Application for employer certification

• the employer's equity has been positive in each accounting period
• the confirmed financial result of the employer has been positive in at least one accounting period
• the employer’s turnover per accounting period has been at least one million euros on average.

The employer must have been a party in the employees’ residence permit processes.

A residence permit is considered to be issued on the basis of work if the permit has been issued on the following grounds: 

• Residence permit for an employed person
• Residence permit for seasonal work requiring a partial decision 
• Residence permit for seasonal work 
• Residence permit for a researcher
• Residence permit for a specialist 
• EU Blue Card for a specialist 
• Residence permit for mobile intra-corporate transferees ('mobile ICT'), or a residence permit on the basis of intra-corporate transfer as a specialist, trainee or manager ('ICT permit')
• Residence permit for internship
• Residence permit for other gainful employment issued for one of the following fields:
• Religious work
• Sports and coaching 
• Top or middle management 
• Culture or the arts 
• Work in international organisations or in duties concerning official cooperation between states
• Intergovernmental agreement
• Mass media
• Market research, orders, preparation of a company’s establishment in Finland
• Visiting teacher, lecturer or instructor
• Consultant
• Installation work or supply contract
• Work permit on the basis of a degree or qualification or research completed in Finland  

Hiring an employee who already holds a valid residence permit that has been issued on the basis of work is not counted towards your company’s residence permits in the certification application.

If an employee is hired through a recruitment agency, the company that pays the employee’s salary and is responsible for carrying out employer obligations is regarded as the person’s employer. This means that a recruitment agency is not eligible for employer certification if the agency only sources employees to other companies.

If no collective agreement exists in the sector, the terms of employment must correspond to those applied to employees in the labour market doing similar work.

Certification is not granted if the conditions for withdrawal of certification are met. A certification can be cancelled if

• the employer or a representative of the employer has been sentenced for an employer’s violation of the Aliens Act
• a decision to refrain from issuing permits has been made about the employer or a representative of the employer
• a financial sanction has been imposed on the employer or a representative of the employer
• a prohibition on pursuing a business has been imposed on the employer or a representative of the employer
• the employer or a representative of the employer has been sentenced to a corporate fine

• Log in to Enter Finland for Employers.
• For user instructions, see the page Enter Finland for Employers.

You must assure in the application form that you have fulfilled your employer obligations and that you meet the requirements for employer certification.

To fill in the application, you will need to provide the following information:

• Information about your company.
• Personal details of the company’s representative.

Add the following documents to your application:

• The approved financial statements for the most recent accounting period if you have submitted them to the Finnish Tax Administration for less than three months ago.
• Written record of the company’s board meeting where the change of ownership is stated.
  • Add this attachment if there have been changes in the company's shareholders during the ongoing calendar year regarding shareholders who hold at least 25 per cent of the company’s shares or votes or have corresponding ownership or control.

Before you submit the application, pay the processing fee in Enter Finland for Employers.The processing fee is 140 euros.

If the Finnish Immigration Service needs further information for your application, we will send a request for additional information to your Enter Finland account. You should reply to the request by the deadline stated in the request.

We aim to process the application within 1–2 months. If we need additional information for your application, the processing time may be longer.

If you applied for employer certification in the online service Enter Finland, the decision will be served in Enter Finland. You will receive an email when the decision has been made.