Everyman's rights and wild camping in Finland

In Finland, everyman’s rights, often referred to as everyone’s rights, make it easy to enjoy nature. They mean that everyone staying in Finland has the right to spend time in nature and, for example, gather wild berries and mushrooms, regardless of who owns the land.

With everyman’s rights, you can:

• walk, hike, ski and cycle
• stay overnight temporarily (for example, in a tent)
• swim, boat and enjoy activities on ice
• pick wild berries and mushrooms, and go fishing (but remember that some types of fishing require a fishing permit)

As you might guess, everyman’s rights do not allow any kind of damage to nature or disturbance of other people. Lighting an open fire is also not allowed without the landowner’s permission. In addition, all wildfire warnings and fire restrictions must always be followed.

Wild camping

Wild camping is a familiar concept especially for people travelling in camper vans. Everyman’s rights allow you to stay overnight temporarily (for example, in a tent) in areas where access is otherwise permitted. However, these rights do not apply to motor vehicles. This means that you cannot drive or park a car, caravan, motorhome or camper van off-road in natural areas such as forests or fields.

But the good news is that Finnish traffic laws generally allow spending the night in a motor vehicle parked beside a road or in a designated parking or rest area, as long as the vehicle is legally parked and does not cause a hazard or obstruct traffic.

A good rule of thumb is: if parking is permitted and there are no signs prohibiting overnight stays or camping, you may usually spend the night in your recreational vehicle.

Wild camping with a tent (Repovesi national park) and a campervan

If you are heading to a national park, keep in mind that there may be local rules that restrict everyman’s rights, including where camping is allowed. It is a good idea to check the park’s rules in advance if you are planning to stay overnight. Spending the night inside a camper or motorhome is generally allowed in designated parking areas unless local signs or regulations state otherwise.

If you follow local signs, respect nature and other people, and leave no trace, you can enjoy wild camping in Finland and are unlikely to encounter any problems.

Published on 11.7.2026