A degree recognized in an EU or EEA country

A veterinary surgeon who applies for authorization in Finland may benefit from a recognition of their veterinary degree in other EU or EEA countries. The instructions on this page apply to those applicants who meet all three conditions below:

You are an EU citizen (or citizen of Switzerland, Norway, or Iceland), the spouse of an EU citizen, or have a recognized refugee status and
Your degree is from a country that is not an EU member (nor Switzerland, Norway, or Iceland) and
You are authorized as a veterinarian in an EU country (or Switzerland, Norway or Iceland)

If all of these do not apply, please go to page Other third country degrees.

A decision on the recognition of veterinary professional qualifications made by a member state does not directly oblige another member state to recognize the professional qualification. However, an authorization in other member state can be useful when applying for authorization as a veterinarian in Finland.

Three Years of Professional Experience

If the applicant has at least three years of professional experience in the veterinary profession in the member state that recognized the veterinary degree, a general system for recognition is followed in the recognition of the degree in Finland (as described in directive 2005/36/EC, Title III, Chapter I).

A certificate issued by a competent authority of the member state that recognized the degree is required from the applicant. The certificate must state that the applicant is licensed to work independently as a veterinarian, that the applicant has worked as a veterinarian in the country for at least three years, and that the applicant's professional rights have not been restricted in any way. In other respects, the application is subject to the same rules that apply to a degree completed in an EU or EEA state.

Additional Studies

If the three-year professional experience requirement is not met, but the person has obtained the right to practice veterinary profession by completing additional studies in a member state, such a person is no longer required to complete those additional studies, which are generally required of those coming from a third country. Instead, they are required to have sufficient Finnish or Swedish language skills. For more information about applying, see: Other third country degrees.