Instructions for employers on filling in the terms of employment
Follow these instructions if your employee is applying for a residence permit on the basis of work.
If your employee is applying for a seasonal work permit, see the instructions for supplementing the terms of employment.
Filling in the terms of employment in Enter Finland for Employers
If you are filling in the terms of employment in Enter Finland for Employers, the form will direct you to respond to the correct questions and upload the correct attachments. First, fill in the terms of employment and submit the form in Enter Finland. After this, you can upload the mandatory attachments. The required attachments are determined based on the information you enter on the form.
- Read more about filling in the terms of employment in Enter Finland for Employers.
If you are using the paper ’Terms of employment’ form, you must ensure that you respond to the correct questions and attach the correct attachments.
See the instructions for filling in each section:
- Employer or a party authorised to represent an employer
- Legal form of the employer
- Employer’s details
- Questions for companies
- Is the employee a posted worker from another EU/EEA country and covered by the posting country’s social security system during the posting period?
- Will the employee be doing temporary agency work or work in the service of a contractor or subcontractor?
- Has the company been in operation for less than a year or have the company’s most recent financial statements not been submitted to the Finnish Tax Administration?
- Questions for associations and sports clubs
- Questions for employers who are private individuals
- Will the employee’s salary be paid by a substitute payer? The substitute payer may be, for instance, a municipality that pays the salary of a personal assistant.
- Employer’s domicile and business location
- Terms of employment
- Professional field
- Occupation and main duties
- Duration of employment contract
- Working time
- Grounds for pay
- Fringe benefits
- Collective agreement
- Place of work
- Specific qualifications and an accepted state of health
- Availability of labour
- Assurance of compliance with employer’s obligations
Employer or a party authorised to represent an employer
On the form, indicate whether you are
- an employer or
- a party authorised to represent the employer (power of attorney required).
Employers must fill in information on the form. This is why the form asks you to indicate whether the form was filled in by the employer or a party authorised to represent the employer (e.g. a person or a company). If a party authorised to represent the employer fills in the ‘Terms of employment’ form on paper, a power of attorney must be attached.
The party authorised to represent the employer must fill in their own contact details so that the authority can contact the representative if more information is required from the employer. Contact details are filled in at the end of the form both in Enter Finland and when using the paper version.
Filling in the terms of employment as the employer
The terms of employment may be filled in by those authorised to sign documents related to recruitment and employment on behalf of the company or association. As an example, the person can be the party that is authorised to sign or otherwise conclude employment contracts. This means that the employer’s details can be provided by an HR employee authorised to carry out recruitment and sign employment contracts on behalf of the company, for example.
The employer decides who in the company represents the company in matters related to residence permits and provides the information for the purposes of the residence permit application. The Finnish Immigration Service will not determine the employer’s representative during the permit process, unless there are compelling reasons to do so.
Filling in the terms of employment as a party authorised to represent the employer
Employers can authorise other parties external to the company to submit information in Enter Finland for Employers. Such authorisation can be given on the Suomi.fi website by giving authorisation for the relevant Business ID.
Currently, only employers with a Business ID can use Enter Finland for Employers.
If you are using Enter Finland for Employers with the authorisation of an employer, you do not need to submit a separate power of attorney. This question is included on the Enter Finland form to ensure that we know who filled in the form.
- Example 1: The employer company is registered outside Finland and the employee is posted to Finland to carry out an assignment. The Finnish contractor manages the employee’s matters and provides information for the application. The Finnish contractor must have a power of attorney from the employer company registered outside Finland, and the power of attorney must be attached to the terms of employment. In this case, the paper version of the ‘Terms of employment’ form must be used.
- Example 2: The employer company is registered in Finland and has authorised another company to carry out recruitment and handle residence permits on its behalf with a Suomi.fi authorisation. This authorised company can create an account in Enter Finland for Employers and it can submit information for the application on behalf of the employer company in the service based on the Suomi.fi authorisation (Suomi.fi e-Identification) granted by the employer company.
The party authorised by the employer can be an individual or another company. This means that the party authorised by the employer does not need to be the company for which the employee will work.
The employee has several employers
If the employee has several employers, each employer must fill in the terms of employment separately
Read more
Legal form of the employer
On the form, indicate whether you, as the employer, are
- an association or a sports club
- a private individual (no Business ID)
- a company
Legal form of the employer in Enter Finland for Employers
In Enter Finland, employers can only choose ‘an association or a sports club’ or ‘company’ as their legal form. Only the paper form has the option ‘a private person’, because private persons with no Business ID cannot currently use Enter Finland for Employers.
