Before you submit your complaint

The Ombudsman processes written complaints.                

A complaint can concern, for instance

  • a decision or a reply from an authority
  • the treatment that the complainant or a case has received from the authority
  • an authority’s lack of reply or the dragging on of a case (complaints about case processing times)

Even if the Ombudsman decides to enter a case, he cannot change the authorities’ decision. After having reviewed the case and after the authority has had an opportunity to make a statement, the Ombudsman can 

  1. criticise the authorities
  2. ask the authorities to reopen the case and make a new decision

The complaint must meet some general conditions

If a complaint does not meet the conditions, the Ombudsman will normally close the case with a short reply stating that he cannot help with the complaint.

The complaint must concern a public authority or certain private institutions etc.

A public authority can be, for instance, a municipality, an agency, a ministry, a region, a board or a council. 

You can also complain about certain private institutions such as accommodation facilities, schools and day-care facilities. 

The Ombudsman CANNOT investigate complaints about: 

  • The courts of law – including judgments, other decisions and cases that the courts are already processing or that are expected to be brought before the courts.
  • Parliament and the legislation that Parliament has adopted.
  • Private actors such as businesses, banks and insurance companies. This also applies to private boards (for instance the Financial Complaint Board, the Insurance Complaints Board and the Property Transaction Complaint Board). You can complain about certain private institutions etc. as mentioned above.
  • Certain boards that settle disputes between private actors, even if they are otherwise considered to be part of the public administration – this applies to, for instance, boundary lines between properties, rent control boards and the Consumer Board of Appeal.

The case must be concluded, and the complaint options must have been used 

  • The correspondence with the authorities must have been concluded.
  • The authorities must have taken a position on the matters that are the subject of your enquiry to the Ombudsman.
  • The authorities must have made a final decision about the subject of your complaint. This means that all available complaint options must be used before you submit a complaint to the Ombudsman.
  • If the complaint options have not been used, the Ombudsman cannot consider the complaint – not even if the deadline for using another complaint option has expired.
  • If – instead of an actual complaint option – it is possible to bring the case before a supervisory authority, the Ombudsman will not normally enter the case until the supervisory authority has had the opportunity to process it.

The complaint must be submitted within one year

The deadline to complain is calculated

  • from the time when you have received the highest appeals body’s decision or
  • from the time of the event that you want to complain about

This normally applies even if you have written to the authority again (for instance requesting that the case be reopened). 

Complaints about long case processing times

You can complain about an authority’s case processing time even if the authority has not concluded the case.

However, you must first have sent a reminder to the authority for a reply.

You must also have used any other options to complain about the case processing time.

The following appears from the Parliamentary Ombudsman Act (Consolidation Act No. 349 of 22 March 2013): 

‘7. (1) The jurisdiction of the Ombudsman shall extend to all parts of the public administration. The jurisdiction of the Ombudsman shall also extend to the conditions of persons deprived of their liberty in private institutions, etc. where they have been placed either in pursuance of a decision made by a public authority, at the recommendation of a public authority, or with the consent or approval of a public authority. In addition, the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction shall extend to the conditions of children in private institutions, etc. which are responsible for tasks directly related to children.

(2) The jurisdiction of the Ombudsman shall not extend to the courts of justice.

(3) The Ombudsman shall not consider complaints against boards which in a satisfactory way make decisions on disputes between private parties, even if the board concerned in other contexts is regarded as part of the public administration.

(4) If companies, institutions, associations, etc. legally or administratively fully or partly are subject to the rules and principles applicable to the public administration, the Ombudsman may determine that his jurisdiction shall extend to those bodies to the same extent.

…

13. (1) Any person may lodge a complaint with the Ombudsman against the authorities referred to in Sections 7-9. Any person deprived of his personal liberty shall be entitled to send a letter to the Ombudsman in a sealed envelope.

(2) Complainants shall state their name.

(3) A complaint shall be lodged not later than twelve months after the grievance took place.

(4) In special circumstances, the Ombudsman may extend the deadline laid down in Subsection (3) of this Section.

14. A complaint concerning matters which may be appealed to another administrative authority cannot be lodged with the Ombudsman until that authority has made a decision in the matter.

…

16. (1) The Ombudsman shall determine whether a complaint offers sufficient grounds for investigation.

(2) If a complaint gives the Ombudsman no occasion for criticism, recommendations, etc., the case may be closed without being submitted by the Ombudsman to the authority concerned for a statement, cf. section 20(1).’

Relevant documents (not links) must be submitted together with the complaint

For complaints about replies, decisions etc., relevant documents are: 

  • The enquiry or enquiries that you have sent to the authority concerning the matter(s) that you ask the Ombudsman to investigate
  • the authority’s decision/reply
  • your appeal, if any, against the decision and the appeals body’s decision

For complaints about lack of reply (case processing times), relevant documents are: 

  • The enquiry or enquiries that you have sent to the authority, which the authority has not replied to
  • the authority’s receipts or notifications of processing time, if any 
  • your reminder (or reminders) to the authority and the authority's replies, if any

For IT security reasons, the Ombudsman does not have access to documents sent via external links. 

The Ombudsman also does not have direct access to the case with the authority. 

If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, please read: Complaint on behalf of someone else