Work in Finland International Recruitment Advice Service for Employers
The International Recruitment Advice Service for Employers helps employers with questions related to the recruitment of foreign employees.
Read moreObligations of the employer in international recruitment
When you hire an international skilled worker either one already in Finland or one from abroad, you as an employer have an obligation to ensure their right to work, to provide a notification of their recruitment, and keep a record of this information.
Obligation to ensure the right to work
As an employer, you must check that your employee has the right to reside and work in Finland. You can check your employee’s right to reside and work by checking their passport if they are a citizen of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland, or by checking their residence permit card if they are from some other country. Remember to ensure that the right to work is valid throughout the employment relationship.
An employee’s residence permit (TTOL) may contain sector-specific restrictions, so make sure that your employee has the right to work in the position in question.
Obligation to provide notification of recruitment
If you hire a person who is not a citizen of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland, or a family member of an EU or EEA country citizen or a Swiss citizen, you must notify the Finnish Immigration Service of their hiring. Notify the Finnish Immigration Service without delay giving the name of the person, the duration of the employment relationship, their pay and the applicable collective agreement.
You can enter the information electronically into the Enter Finland for Employers online service. If you cannot use the online service, submit the information using the paper form titled Employee announcement.
In addition, you must notify the shop steward, elected representative, and occupational safety and health representative at the workplace of the name of the person and the applicable collective agreement.
You do not need to report the employment relationship information to the Finnish Immigration Service again if you have participated as an employer in applying for a residence permit for a person and submitted the information as part of the application process.
- Enter E-services (enterfinland.fi)
- Employer’s role and obligations (migri.fi)
- Employee announcement (migri.fi, PDF)
Obligation to keep information
As an employer, you must keep records on all your foreign employees and the grounds for their right to work. The occupational safety and health authority enforces the right of foreigners to work in Finland, and you must be able to present this information if necessary. For example, you can take a copy of an employee’s passport if they are a citizen of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland or a copy of their residence permit card if they are a citizen of some other country.
You can find more information on the employer’s obligations on the Foreign employee page of the Occupational Safety and Health authority's website Työsuojelu.fi.
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