Enter Finland automatically asks you to attach the correct attachments based on your selection. You can add the attachments after you have submitted the terms of employment in Enter Finland.
Employer’s legal form on the paper ‘Terms of employment’ form
If you use the paper version of the ‘Terms of employment’ form, you can find the required attachments grouped by legal form at the end.
Employer’s details
Always fill in the employer’s details regardless of whether you are filling in the form as the employer or a person or company authorised by the employer.
Make sure you enter the name of the company identically to how it is spelled in the Business Information System (ytj.fi).
Employer registered outside Finland
If the employer’s domicile is outside Finland (e.g. the company is registered outside Finland) and the employee is coming to Finland to work based on an assignment under the supervision of another company, enter the information of the employer company registered outside Finland in the section for employer’s details.
Employer contact person’s details
Enter the contact details of the person whom the authorities can contact if more information needs to be requested from the employer.
Questions for companies
Choose either
- ‘Yes’ or
- ‘No’
If you choose ‘Yes’
Attach an A1 certificate to the terms of employment. If you are using Enter Finland for Employers, the section for attaching an A1 certificate is automatically displayed. If you are using the paper ‘Terms of employment’ form, add the A1 certificate as an attachment (section 5). Request the A1 certificate from the authorities of the employee’s country of origin.
- If the employee’s A1 certificate application is still pending and the certificate has not yet been granted, attach a copy of the application.
- If an amendment to an already granted A1 certificate has been applied (e.g. to its duration), attach either
- a copy of the certificate application or
- the current certificate with a free form statement on the amendment applied.
No other statement needs to be submitted and the new A1 certificate does not need to be submitted after it is granted.
Choose either
- ‘Yes’ or
- ‘No’
If you choose ‘Yes’
Your employee is coming to Finland to work at several different locations in the following:
- contracting work
- subcontracting work
- temporary agency work
Attach the agreement concluded on the contracting, subcontracting or temporary agency work. The agreement must indicate the work the employee will be performing in Finland. If you are using Enter Finland for Employers, the section for attachments is automatically displayed. If you are using the paper ‘Terms of employment’ form, determine the correct attachment as indicated on the form (section 5) and submit it with the form.
Agreement on contracting or subcontracting work
An agreement concluded between companies, i.e. the employer and the contractor, or the contractor and the subcontractor. The agreement must indicate the work commissioned that the employee is coming to Finland to perform.
Agreement on temporary agency work
An agreement concluded between the temporary agency and the customer company on the work that the employee is coming to Finland to perform.
Choose either
- ‘Yes’ or
- ‘No’
If you choose ‘Yes’
Include in the attachments to the terms of employment the most recent updated accounts (income statement and balance sheet) from the beginning of the current accounting period.
If you are using Enter Finland for Employers, the section for attachments is automatically displayed. If you are using the paper ‘Terms of employment’ form, determine the correct attachment as indicated on the form (section 5) and submit it with the form.
Questions for associations and sports clubs
If you choose ‘an association or a sports club’ as the legal form of the employer, the correct attachments are automatically displayed in Enter Finland.
If you are using the paper ‘Terms of employment’ form, the required attachments are specified in section 5. If several candidates are recruited for an association or a sports club at the same time, you only need to add the attachments to one application.
Attachments required from associations and sports clubs:
- Action plan
- Most recent annual report
- Documentation of the association’s assets
- The most recent updated accounts (income statement and balance sheet) from the beginning of the current accounting period
- Financial statements, if they have not been submitted to the Finnish Tax Administration.
Questions for employers who are private individuals
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An employer is a private individual employer, if the employer does not have a Business ID. Private individual employers cannot currently use Enter Finland for Employers.
If you are a private individual employer, fill in the separate ’Terms of employment’ form and deliver it to your employee with all the required attachments. Your employee can then add them as attachments to their application.
As a private individual employer, you must add certain attachments related to your obligations as an employer that cannot be obtained from official registers. The attachments are specified in section 5 of the form. Attachments:
- Certificate of TyEL insurance
- Certificate of accident insurance
- Certificate of unemployment insurance
Choose either
- ‘Yes’ or
- ‘No’
Choose ‘No’ if you will not receive any monetary support for paying your employee’s pay and will only use your own assets to pay the employee.
Choose ‘Yes’, if some other party than the employer is paying the employee either partly or fully. For example, the employee is coming to work as a personal assistant and the municipality pays a part or all of the employee’s salary. Attach the decision on salary payment to section 5. Attachments.
