Work Permits and Right to Work

Employers have the responsibility to verify an international employee’s right to work within their professional field. The employers also have to notify the TE Office and the staff representative when the employee is not a citizen of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland. This isn’t necessary if the employee is a family member of a citizen of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland. The information is submitted primarily via the Enter Finland for Employers service.

Main contractors or main commissioners operating in Finland also have the obligation to verify foreign workers’ right to work in a situation where the foreign employees are contracted or subcontracted or agency workers in the employ of a foreign employer.

Employers have to store the information on foreign employees and their duties for four years beyond the termination of the employment so that it is available for inspection by the occupational safety and health authorities.

If the permit does not yet exist, the employee must apply for it. It is a good idea to apply for permission immediately, as processing may take some time. You can help the employee apply or request temporary information about the permitting process.

EnterFinland For Employers in Finland

Guidelines for Hiring a Foreign Employee (TE Services)

Ask the job seeker themselves first.

The information can be found on the back of the residence card. The residence permit also states what kind of work an employee can do and how many hours a week he or she can work.

You can ask about temporary information about the work permit process in the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri). If the person is an asylum seeker, Migri cannot provide information about his/her right to work.

Migrin puhelinpalvelu työnantajille

Ref: Finnish Immigration Service (Migri)

In Finland, practising some professions requires the recognition of professional qualifications by an authority, licensing of the right to act as a professional or registration of a protected professional title.

The employer may also ask the new employee to present the official certificates and professional qualifications.

In most cases, employers can obtain information directly from the authority’s register. Requests for information are often subject to a processing fee.

However, people who have completed their qualifications abroad must independently apply for a decision on the recognition of a foreign qualification or other professional competence with the Finnish National Agency for Education or some other authority before they can start work in Finland.

Source: International Recruitment Guide, Business Finland 

Professional qualification registers and authorities

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Social welfare and healthcare professionals’ JulkiTerhikki

Finnish National Agency for Education – Recognition of qualifications 

A student’s residence permit grants the right to work without restrictions, as long as the work is related to the degree being studied. Such work includes traineeships and thesis commissions. Additionally, students have a limited right to work for pay.

• A student may work for an average of 30 hours a week during term.
• There is no maximum weekly number of working hours. The working hours may be spread across a term freely, as long as the average number of hours per week does not exceed 30.

Students’ residence permits (Migri) 

Under certain conditions, work is allowed without a residence permit. For example, work in certain roles, short-term work or work based on an invitation for up to 90 days may be possible without a residence permit. Please read more detailed instructions for various situations on the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) website.

Working without a residence permit (Migri) 

Asylum seekers may start working after three or six (3/6) months after submitting their asylum application.

• The three-month rule applies if you have presented a valid passport or other travel document to the authorities and it has been verified as being genuine.
• The six-month rule applies if you have not presented a travel document.

Asylum seeker’s right to work (Migri)

The right to work while a permit extension application is being processed varies based on the grounds of the initial residence permit. You should apply for an extension to your residence permit well in advance before it expires.

Read more about the right to work while your application for an extended permit is being processed (Migri)