oikeuskelpoisena

Oikeuskelpoisena is a Finnish legal term describing the state or condition of having legal capacity to possess rights and obligations and to participate in legally significant acts. The word combines oikeus (law/right) with kelpoisuus (fitness/eligibility) and is commonly used in statutory language and judicial commentary to indicate that a person or entity is a proper subject of rights and duties under the law.

In practice, oikeuskelpoisena can apply to natural persons and to legal entities. For natural persons, full oikeuskelpoisuus is typically tied to age and mental capacity; minors and persons under guardianship may act only through representatives or with restricted capacity. For legal entities, corporate status or other recognized forms grant standing to sue, be sued, own property, and enter into binding obligations, i.e., they are regarded as oikeuskelpoisia in appropriate contexts.

The expression is often used to contrast with limits on capacity, such as incapacity or the need for representation. It is also distinct from oikeustoimikelpoisuus, which concerns the ability to perform legally binding acts personally, and from edustus (representation) or oikeudellinen valtuutus (legal authorization), which govern how capacity is exercised through others.

Limitations or conditions on being oikeuskelpoisena can arise from protective provisions, guardianship, or disqualification due to conflicting interests. In Finnish legal drafting, oikeuskelpoisena serves as a concise way of signaling that a subject can participate in legal processes and enjoy civil rights.