Social welfare professional trained in an EU or EEA Member State

In order to work in Finland as a social worker, social service professional (‘sosionomi’), professional of applied gerontology (‘geronomi’) or rehabilitation councellor, you must be granted a right to practice by Valvira. In order to be allowed to use the title of practical nurse (‘lähihoitaja’) in a social welfare occupation, you must register this protected occupational title with Valvira. Valvira grants rights to practice and protected occupational title registrations on application, also on the basis of degrees completed abroad.

Fill in the application form (pdf). Send the application and appendices to Valvira as e-mail attachments or by mail. The processing period is calculated from the time when Valvira has received all the required documents.

Send your completed application and appendices by e-mail to: [email protected].

Please note that e-mail is not recommended for sending confidential information. You can send a secure e-mail via the Valvira secure message service. Further information on how to deliver material to Valvira by e-mail can be found on our website.

OR send your completed application and appendices by mail to:
National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira)
PO Box 43
FI-00521 Helsinki

If you are able to use strong identification, you may submit your application and attach appendices through our online service. 

In online transactions, you may identify yourself using online banking IDs, a mobile certificate or an organisation card. 

On your first visit, you will need to set up an account that you can also log in to later. You must activate the account via a link that will be sent to you by e-mail.

Once you have entered your language preference and contact details in the online service, you will be able to fill out the application. When you send your application, you will receive a confirmation by e-mail to the address you gave. If you give your consent to being notified electronically, the decision or certificate will be posted in your online account, not mailed to your home. For more on how to use our online service, please visit our website.
 

Append copies of the following documents to your application:

  1. Passport or ID card issued in an EU/EEA Member State (i.e. document verifying your identity and nationality)
    You do not need to attach a document proving your identity and nationality if you submit your application in the Valvira online service. Please read the instructions on our website if you do not have a Finnish personal identity number.
  2. Your degree certificate with appendices (e.g. diploma supplement, academic transcript)
  3. A certificate verifying that your right to practise the profession in question has not been restricted or revoked (e.g. Certificate of Current Professional Status). This certificate must be no more than three months old when received by Valvira. 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. 
  4. Translations into Finnish, Swedish or English of all the aforementioned documents.
    The translations must have been produced by an authorised translator in Finland or in another EU/EEA Member State. Authorised translators in Finland can be found through the online service of the National Agency for Education (oph.fi). 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 with an Apostille or Grand Legalisation.
  5. Freeform consent stating that Valvira has your permission to submit your application documents to a Finnish educational institution for an expert opinion if necessary.

    The appendices listed below in points 6–9 are not necessarily mandatory, but they are recommended, because they may be required for obtaining an expert opinion. In order to evaluate an application, information regarding the completed education is needed. This information needs to be comprehensive enough to allow determining the possible differences between the completed education and the education required in Finland.
  6. Report issued by the educational institution detailing the learning outcomes, contents and scope in hours of the units included in your degree and the operating environments in which you completed your practical training and your duties therein.
    If the educational institution supplies a general study programme to provide this information, the institution must separately confirm that you have completed the units required. The educational institution may deliver the report directly to Valvira by e-mail. It is in your interests to supply information on your training in as much detail as possible, because Valvira will compare the content of your training to the corresponding training given in Finland.
  7. Employment certificates for work in the profession following completion of your training. Employment certificates must have been issued by your employer, and they must state at least your job title, your job duties and the duration of your employment.
  8. A certificate of any supplementary professional training and continuing education.
  9. Translations into Finnish, Swedish or English of all the aforementioned documents.
    The translations must have been produced by an authorised translator in Finland or in another EU/EEA Member State. Authorised translators in Finland can be found through the online service of the National Agency for Education (oph.fi). 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 with an Apostille or Grand Legalisation.

The processing of an application in Valvira is subject to a fee. A fee is also charged for a withdrawn application. By submitting an application, you agree to the fees. Please check the prices at end of the instructions, under “Fees”. 

Valvira may request further clarifications if necessary. The application documents will remain in Valvira, and it is not possible to get them back after a decision has been made. If you request for documents to be returned to you while the application process is ongoing, the processing of your application will be significantly slowed down.