Temporary and occasional pursuit of a profession

In order to work as a health care professional in Finland, you must have a licence to practise from the Finnish Supervisory Agency. You will need to let the Finnish Supervisory Agency know if you wish to provide services on a temporary or occasional basis in Finland.

You must be a citizen of an EU/EEA Member State and legally established as a health care professional in another EU/EEA Member State. You must also have a licence to practise your profession independently or to use a protected title in another EU/EEA Member State. 

Please note that an activity is not considered temporary or occasional if you engage in it on a permanent or continuous basis. An activity can be deemed to be ‘established’ especially if your objective appears to be circumventing the requirements relating to establishment. According to the Finnish Supervisory Agency’s policy, the pursuit of a profession is considered temporary and occasional if it takes up no more than three (3) days a month. However, whether an activity is or is not to be considered temporary and occasional in nature is always evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Finnish Supervisory Agency. 

Each notification is valid for 12 months. You will need to submit a new notification if you intend to continue to pursue your profession on a temporary or occasional basis beyond the initial 12-month period or if the nature of your activity changes significantly. In such cases, you must submit the relevant documents and evidence to the Finnish Supervisory Agency without delay. 

If you are a nurse, a physiotherapist or a pharmacist, you can apply for a European Professional Card (EPC) (link). No advance notification is required from professionals who hold an EPC, and you will therefore not need to submit the aforementioned documents and information separately.

Advance notification of temporary and occasional practice

Fill in the advance notification (pdf) (in Finnish). The notification must contain the following information: the nature of the services, the time and place where the services will be provided, information on the service provider’s insurance coverage, or similar individual or collective professional liability cover, and a statement of language proficiency (Finnish or Swedish).

The processing period is calculated from the time when the Finnish Supervisory Agency receives all the required documents. 

Send the notification and appendices by email to: kirjaamo(at)lvv.fi. 

Please note that e-mail is not recommended for sending confidential information. You can send secure e-mail via the Finnish Supervisory Agency secure messaging service.  Further information on how to deliver material to the Finnish Supervisory Agency by e-mail can be found on our website (link).

Or 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

Append copies of the following documents to your application

1. Document verifying your identity and nationality

• passport or 
• ID card issued in an EU or EEA Member State or 
• alien's passport or 
• refugee travel document 

If you do not have a Finnish personal identity number, check the additional instructions on the Finnish Supervisory Agency website (link).

2. Degree certificate

• If you are a medical specialist, also include your degree certificate for basic medical training as a physician. 

The appendices listed below in points 3–4 may be necessary for resolving your application. The Finnish Supervisory Agency may also be able to verify the information directly with the competent authority in the relevant EU or EEA Member State, and you do not need to submit these documents. This verification may delay the processing of your application. If the Finnish Supervisory Agency is unable to verify the information with the competent authority, then you must submit the relevant certificates yourself.

3. 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.  
• 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, then 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 some other reliable testimonial of the matter.

Or if you want the Finnish Supervisory Agency to check your credentials directly with the competent authority, then you need to declare all the countries in which you have been granted the right to practise your profession. 

4. Certificate of conformity

• Certificate issued by a competent authority stating how your professional qualifications fulfil the requirements of Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications.

5. Translations of the documents mentioned in points 3-4 

If the original documents are not in Finnish, Swedish or English, please also provide official translations.

• The translations must have been produced by an authorised translator in Finland or in another EU/EEA Member State. You can search for authorised translators operating in Finland in the Finnish National Agency for Education’s online service. 
• The translation must be accompanied by the document in the original language 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 (link). 

The Finnish Supervisory Agency may request additional clarification if necessary. Please note that the Finnish Supervisory Agency will not return any documents submitted or make copies.

The Finnish Supervisory Agency may check your professional qualifications if your application does not satisfy the conditions for automatic recognition within the meaning of Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications. To perform the necessary checks, the Finnish Supervisory Agency will need further information, and you will be asked to provide this separately. If the Finnish Supervisory Agency finds that there are significant differences between your qualification and the equivalent Finnish qualification that could jeopardise patient safety, the Finnish Supervisory Agency may give you an opportunity to take an aptitude test to prove that you have acquired the missing skills or competence. 

Read more about the application guidelines on our website.

Contact information

E-mail: [email protected] 
Telephone: +358 295 256 932 (Monday–Friday 9:00–15:00)
Application documents to the address: [email protected]