Valvira registers study rights in medicine, dentistry and pharmacy

Qualified in EU/EEA Member State

Medical Student Registration Form (pdf)

Application attachments:

1. Document certifying your identity and nationality (passport or identity card)
2. A transcript of your studies to date. If you have previous recognised studies in medicine, dentistry or pharmacy, you need to provide a statement on when you began those studies. If your recognised studies are in another field, then you only need to indicate in which field those studies were. A transcript of academic records, for example, is an acceptable such statement.
3. If you have not completed the Valvira application form, please include an official document from your university confirming that the studies you have completed to date are equivalent to the 4th/5th year of study. The statement must indicate: a) details of when you began your studies and the date on which those studies were fully and acceptably completed b) your estimated date of graduation c) contact details of the university Valvira will verify your right to study on the basis of the information you supply. You may give several contact details to ensure that this verification can be performed even during holidays. The university may send its statement or the filled-out application form directly to Valvira by e-mail, this may speed up the handling process.
4. Translations in Finnish, Swedish or English of documents mentioned in spots 2 – 3 if they are not issued in those languages. The translations must have been made by an authorised translator in Finland or in another EU or EEA Member State.

• Authorised translators in Finland: http://www03.oph.fi/kaantajat/

Valvira may request further explanations as necessary. Please note that Valvira will not return any documents submitted, and Valvira will not make copies of any documents.
You can submit uncertified copies of your attachment documents when you file your application. However, Valvira may later require you to submit officially certified copies of those attachment documents.

If Valvira does require officially certified copies, you can obtain those from a notary public in Finland or in another EU or EEA Member State, or from a Finnish mission in other countries.

You may also submit copies issued by a foreign authority and verified using the Apostille or Grand Legalisation procedure. Send to Valvira the copies that bear the original stamp and signature of the notary public or Finnish mission.

Further information on notaries public

Qualified outside the EU/EEA Member State

You will be eligible to apply for student registration after you have completed your 5th year of study in full and you have passed the first part of your clinical skills assessment. The first assessment is a written examination covering clinical aspects and the Finnish healthcare system. You can sit the examination during your 5th year of study.

For further information on the examinations, please visit the Valvira website (valvira.fi) 

Continuing a previous student registration

If you wish to apply extension to a previous student registration (4th or 5th year medical student / dental student), please send us e-mail (kirjaamo(at)Valvira.fi). If you have study rights for 4 years and you wish to apply for a fifth year of study, you must submit a new application (see the instructions above).

1. Title it as follows: “Ilmoitus opiskelijaoikeuden jatkamisesta last name first name”
2. Write your complete name and date of birth to the e-mail
3. You must attach to your e-mail a statement from the university confirming that your studies are ongoing and what your estimated date of graduation is. The statement from the university must be signed by an authorised representative of the university, or the university may send the statement directly to Valvira by e-mail. The statement from the university must show your full name and date of birth for purposes of identification.
4. Translations in Finnish, Swedish or English of documents mentioned in spot 3 if it is not issued in those languages. The translations must have been made by an authorised translator in Finland or in another EU or EEA Member State. Authorised translators in Finland: http://www03.oph.fi/kaantajat/

Registration can be extended until 30 days after graduation.

Please note that your study rights will expire 30 days after graduation, even if the JulkiTerhikki service shows your status as an active student. Valvira does not receive information on the graduation of students studying abroad, which is why JulkiTerhikki may erroneously show an active student status beyond the aforementioned 30-day limit. If an institution issues a temporary degree certificate, then the date indicated on the temporary certificate will be considered your graduation date.

If your registration will not be extended, you will be given appealable decision.

Processing period

The basic minimum processing time for an application is 30 working days from the date on which all the required documents have been received. In other words, sending only the application form or only a passport copy will not speed up the processing of your application.In order to ensure equal treatment of applicants, applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Contacts significantly slow down the processing of applications. 

Registration certificate and fee

You cannot take up temporary employment until you have been registered.

This right is granted on a fixed-term basis, beyond which the right can be extended if your studies continue, simply by notifying Valvira.

Once your registration is complete, the registration certificate (including a unique ID and registration number) will be mailed to you. The registration certificate is issued in Finnish or Swedish. The invoice will be mailed separately. Valvira charges a fee for every decision concerning licences to practise a profession, including when an application is denied. Half the processing fee is payable if you withdraw your application. 

There is no fee for granting an extension to registration.

Types of fee include:

Entering a foreign student into the register

Latest fees and charges (Valvira.fi)

Language proficiency requirements

Although Valvira does not check your language proficiency when you register, you must have the oral and written skills in Finnish or Swedish that are required for your job duties.

Employers hiring students must ensure that the students have sufficient language proficiency for carrying out their job duties.