Other third country degrees

Authorization as a veterinarian based on a degree completed in a country outside the European Union or the European Economic Area, i.e. a third country, requires additional studies in Finland and sufficient Finnish or Swedish language skills. This is a general rule that applies to degrees completed by citizens of an EU or EEA country as well as by citizens of a country outside the EU or EEA. In these cases, Finnish Food Authority always first makes a conditional authorization decision, which determines the additional studies and practical training required of the applicant. Only after completion of these additional studies can the applicant be authorized as a veterinarian and be granted the full right to practice in Finland.

Application for a conditional authorization decision

The application for authorization is free-form. The application must state, what the application is about and include applicant's name and contact information. Application must be set to this address: Ruokavirasto, PL 100, 00027 Ruokavirasto, Finland. The decision given on the application carries a fee.

Attached documents

The following documents must be attached to the application:

Passport
Certificate of degree
Letter of Good Standing
Proof of language skills

The documents attached to the application must be presented as originals or officially certified copies. Documents are not copied while waiting at Finnish Food Authority. Copies of documents are officially certified by, for example, a public notary. This requirement also means that the attached documents must be submitted to Finnish Food Authority in paper form, not electronically.

In addition, Finnish or Swedish translations of attached documents by an authorized translator must be attached to the application if the original documents are written in languages other than Finnish, Swedish or English. The passport does not need to be translated.

The applicant can also attach certificates of professional experience or additional education to their application.

1. Passport

The applicant must submit a document proving citizenship to Finnish Food Authority. Usually this is a passport, but if a passport is not available, the applicant can also propose another document issued by a public authority (e.g. alien’s passport or refugee travel document). Finnish Food Authority recommends the applicant to obtain an officially certified copy of the passport and submit it to the Finnish Food Agency as an attachment to the application.

2. Certificate of degree

The application must be accompanied by a certificate of veterinary education, based on which the applicant has the right to independently practice the profession of a veterinarian in the state that issued the certificate.

The education must correspond to a licentiate degree in veterinary medicine in terms of its duration and scope. The education must therefore be a higher university degree and its planned completion time must be at least five years.

In addition to the degree certificate, the application must include the certificate's appendices or other explanation prepared by the educational institution or authority about what studies the degree has included and how long the studies have lasted.

3. Letter of Good Standing

If the applicant has been granted the right to independently practice the veterinary profession in a country other than Finland, the application must be accompanied by a certificate issued by the competent authority of that country no more than three months earlier that this right has not been restricted due to serious professional error or negligence or other similar reason (Letter of Good Standing).

The certificate must state the following facts:

The applicant has the right to independently practice the profession of a veterinarian in the country that issued the diploma.
The applicant's right to practice the profession of a veterinarian is not restricted due to serious professional error or negligence or any other similar reason.

If the right to practice profession has not been granted, or if it is impossible to obtain such a certificate from the country in question, no certificate is required. The absence of a certificate can be taken into account when Finnish Food Authority decides on the necessary additional studies.

If the applicant has the right to practice in more than one state, they need to submit a letter of good standing from the state where they completed their degree entitling them to practice the veterinary profession; from the state in which they have practiced their profession for the longest time; and from the state where they have practiced their profession most recently.

4. Proof of language skills

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. 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. An incomplete degree is not taken into account.

The applicant must submit a proof of sufficient language skills when filing the authorization application. The applicant must have achieved sufficient language skills before starting additional studies and clinical training.

Additional studies

Based on the aforementioned application, Finnish Food Authority makes a decision regarding further studies, called conditional authorization decision. In the decision, Finnish Food Authority issues more detailed instructions on the completion of additional studies and clinical training that are required before authorization.

As additional studies, the applicant must successfully complete the following studies:

Clinical training prescribed by Finnish Food Authority, lasting a maximum of six months, and the related evaluation of clinical patient work.
Practical training in environmental healthcare and food hygiene prescribed by Finnish Food Authority.
An examination organized by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Helsinki, which consists of a clinical subjects test, a food and environmental hygiene test, and a legislation test.

If the applicant has completed a veterinary degree in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, or in those faculties that have been approved by the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE) based on its evaluation, no clinical training and clinical subject test is required as a condition for authorization. By decision of the faculty of the University of Helsinki, these exceptions can also be applied to persons who have completed a veterinary degree in other education programs approved in international evaluations.

Finnish Food Authority can also grant exemptions from the stipulated requirements for a specific reason. These exemptions can be granted mainly when some of the requirements are considered unreasonable or inappropriate, taking into account the applicant's previous education or professional experience.

Application for authorization

When the applicant has fulfilled the conditions set in the conditional authorization decision, the applicant can apply for authorization. The application is submitted to Finnish Food Authority, and it must include certificates of completing the required additional studies and clinical training as original documents or officially certified copies.

A veterinarian’s oath/affirmation must also be attached to the application. The veterinarian’s oath is written entirely by hand, and the document is also 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.

The decision given on this application carries a fee.