Doctors qualified in the EU/EEA area and without EU citizenship

If you are a non-EU/EEA citizen but have completed your qualification in an EU/EEA member state, you are subject to the same licensing requirements as EU/EEA citizens who have completed their qualification in an EU/EEA member state. Only the language requirements are different.

Language skills

All doctors working in Finland must be able to speak either Finnish or Swedish. Finland is officially a bilingual country and some 5% of the population speak Swedish as their first language.

As a non-EU/EEA citizen, you need to provide Valvira (The National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health) proof of your Finnish or Swedish language skills before you can be licensed to practice medicine in Finland.

Please note that the only form of proof we accept is a copy of your National Certificate of Language Proficiency OR Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificate. The test must be completed at Skill Level 3 or with mark Satisfactory skills respectively.

• For further information on the Finnish language, see Information on Finnish language
• For information on applying, go to and follow instructions on Qualification In the EU/EEA Area, EU/EEA Citizens