Apply for the right to practise in social welfare or health care
We have received a large number of applications for the right to practise a healthcare and social welfare profession, and many of them are still being processed. Because of the large number of applications, processing times may be longer than usual.
To work in a social welfare or health care profession in Finland, you must usually have a licence granted by the Finnish Supervisory Agency. The Finnish Supervisory Agency grants the right to practise a social welfare or health care profession on application to professionals trained in Finland and abroad.
The instructions on how to apply are slightly different depending on whether you have completed your training in Finland, in a Member State of the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA), or outside the EU/EEA. The training was received in the country whose competent authority issued the certificate of completion of the training.
Select the right to practice and area you are applying for
For instructions on how to apply, first select the right to practice you are applying for. You will then be able to select the profession or area of medicine in which you completed your education. The instructions are available in English only for applicants who have studied outside of Finland.
Students who studied medicine, dentistry or pharmacy abroad may also apply for student registration in Finland here.
The Member States of the European Union (EU) are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
The European Economic Area includes all Member States of the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Training completed in Switzerland is also considered as a training completed in an EU or EEA country.
The decisions regarding professional practice rights as well as expert opinions are subject to fees. A fee is also charged for denied applications. Half the processing fee is payable if you withdraw your application. By submitting an application, you agree to the fees.
The fees for your application can be found at the end of the application instruction, under “Fees”. The Finnish Supervisory Agency’s fees apply from the beginning of 2026. The current decree on fees is valid until the end of 2026. The scale of a fee depends on when an application has arrived to the Finnish Supervisory Agency.
If you have the opportunity to use the online service to apply for professional rights, using it is more affordable for you than using other ways to apply. The prices are then 20% more expensive when using other ways to apply.
The invoice will be sent separately after the decision. If the Finnish Supervisory Agency has requested an expert statement, a fee will also be charged for the statement on top of the decision fee. You may receive multiple invoices depending on whether you are given a licence to practise straight away or whether you must complete supplementary studies or additional measures before receiving a licence.
Most professions in the social welfare and health care sectors require legalisation or registration of a protected occupational title by the Finnish Supervisory Agency. For further information on social welfare and health care professions in Finland, please consult our website (link).
If you are an EU citizen or person of comparable status and all of the conditions below are met, please select “in an EU or EEA Member State”.
- You have completed your degree or qualification outside the EU/EEA.
- An EU/EEA Member State has recognised your degree or qualification and granted you the right to practise a profession or the right to use a protected occupational title.
- You have practised your profession in that country for a minimum of three years.
- If you completed your degree in the UK no later than 31 December 2020, select "in an EU or EEA Member State".
- If you completed your degree in the UK on or after 1 January 2021, select “outside the EU/EEA”.
Note that if you are planning to provide healthcare or social welfare services as a self-employed person or an entrepreneur with a business ID, you must register your business in the Soteri register.
Soteri registration covers the activities of service providers and service units in healthcare and social welfare whereas the right to practise a profession means the right to work as a healthcare and social welfare professional. These rights are granted by the supervisory authority and they are not affected by Soteri registration.
Take a closer look at what Soteri registration means in practice (in Finnish).
Read more about Soteri – you can also find our customer service contact details on the page (in Finnish).
Contact information
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: +358 295 256 932 (Monday–Friday 9:00–15:00)