Alcohol passport

With an alcohol passport, you can prove your knowledge of the Alcohol Act. You will need an alcohol passport if you work as the responsible manager at licensed premises.

An educational institution providing training and education in restaurant services can grant an alcohol passport when you pass the alcohol passport test. The test is considered approved if you score at least 80% of the maximum points. The test must include at least 30 questions. The questions must concern at least the provisions of the Alcohol Act concerning serving bans, supervision and maintenance of public order by the staff, the licensed area and the serving hours.

The questions in the alcohol passport test are based on Chapters 1–3 of the guideline for serving alcoholic beverages published by National Supervisory Authority for Health and Welfare (Valvira). The guideline contains provisions on serving. You will find the guideline at the end of this page. You can also take part in the test without any training offered by the educational institution, i.e. by studying the guideline independently.

Vocational upper secondary qualifications, further vocational qualifications and specialist vocational qualifications, as well as a bachelor’s degree in the travel and hospitality industry are considered equivalent to passing the alcohol passport test, provided that the qualification or degree covers the topics covered by the test. In such a case, the diploma acts as the alcohol passport.

If you were qualified to act as a responsible manager during the validity of previous Alcohol Act, you can still act as a responsible manager of licensed premises. You may prove your competence either with a diploma or an alcohol passport.

Responsible manager of licensed premises

If the licensed premises are open for customers, a responsible manager or another person appointed to the task by the licence holder must be present on the premises. The responsible manager or other person appointed to the task must be over 18 years of age. The responsible manager or other person appointed to the task must have an alcohol passport (a proficiency certificate on their knowledge of the Alcohol Act).

Frequently asked questions about the alcohol passport

Educational institutions organising alcohol passport tests