Medical Doctor trained outside the EU or EEA
Only persons duly legalised by the Finnish Supervisory Agency are allowed to perform the duties of medical doctors. The Finnish Supervisory Agency grants the right to practise as a medical doctor on application to medical doctors trained in Finland and abroad.
Steps in the legalisation process:
- Recognition of medical degree
- Six-month medical internship at a health care operating unit
- Completion of examinations at a university
- Restricted practice rights with a limited licence
- Legalisation
Recognition of medical degree
Fill in the application form (pdf). Send your application with the documents listed below by post to the Finnish Supervisory Agency. Submitting all the relevant documents with your application will speed up the application process. The processing period is calculated from the time when the Finnish Supervisory Agency has received all the required documents and reports. Please do not send your application or documents by email in advance. This will slow down the processing of your application.
Send your completed application and attachments by post to:
Finnish Supervisory Agency
P.O. BOX 20
13035 LVV
Courier mail (e.g. DHL or Fedex) is submitted to:
Finnish Supervisory Agency
Wähäjärvenkatu 6
FI-13100 Hämeenlinna, Finland
The processing of an application in the Finnish Supervisory Agency is subject to a fee. By submitting an application, you agree to the fees. Please check the prices at the bottom of the page under Fees.
Requirements for documents
Please do not attach any original documents that you may need later to your application. The application documents will remain at the Finnish Supervisory Agency, and it is impossible to get them back after a decision has been made. If you request documents to be returned to you while the application process is ongoing, you must send corresponding documents that meet the formal requirements. This will significantly slow down the processing of your application.
Submit documents issued outside the EU or EEA as officially certified copies by post. For documents issued in Finland or another EU or EEA country, a standard copy is sufficient. Copies can be officially certified by a notary public in Finland or in another EU or EEA Member State, or by Finnish missions in other countries. Copies issued by a notary public outside the EU/EEA and furnished with an Apostille or Grand Legalisation are also acceptable. You must submit to the Finnish Supervisory Agency the copies that bear the original stamp and signature of the notary public or Finnish mission by post. The Finnish Supervisory Agency may request further clarifications if necessary.
Please attach the following documents to your application
1. Document proving identity and citizenship
- a passport or
Attach the double-page spread in the passport containing personal data. (page showing personal data and a photo). - an identity card issued in an EU or EEA Member State or
Attach both sides of the ID card. - an alien’s passport or
Attach the double-page spread in the alien’s passport containing personal data.
Also attach the Additional entries page, which shows any special conditions and restrictions.
(Note: the alien’s passport contains the holder’s personal data and additional entries on different pages.) - a refugee travel document
Attach the double-page spread in the refugee travel document containing personal data.
Please note that only the above-mentioned documents are accepted as proof of identity.
For example, a residence permit card or a driving licence cannot be used as proof an identity in this application.
2. Degree certificate and the contact details for your educational institution
- your degree certificate and
- the official email address and mailing address of your educational institution
Have your degree certificate legalised directly in your country of education, using either the Apostille or Grand Legalisation procedure. The procedure must prove the authenticity of the degree certificate. Please contact the foreign ministry or another relevant body in the country where you completed your training to find out how your degree certificate should be legalised in that country.
If legalisation fails, and if you have provided the contact information of your educational institution, the Finnish Supervisory Agency may check the correctness of your degree directly with the educational institution if possible. In such a case, an ordinary copy of the degree certificate is sufficient. However, this review may delay the processing of the application. Please also note that in some cases, the Finnish Supervisory Agency is unable to verify the correctness of the degree from the educational institution, in which case the only option is to legalise the degree certificate using the Apostille or Grand Legalisation procedure.
3. Degree certificate appendix
- e.g. a transcript of records or an academic transcript
4. Certificate of the right to practise the profession
- A certificate verifying that your right to practise the profession in question has not been restricted or revoked (e.g. Certificate of Good Standing).