- Substitute payer’s decision on salary payment Add this attachment if a substitute payer pays the employee’s salary.
Employer’s domicile and business location
Answer the question:
Does the employer have its domicile and business location in Finland?
- Yes, the employer’s registered domicile and business location is in Finland.
- No, the employer is registered outside Finland and the employee will be sent to Finland as a posted worker.
If the employer’s domicile and business location are in Finland, choose ‘Yes’.
If the employer’s domicile and business location are not in Finland, choose ‘No’.
If the employer has a Finnish Business ID, but its domicile and business location are not in Finland, choose ‘No’.
If you choose ‘No’
In addition to the employer details, you must also fill in the contractor’s details. On the Enter Finland form, the following section is automatically displayed: Contractor’s details. On the paper ‘Terms of employment’ form, fill in section 2.3. Contractor’s details. If the employer is registered outside Finland, enter in this section the details of the company operating in Finland under whose supervision the employee will work in Finland.
- Example: The employer is a non-Finnish company whose employee is sent to temporarily work in Finland based on an assignment and the employee returns to their country of origin to work for the employer company after the assignment is completed. While in Finland, the employee works under the supervision of the contractor company or another company specified in an agreement.
- Example: The employer is registered outside Finland and has no business locations in Finland. The contractor contracts the work from the employer company, but the employer company is also registered outside Finland and also has no business locations in Finland. In this case, in the Contractor’s details section, enter the details of the company under whose supervision the employee will work in Finland in practice.
Terms of employment
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Enter in this field the professional field according to the ISCO (International Standard Classification of Occupations) in which your employer will work. In Enter Finland, select the correct professional field from the list. If the employee works in several fields, you can enter the rest of the professional fields in the field: Main duties. On the paper form, fill in the correct professional field. If the employee works in several professional fields, include them all.
Read more about the ISCO classification on the website of Statistics Finland (stat.fi).
Please note that if your employee is applying for a residence permit for an employed person (TTOL), their right to work is determined according to the professional field. This is why it is important to fill in all the professional fields in which the employee will work, so that the employee’s right to work can be determined correctly. If there are several professional fields, you can provide them in the field ‘Occupation and main duties’.
Fill in the employee’s primary title. Enter Finland has a list of the most common titles, such as cook or cleaner. If you cannot find your employee’s title in the list, select ‘Other’ and enter the title in the field.
Remember to also include all of your employee’s primary duties. In Enter Finland, enter them in the field ‘Main duties’.
Select the correct option and indicate whether the employment contract is
- valid until further notice without a termination date or
- fixed term with a termination date.
Specify the start date of the employment and end date for fixed-term contracts. With a fixed-term contract, the residence permit for an employed person is generally granted for the duration of the fixed term.
If your employee is applying for a first residence permit, enter the estimated employment start date as the start date. You can check the expected processing times of applications on the applications pages. If the employment start date has passed when the residence permit is granted, the residence permit will enter into force on the date it is granted.
Choose the option that describes the regular working hours of your employee, per week
- over three weeks, or
- per month.
Fill in the minimum number of hours that you, as the employer, can guarantee for your employee.
- If the employee’s contract is a zero-hour contract, i.e. the employee may be offered 0–40 hours per week depending on the employer’s need, enter this information in the ‘Other, please specify’ field.
- If your employee only works part time, their gross pay must meet the minimum requirements. See the current minimum gross pay on the income requirement page.
- Generally, a residence permit cannot be granted on the basis of work if the employer cannot guarantee a sufficient number of hours for the employee, because in this case, the employee would not receive enough pay to support themselves. For a residence permit for an employed person (TTOL), a residence permit for a specialist, and an EU Blue Card, the employee’s income must always originate from work.
Specify whether the employee’s pay will be
- hourly pay
- monthly pay, or
- seasonal or piece-rate pay or payment by project.
Seasonal or piece-rate pay or payment by project:
Your employee could be arriving to
- work during a sports season and be paid a lump sum for the entire season
- carry out a project and be paid a certain amount for a certain period.
Fill in the employee’s pay. Ensure that the pay at least meets the pay specified in the relevant collective agreement.
Specify whether your employee receives any fringe benefits and whether they are included in the provided monetary pay or if the employee will receive the fringe benefits in addition to the monetary pay. Itemise all the fringe benefits and their taxable values.
Fringe benefits are benefits subject to tax and have a certain taxable value. The taxes are paid by the employee and they are withheld from their pay. Check the taxable values of fringe benefits on the Finnish Tax Administration’s website (vero.fi).
