In Finland, Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) is the competent authority andthe national warning point with respect to bilateral and international agreements. STUKhas drafted proposals for new guides for intervention levels in different phases of anemergency to be adopted by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) in Finland. These guides arewritten separately for early phase and intermediate phase of a radiological emergency.STUK selected 20 mSv effective residual dose from all exposure pathways during the firstyear of an emergency as the reference level. This overall goal has been supplemented withthe following general guidance; if a projected dose without protective measures is duringthe first year: (1) higher than 10 mSv, it is necessary to perform protective measures;radiation expose is dominant in decision making, (2) 1–10 mSv, protective measures areusually justified but other factors effect decision making, (3) below 1 mSv, theprotective measures may be carried out especially if they are easily feasible; otherfactors are dominant in decision making. More specific criteria are given for separatecountermeasures as a projected dose in a certain time period or as an operationalintervention level (OIL) in a quantity which can be directly measured (external dose rate,magnitude of surface contamination, concentration level) or as a trigger (such as plantconditions). This paper presents the main intervention levels and criteria to be used in aradiological emergency for members of the public.