- This certificate must be no more than three months old when received by the Finnish Supervisory Agency.
- You must submit such a certificate from every country where you have been legalised to practise your profession.
- If you have practised your profession in a country where practitioners of that profession are not registered, you need to submit an affidavit from the competent authority in that country stating that practitioners of your profession are not registered in that country or another reliable testimonial on the matter.
5. Translations of the documents listed in points 2 and 3
- If the original documents are not in Finnish, Swedish or English, please provide official translations as well.
- Translations must be provided by an official or authorised translator in Finland or another EU or EEA country. Authorised translators in Finland can be found through the online service of the National Agency For Education.
- The translation must be accompanied by a source document certified by the translator.
- If the translator is not an official or authorised translator in an EU/EEA Member State, the translation may nevertheless be acceptable if the translator’s status is confirmed in the translation by Apostille or Grand Legalisation.
The processing period for a degree recognition application is at least 4 months. The processing period is calculated from the time when the Finnish Supervisory Agency has received all the required documents. If a request for further information needs to be sent to you, or if the Finnish Supervisory Agency has to verify your qualification, processing your application will take significantly longer.
Once you have received a decision of recognition of your degree, you may begin the practical training required by the Finnish Supervisory Agency. The Finnish Supervisory Agency will not credit any practical training that you have completed before the recognition of your degree. Internships must be completed in either of Finland’s official languages, Finnish or Swedish.
The Finnish Supervisory Agency accepts as an internship any job training undertaken in a Finnish hospital or health centre maintained by a public body, such that its job description is consistent with the internship requirements for Finnish medical students. Internship may also be completed in fully outsourced services or in an enterprise owned by one or more local authorities, provided that these enable an internship consistent with the Finnish training for a specialising physician. Medical research may be accepted as a substitute for medical internship for a period of no more than 2 months.
Your internship must last at least 6 months (180 days) in all, but the Finnish Supervisory Agency may also separately specify how long your internship must be and what it must contain. If you have temporarily performed the duties of a physician as a medical student registered by the Finnish Supervisory Agency in Finland, the time worked may be credited towards your six-month internship service. If you did such work more than three years ago, it will not be credited as internship.
Your internship must last at least 6 months if it is full-time employment (at least 30 hours per week). Your internship must last at least one year if it is part-time employment (at least 18.5 hours per week). An internship period at any one location must last at least one month (30 days). The permitted maximum number of days of absence during a six-month internship is 14. You must submit a statement from your employer for each of your internship locations.
The following will not be accepted as internships: observing the operations of a facility as a visitor; serving as a volunteer employee at a facility; or undergoing a general introduction to Finnish working life (integration training) arranged by the immigration authorities or employment authorities.
The Finnish Supervisory Authority will not arrange an internship for you. You must find your own internship by contacting hospitals directly, for example. You must agree on the internship with the hospital. You do not need permission from the Finnish Supervisory Agency to enter into an internship. While in an internship, you are not considered a health care professional and may not treat patients independently.
You must have sufficient oral and written proficiency in either Finnish or Swedish. You must demonstrate this language proficiency at the latest when you register for your first clinical examination.
For instructions on how to demonstrate sufficient language proficiency, visit our website. Further information about language examinations can be found on the website of the National Agency for Education.
Examinations are held by the University of Tampere. For further information about examinations and when to sign up, please visit the university website. You may take the clinical examination when you have fully completed your 6-month internship and demonstrated sufficient language proficiency.
The examination is conducted in three parts:
- Clinical examination
- Examination on the Finnish health care system
- Practical patient care examination
The examinations are conducted in Finnish or Swedish and must be completed in the order given above. Visit our website for more information about the examinations.
Registration
Here is how to sign up with the Finnish Supervisory Agency for your first clinical examination: You must sign up with the Finnish Supervisory Agency at least one week before the university’s registration deadline. Applications received after this date will not be accepted or processed.
