A utility model application consists of the application form, a description of the invention and at least one claim as well as any explanatory drawings or diagrams. The National Board of Patents and Registration will not examine the utility model in terms of novelty or inventiveness. However, the Board can be requested to examine the novelty of the invention for a separate fee. If an invention protected by a utility model is sufficiently inventive, it is possible to apply for a patent as well.

If a utility model application has been prepared in a formally correct way, the utility model will be registered. The normal processing time is three to six months.

In Finland, a utility model is valid for four years from the date of filing the application. It can be renewed twice: first for four years and then for two years. The maximum time of protection is ten years from the date of filing the first application.

The Act on Utility Model Rights came into effect in 1992.