A degree completed in an EU or EEA member state

This page contains instructions for veterinarians who have obtained a veterinary degree in an EU or EEA member state, and who want to practice their profession in Finland. Authorization as a veterinary surgeon is applied for at Finnish Food Authority. Those applicants who do not have a citizenship of an EU/EEA country are subject to more requirements than those who are citizens of an EU/EEA country.

EU or EEA citizens

A degree completed in an EU/EEA member state by a citizen of an EU/EEA member state is recognized in accordance with the EU Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications, either in accordance with the principle of automatic recognition or within the scope of the general system for recognition. Those degrees that were begun during the country's EU/EEA membership are automatically recognized in Finland. The principle of automatic recognition means that the applicant gets the right to practice veterinary medicine in Finland immediately after a positive authorization decision by Finnish Food Authority. In case the studies for the degree were begun before the country's EU/EEA membership began, the degree is recognized through a general system for recognition. Here the applicant may be required to perform compensatory measures before the final legalization. As compensatory measures, an adaptation period for a maximum duration of three years or an aptitude test may be required.

The decision given to the application is subject to a fee.

If you wish to practice veterinary profession in Finland only temporarily or occasionally, see Väliaikainen ja satunnainen eläinlääkäripalvelujen tarjoaminen

Attachments for the Application

The applicant can apply for authorization with a free-form application. The application must state at least the applicant's name, contact information and what the application is about. Following attachments must be included:

A copy of a passport or other document proving citizenship.
A copy of the degree certificate or diploma and the accompanying attachments (e.g. extract from the study register.)
A certificate issued by a competent authority on the applicant’s right to practice in an EU/EEA country and that the right to practice has not been restricted due to a lack of professional error or negligence or other similar reasons. The certificate must not be older than three months.
If the degree title does not correspond to the degree title mentioned in the directive on the recognition of professional qualifications (Annex V section 5.4.2), a certificate issued by the competent authority of a member state that the training completed by the applicant corresponds to the minimum requirements for veterinary education according to Article 38 of the directive and that the member state equates the degree completed by the applicant to those in mentioned in the directive.
If the studies for the degree were begun before the EU membership of the member state, a certificate issued by the competent authority of the home member state that the applicant has actually and legally practiced the veterinary profession continuously for at least three years during the five years preceding the award of the certificate (certificate of so-called acquired rights). However, the required duration of the work experience shown by the certificate in question may vary. For example, for degrees completed in Estonia before May 1, 2004, the applicant must prove at least five years of professional experience during the seven years preceding the award of the certificate. More information is available from Finnish Food Authority.
If the applicant's current first or last name differs from the name used in the attached documents, the applicant must also submit a copy of the document from which the name change can be verified.
A veterinarian’s oath (See below).
In specific cases, other documents or explanations may also be required from the applicant.

Primarily, the applicant must also submit translations in Finnish or Swedish, by an authorized translator, of all attachments written in languages other than English or Nordic languages.

Copies of the attached documents are sufficient for the filing of the application. However, Finnish Food Authority may later require the applicant to submit original or officially certified copies of the above-mentioned attachments. Officially certified means a copy certified by a notary public. An apostille certificate is also accepted.

A veterinarian’s oath

A veterinarian’s oath must be written entirely by hand, and the oath must also be dated and signed by hand. The text of the oath is as follows:

I (your name), do solemnly promise and affirm, on my honour and conscience, that as a veterinary surgeon, I shall, to the best of my understanding and ability, conscientiously carry out the tasks and duties of a veterinary surgeon.

Filing the application

The application can be filed using a secure service at Turvaviesti web page and email address kirjaamo@ruokavirasto.fi. An application can also be sent by mail to: Finnish Food Authority, PL 100, 00027 Ruokavirasto, Finland.

Other than EU or EEA citizens

If the applicant is a married or common-law partner of a citizen of an EU/EEA member state, they are equated to an EU/EEA citizen. Likewise, if the applicant has a recognized refugee status, they are equated to an EU/EEA citizen. In these cases, the procedure in the previous paragraph above is applied to the applicant without any additional requirements.

All other veterinary surgeons, who do not have EU/EEA citizenship, but have a veterinary degree obtained in EU or EEA territory, must meet the following additional requirements:

The applicant must prove sufficient skills in Finnish or Swedish language
The applicant must complete three additional study courses at the University of Helsinki

In order to prove sufficient language skills, the applicant must present a national certificate of language proficiency. The certificate must state that they have achieved at least proficiency level 4 in three sub-exams of either Finnish or Swedish language (YKI-testi). Alternatively, language skills can be proven by completing a degree from a Finnish or Swedish speaking educational institution. Such degrees include, for example, a Finnish high school diploma, vocational upper secondary degree and a university degree.

The three required additional study courses at the University of Helsinki are: "Veterinary care", "Municipal administration" and "Use and prescribing of medicines". Participation in the courses is applied for at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Helsinki. Courses can only be completed in Finnish or Swedish.

In other respects, the application must meet the same requirements as the application of an EU/EEA citizen. See what has been said above about the required attachments.

Great Britain and Brexit

Degrees which have been completed during Great Britain's EU membership are degrees completed in the EU. The situation of many British veterinarians is therefore that they have an EU degree but no EU citizenship. In this case, the application will be processed as described here and the additional requirements mentioned above must be completed.