Toimivaltaisille

Toimivaltaisille is a Finnish grammatical form used in official and administrative language. It represents the allative plural form of the noun or concept toimivalta, which conveys authority, competence, or the legal jurisdiction to act in a given matter. In practice, toimivaltaisille marks the recipients or addressees who have the authority to deal with a task, decision, or instruction. The phrase is therefore commonly translated as “to the competent authorities” or “for the competent authorities.”

In use, toimivaltaisille appears in regulatory, legal, and public-sector texts. It is typical in directives, notices, and decisions to indicate who should receive a document or who is authorized to act. Examples include phrases such as “Ohjeet on suunnattu toimivaltaisille viranomaisille” (The instructions are addressed to the competent authorities) or “Päätös on toimitettava toimivaltaisille viranomaisille.” The form can stand alone or coexist with other to-phrases, such as viranomaisille, lautakunnille, or muuta toimivalta-alueen toimielimiä.

Etymology and grammar: toimivaltaisille is formed by applying the allative case ending -lle to the plural form of toimivalta (or its corresponding plural noun form in context). It is a formal, not everyday, construction and appears primarily in legal or administrative texts. The related adjective toimivaltainen means “having jurisdiction” or “competent,” while toimivalta refers to jurisdiction or authority.

See also: Finnish grammar – allative case; list of Finnish case endings; legal Finnish terminology.