Fill in the registration form (pdf).
Please attach the following documents to the registration form:
- a passport, identity card, alien’s passport or refugee travel document (proof of your identity and nationality)
- a report on language proficiency
- a statement from the internship supervisor evaluating your performance
- a service certificate for the period of employment, including days of absence
Send your completed registration form and appendices by email to: kirjaamo(at)lvv.fi.
Please note that it is not recommended to use email to send confidential information. You can send a secure email via the Finnish Supervisory Agency’s secure message service. Further information about how to deliver material to the Finnish Supervisory Agency by email can be found on our website.
Or send your completed application and attachments by post to:
Finnish Supervisory Agency
P.O. BOX 20
13035 LVV
A person working under a limited licence, and under direction and supervision, may perform the duties of a medical doctor and is authorised to carry out those duties. They are not subject to immediate supervision, and the employer assesses how much guidance a person working under direction and supervision requires. A person working under direction and supervision operates under the employer’s responsibility.
The Finnish Supervisory Agency can grant a limited licence during the examination phase. After you have completed the first examination, you may apply for a limited licence to practise, allowing you to work in a hospital maintained by a public body. After you have completed the second examination, you may apply for a similar licence allowing you to work in a health centre.
A limited licence to practise is granted for a specific speciality and a specific location, and for no more than 6 months at a time. Generally, you can only be granted limited licences to practise for a total of 2 years, or up to 730 days.
Applying for a limited licence
Fill in the licence application (pdf).
Append a statement from your employer on your previous licence period or internship to each application.
Submit the application to the Finnish Supervisory Authority at least 3 weeks before the planned start of your job.
Send your completed application and appendices by email to: kirjaamo(at)lvv.fi.
Please note that it is not recommended to use email to send confidential information. You can send a secure email via the Finnish Supervisory Agency’s secure message service. Further information about how to deliver material to the Finnish Supervisory Agency by email can be found on our website.
Or send your completed application and attachments by post to:
Finnish Supervisory Agency
P.O. BOX 20
13035 LVV
Once you have passed all the examinations and worked as a physician under limited licences for two years, you may apply for legalisation as a physician.
Fill in the application form (pdf).
Append a statement from your employer on your most recent internship or period of working as a physician under a limited licence to the application.
Send your completed application and appendices by email to: kirjaamo(at)lvv.fi.
Please note that it is not recommended to use email to send confidential information. You can send a secure email via the Finnish Supervisory Agency’s secure message service. Further information about how to deliver material to the Finnish Supervisory Agency by email can be found on our website.
Or send your completed application and attachments by post to:
Finnish Supervisory Agency
P.O. BOX 20
13035 LVV
The Finnish Supervisory Agency charges a fee for every decision concerning rights to practise a profession, including when an application is denied. Half the processing fee is payable if you withdraw your application.
Possible fees include:
- Recognition of medical degree 440 euros.
- Limited licence to practise 870 euros.
- Granting the right to practice after granting a limited licence 440 euros.
- Legalisation 2080 euros, if you have not had a licence yet.
The Finnish Supervisory Agency may send you any requests for further information, certificates, decisions and invoices electronically as a Suomi.fi message if you have registered for that service. Suomi.fi messages may only be used for matters that are currently pending. You may register for Suomi.fi messages at the suomi.fi website or by downloading the Suomi.fi mobile app.
In application matters, we will only deal with the applicants themselves. However, an applicant may authorise an agent or an assistant to act on their behalf in the matter of their application. In this case, the agent or assistant must present a power of attorney authorising them to act for the applicant. The power of attorney may be an email or physical document sent by the applicant, stating that the applicant authorises the person in question to act for them in the matter of the application. However, attorneys-at-law and public legal aid attorneys do not need to present a power of attorney unless specifically requested.
Contact information
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: +358 295 256 932 (Monday–Friday 9:00–15:00)