Qualified outside the EU - with licence to work in the EU/EEA area

If you have completed your qualification outside the EU/EEA and have been licensed for medical practice by another EU/EEA member state, you can be licensed to practice medicine in Finland as well. Provided that you have practiced medicine for a minimum of three years in the EU/EEA country that first licensed you for medical practice, Valvira (National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health) can license you to practice medicine in Finland as a doctor or specialist doctor.

 

However, we may still assess your qualification and if necessary, request that you undertake further study.

Note: if you have practiced medicine for less than three years in the EU/EEA country that initially licensed you, the process is 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 speaks Swedish as their first language.

If you are a non-EU/EEA national, you need to provide proof of your language proficiency in Finnish or Swedish before Valvira can grant you a license. Please note that the only proof we accept is a copy of your National Certificate of Language Proficiency at Skill Level 3 or Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificate at Satisfactory skills.

If you are an EU/EEA citizen, Valvira does not require an official language certificate. However, your employer has a legal duty to make sure you have good enough language skills so you can carry out your professional duties. Your employer is allowed to ask you an official language certificate. 

How to apply

The form can be filled in electronically or manually. Either way, print it out and mail it to the enclosed address.

Your application should include the following documents:

  • A copy of your passport or equivalent so that we can verify your nationality.
  • A copy of your degree certificate or diploma and all relevant appendices such as degree transcript and grades awarded.
  • Proof of your entitlement to practice medicine in the EU/EEA member state which first approved your qualification. Note that this document has to be recent, meaning it was issued no more than three months earlier.
  • Employment references for the past three years.
  • Proof of your language proficiency.

Copies must be officially certified.

In Finland, you can arrange for your documents to be certified by the notary public at local Register Offices but practices may vary between countries. Notary public's signature is sufficient but signature and Apostille certificate will be accepted as well.

Your degree certificate and all appendices must be translated into Finnish, Swedish or English by an authorised translator. All translations and copies of translations must be officially certified.

Two-stage licensing practice of doctors discontinued May 1 2011