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Permits and citizenship

Employer certification

If your company hires a large number of employees from outside Finland, you may benefit from applying for employer certification for the company. Even though your employees still need to submit their own residence permit applications, having employer certification will shorten the time it takes to process these applications. 

Employer certification is intended for employers whose employees are applying for a residence permit on the basis of work.  

When a company applies for employer certification, the company’s ability to meet its obligations as an employer will be assessed. Once the certification has been granted, a separate assessment will not be required when individual residence permit applications are processed.

Benefits of employer certification

Having employer certification benefits your company:

  • On Enter Finland for Employers, there will be fewer sections for you to complete separately for each employee’s application.
  • Your employees do not need to fill in their terms of employment for their residence permit applications. As the employer, you are responsible for filling in and submitting the terms of employment for each employee’s application.
  • Your employee can apply for a D visa. The D visa allows the employee's residence permit card to be delivered directly to Finland, and the employee can travel to Finland 1–2 weeks earlier than usual.

However, these benefits do not apply if your employee is applying for a residence permit on the basis of intra-corporate transfer, seasonal work, research work or internship. 

When a company applies for employer certification, the company’s ability to meet its obligations as an employer will be assessed. This means that a separate assessment is no longer required during the processing of residence permit applications. A first employer certification is granted for two years. After that, an extended certification can be granted for three years at a time. 

For instructions about applying for employer certification and more detailed information about the requirements for certification, see the page Application for employer certification.

Withdrawal of employer certification

Employer certification may be withdrawn if your company no longer meets the requirements for the certification. In addition, the certification may be withdrawn in the following cases:

  • The employer or a representative of the employer is sentenced for an employer’s violation of the Aliens Act. 
  • A decision to refrain from issuing permits is made about the employer or a representative of the employer. 
  • A financial penalty is imposed on the employer or a representative of the employer.
  • A business prohibition is imposed on the employer or a representative of the employer.

See our video on how to apply for employer certification

How to apply for employer certification (youtube.com)