be free as part of an official decision, but is assumed to be protected. Stamps from 1990 on are protected.

Historical issuers read under this law: Aunus (Finnish Occupation), Eastern Karelia (Finnish Occupation), Karjala.

Read from Wikimedia Commons, copyright rules for Finland, revision 1079941920, checked October 8, 2026

The rule by period

PeriodRule

Before 1990Public domain: issued before 1990 by a public body.The archive treats these as free because the state post was a public body; Commons accepts them when the image comes from an official decision and otherwise assumes copyright.

From 1990Protected until 70 years after the death of the last designer or engraver.Commons assumes the state enterprise that issued these was not a public body and treats them as copyrighted; the archive counts 70 years from the death of the last designer or engraver.

Finland stamps and the public domain: questions

Are Finnish stamps public domain?: It depends on the date. In the archive's reading, Finnish stamps issued before 1990 are public domain because a public body issued them, while stamps from 1990 on are copyrighted until 70 years after the designer's death. Wikimedia Commons is narrower and accepts a pre-1990 stamp only when its image is cropped from an official decision.
Does Commons accept every Finnish stamp from before 1990?: No. Wikimedia Commons accepts a Finnish stamp issued before 1990 only when its image is cropped from a decision or statement of a public body, and otherwise assumes copyright until 70 years after the author's death, or 70 years after publication for an anonymous work. The archive goes further and treats every pre-1990 Finnish stamp as public domain.
Are Åland stamps covered by the Finnish rule?: Not according to Wikimedia Commons, whose discussion of Finnish stamps says it does not concern Åland. Åland has issued its own stamps since 1984 and has its own laws on postal matters.
Will the 1990 cutoff change?: No. The 1990 cutoff for Finnish stamps marks the year the state post became a state-owned enterprise, Posti-Tele, so it is a fixed date. Stamps issued before 1990 are public domain in the archive's reading, and the line does not move with the calendar.