Recognition of professional qualification of paramedic

Valvira assesses the competence of paramedics who have qualified in an EU/EEA Member State other than Finland on the basis of their formal qualification documents.

If the training completed by the applicant differs materially from the training of paramedics in Finland, the applicant may choose to undertake complementary action: For more about this topic, please see Adaptation period and aptitude test on Valvira’s website (Valvira.fi).

Paramedics are not subject to licensing or protected professional title in Finland and Valvira does not enter paramedics in the Central Register of Health Care Professionals (known as Terhikki).

Application

In order to have your qualification as a paramedic recognised in Finland, you must submit an application to Valvira. The application may be in free format. Your application must be in Finnish, Swedish or English, and it must be dated and signed.

Appendices to the application

1. A copy of your valid passport or similar official document to verify your identity and citizenship
2. A document certifying your change of name if any of your appended documents were issued under a name that is different from your current name
3. A copy of your original qualification certificate and any appendices demonstrating the content and scope of the qualification (e.g. diploma supplement or transcript of records)
4. Certificate of a licence to practice your profession issued by a competent foreign authority if you have been licensed to practice your profession in a country other than Finland. The certificate must indicate that the right to practice the profession is valid and not subject to any restrictions. The certificate may not be more than three months old. If you have been licensed to practice your profession in more than one country, you must submit the certificates from all those countries. either in the original or as a copy.
5. If you have practiced the profession in a country where practitioners of the profession are not registered, the non-registration of practitioners must be established by means of a certificate to that effect issued by the competent authority of the said country or by other reliable means.
6. Certificate issued by a competent authority verifying that your qualification complies with EU requirements either in the original or as a copy.
7. Copies of employment certificates on practicing your profession after qualification.
8. Translations into Finnish, Swedish or English of the aforementioned documents made by a translator certified or authorised in Finland or another EU/EEA member state. The translations may be submitted in the original or as copies.
9. Applicants who have completed their professional training related to the application or their general education in a language other than Finnish or Swedish must submit a copy of their National Certificate of Language Proficiency or Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificate.

Formal requirements for application documents

In the interests of speeding up the processing of your application, Valvira asks that you submit all documents appended to your application as authenticated copies. Valvira must verify the authenticity of any document which is appended to an application as a non-authenticated photocopy. This slows down the process considerably.

Authenticated copies may be obtained from notaries public in Finland and other EU/EEA Member States and from Finnish missions abroad. The copies submitted to Valvira must bear the original stamp and signature of the notary public or Finnish mission. Copies issued by a foreign authority are acceptable if endorsed with an Apostille.

Translations of the documents into Finnish, Swedish or English must be appended to the application. The translations must be made by a translator certified or authorised in Finland or another EU/EEA Member State.

Valvira will not return your application documents and does not make copies of documents.

Further information on notaries public

Further information on authorised translators (search available only in Finnish)

Language skills

The professional qualification of paramedic can only be recognised for applicants whose language skills have been verified. The applicant must have sufficient spoken and written language skills to be able to carry out the relevant duties. The official languages of Finland are Finnish and Swedish.

Applicants must submit with their application either their Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificate or National Certificate of Language Proficiency. The Civil Service Language Proficiency Test must be passed with a level of Satisfactory or higher in all subject areas. For the National Certificate of Language Proficiency, an intermediate level (levels 3–4) or higher is required. Applicants may freely choose either language test.

Certificates of studies in the Finnish or Swedish language, e.g. language course certificates, will not be accepted as proof of language skills by themselves. For further information on language examinations and certificates, please see the website of the National Board of Education (www.oph.fi).

Aptitude test and adaptation period

If your training does not comply with the requirements specified in Directive 2005/36/EC, you may demonstrate your professional qualification by taking an aptitude test or undergoing an adaptation period. Valvira will determine whether applicants need to take an aptitude test or undergo an adaptation period.

Please see: Adaptation period and aptitude test

Recognition of professional qualifications

The recognition of professional qualifications is governed by the Act on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications as provided in the Professional Qualifications Directive (2005/36/EC). The Act on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications governs the recognition of professional qualifications obtained by citizens of EU Member States in a Member State other than Finland. The Act also governs the recognition of professional qualifications on the basis of the Agreement on the European Economic Area.

A regulated profession is a profession which may only be practiced by persons fulfilling certain criteria of professional competence laid down in law, i.e. which is subject to licensing.

Conditions for recognition of professional qualifications in the general system of recognition, i.e. when the profession is unregulated in the country of training (professions other than doctor, dentist, dispenser, nurse and midwife)

• The recognition of professional qualifications is based on documents issued by a competent authority in another Member State.
• The recognition of professional qualifications is subject to the condition of the applicant having the right in his or her home Member State to practice the profession for which recognition of professional qualifications is sought.
• During the past ten years, the applicant must have practiced the profession for at least one year on a full-time basis or for the equivalent length of time on a part-time basis in another Member State where the profession is not subject to regulation. The requirement of one year’s professional experience does not apply if the applicant’s formal qualification documents verify the completion of regulated professional training. The training shall be regulated under binding statutes and the regulatory equivalence must be demonstrated by means of a document issued by the authorities. Conformity with standard or other lower-level regulation is not equivalent to binding statute.

When necessary, Valvira may commission expert opinions from universities and other educational institutions in support of its decision-making. Expert opinions are subject to a fee.

The decision on recognition of professional qualifications may impose a requirement of the completion of an aptitude test or an adaptation period of no more than three years when the content of the applicant’s training materially differs from the content of equivalent training provided in Finland. The choice of compensatory measure is up to the applicant.

Decision

Professional practice rights decisions are subject to a fee, and the fee will be charged also from the negative decisions. Half of the application processing fee will be charged for the cancelled application. Currently valid fees

The decision on your licence to practice your profession will be issued in Finnish or in Swedish.