Valvira

Valvira

What is Valvira?

Valvira is a national agency operating under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, charged with the supervision of the social and health care, alcohol and environmental health sectors. We provide licensing for social and health care providers and offer guidance to the Regional State Administrative Agencies to achieve harmonised licensing, guidance and supervisory practices throughout Finland.

Our licensing activities

Professional licensing

Licensing of social welfare and health care professionals, protected occupational titles, fixed-term licenses
Domestic and pool water hygience testers

Commercial licenses

Production, import, wholesale and serving of alcohol
National licenses for private social and health care providers

Health and research

Tissue licenses
Licenses for embryology research
Termination and sterilisation (where relevant)
Licensing under the Act on Assisted Fertility Treatments
Adoption

Our supervisory activities

Social care

Social care professionals
Social care units

Health care

Health care professionals
Health care units

Medical devices

Safety and compliance

Gene technology

Safety

Health Protection Act

Domestic and pool water hygiene tester license qualification providers

Alcohol Act

Producers, wholesalers and licenseholders
Product supervision
Advertising and marketing

Tobacco Act

Advertising ban
Hazardou substances and labelling

Adoption

The Finnish Adoption Board operates in conjunction with Valvira

Biobanks

Biobank operators, biobank register

We provide guidance to Regional State Administrative Agencies

Valvira is tasked with providing guidance to the Regional State Administrative Agencies on all social and health care related matters. Our aim is to ensure the harmonisation of guidance, licensing and supervisory practices across Finland. Valvira and the Regional State Administrative Agencies undertake supervisory activities on the basis of jointly prepared supervision plans.