Right to work and employer obligations

Once your new international employee has received a decision about their residence permit application or if they are a citizen of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you can continue to see whether the employee has the right to work in Finland.

An employer of an international employee also has specific obligations. Learn more about your employer obligations.

If you have questions about whether your employee has the right to work in Finland, please contact our IHH Advisory and Counseling Services. They can help you explain the right to work, as well as your obligations as an employer of an international employee.

Right to work

Once your new international employee has received the decision on the residence permit application their right to work is dependent on the residence permit they receive. If you are looking for more information about residence permits, please visit the page Work-Based Immigration and Residence Permits. There we have examples of the three most common work-based residence permit types; employed person, specialist, and researcher.

The right to work for a holder of a residence permit for an employed person is granted only in the professional field for which the residence permit has been granted. For the specialist residence permit the right to work is granted as a specialist for any employer in the same type of work. For the researcher residence permit the right to work is granted as a researcher and the possibility for additional part-time work.

You can find more information about the right to work on Migri’s website, as well the exceptions for non-EU/EEA nationals.

Citizens of Nordic countries, the EU/EEA and Switzerland do not require a residence permit to start working in Finland and have an unrestricted right to work in Finland.

However, registering the right of residence is needed. Nordic Nationals can register their right of residence with the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV) at International House Helsinki (IHH). DVV serves customers primarily by appointment. Book an appointment with DVV.

EU/EEA nationals can register their right of residence with the Finnish Immigration Service’s (Migri) at IHH. Migri requires that all customers make an appointment before visiting the IHH service centre. Book an appointment with Migri.

At IHH, it is also possible for the employee to apply for a personal identity code, to apply for a tax card, social security coverage in Finland. Learn more about our services for International newcomers.

Employer’s obligations

When a worker arrives from abroad to work in Finland or when you hire an international worker from Finland, you have certain obligations as the employer of the international worker. IHH’s advisory and counseling services can provide information on the obligations of an employer of an international employee.

Below you can find an introduction to the obligations that you need to consider as an employer of an international employee.

• Make sure that your new international employee has a right to reside and work in Finland. This can be verified for example by a valid residence permit card or in some cases a certificate of a pending residence permit application. For detailed information on different types of permits and the right to work please visit Migri’s website.
• Inform your employee of the terms and conditions of the employment in a language that they understand. Additionally, give the employee sufficient training and guidance in occupational safety and the job duties in a language that they can understand.
• Notify the TE Office whenever you employ a non-EU or EEA national or a member of their family. The employee declaration is made electronically through Enter Finland for Employers. The declaration can also be made using the TEM055 form.
• Store information regarding international employees during the employment and for 4 years after the end of the employment. Take a copy of your employee’s proof of right to work (such as a residence permit) and their proof of identification. The information must be easily available for the occupational health and safety authorities. More information is available on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) website.
• Inform the shop steward, employee representative and occupational safety and health officer of the names of your international employees and the applicable collective agreement.

TIP: Remember that there may also be sector related requirements for e.g. employees in the social and welfare sector must be authorized to practice their profession in Finland.