Is a collective agreement applicable to the job?
If you choose ‘Yes’
Specify the collective agreement applicable to your employee’s work. If there is an applicable collective agreement, its minimum terms and conditions must be complied with and the employee’s pay and other terms of work may not be less favourable as those specified in the collective agreement. You can agree on terms and conditions that are more favourable to the employee than those of the collective agreement, such as a higher pay than that specified in the collective agreement for similar work. All generally binding collective agreements are available on Finlex (finlex.fi) (only in Finnish and Swedish).
If you choose ‘No’
An employer cannot choose to not apply a generally binding collective agreement. If no applicable collective agreement exists, the employer must ensure that the employee is paid according to the common practice of the professional field. Read more about the minimum salary requirement on the income requirement page.
Does your employee work in one location or several locations?
Fill in your employee’s primary location of work (city/town). If your employee works in several locations, fill in all other locations of work (cities/town) in addition to the primary location of work.
You can also specify that your employee will work outside Finland.
If you choose ‘N/A’ in Enter Finland, select the option for the work being done in several locations and enter all the locations in which your employee will work in the field that is displayed.
On the form, choose one of the two options:
- The work requires a licence, specific qualifications or an accepted state of health. I have ensured that the employee meets the requirements before he or she starts working.
- The work does not require a licence, specific qualifications or an accepted state of health.
When filling in the terms of employment, the employer must assure that they have verified that the employee is
- qualified for the work
- suitable for the work
- meets the requirements for the work.
Work subject to a permit
If the work is subject to a permit, the employer must ensure that the employee meets all the permit requirements before they start the work (e.g. permit from Valvira for working in social or health care).
Work requiring special qualifications
Specific qualifications include degrees, training or work experience. The required qualifications and the methods for demonstrating them vary according to the work or profession.
If your employee is applying for a residence permit for a specialist or an EU Blue Card, their duties must require special expertise and the employer must ensure that the employee meets this requirement.
Accepted state of health
If the work requires the employee to have an accepted state of health, the employer must ensure the employee’s state of health is acceptable as laid down in the Communicable Diseases Act (e.g. Salmonella or tuberculosis certificate). If a Hygiene Passport or an Alcohol Passport is required but can be acquired at the start of the employment, choose the first option of the two options on the form (‘The work requires a licence, specific qualifications or an accepted state of health.’).
You do not need to attach any certificates, unless your employee is applying for a first residence permit for an employed person (TTOL).
You do not need to attach certificates on licences, specific qualifications or state of health to the application, and these will only be requested to be provided if needed. However, if your employee is applying for a first residence permit for an employed person (TTOL), you, as the employer, must provide a statement of labour market testing and provide all certificates required for the work. More information is below in section 10: Availability of labour.
You must fill in this section if your employee is applying for a residence permit for an employed person (TTOL) for the first time.
You do not need to fill in this section if
- your employee has applied for an extended residence permit and their previous permit was a permit for an employed person (TTOL), and
- the employee has been working for at least 9 months.
If you are using Enter Finland for Employers, this section will only be displayed to you if your employee is applying for a first residence permit for an employed person (TTOL).
Indicate on the form whether labour market testing is required for the residence application.
Choose ‘No’, if labour market testing is not required. In this case, the professional field in question is exempt from labour market testing.
Choose ‘Yes’, if labour market testing is required. In this case, the professional field is not exempt from labour market testing and you, as the employer, must primarily recruit an employee from Finland or the EU/EEA. Answer the two follow-up questions:
- Has the position been advertised on the Job Market Finland website/on the website of the TE Offices for at least two weeks during the past three months? You do not need to attach the job advertisement.
- If you choose ‘Yes’, indicate on the form how many people applied for the job during that time and whether you recruited any of them.
- If you choose ‘No’, advertise the open position on the Job Market Finland website for two weeks. After two weeks, submit a statement of the recruitment process to the TE Offices’ Work Permit Services. Explain in your statement how many people applied for the job during the time it was advertised and how many of the applicants you employed. If none of the applicants were recruited for the job, explain why not.
- Were professional qualifications required in the job advertisement?
- If you choose ‘Yes’, provide the employee’s degrees and/or work certificates or attach a certificate of the employee’s professional qualifications. If you are using Enter Finland, the section for attachments is automatically displayed. If you are using the paper ‘Terms of employment’ form, the attachments are specified in section 5. Attachments: Proof of employee’s professional qualifications
- If you choose ‘No’, no separate proof of the employee’s professional qualifications is required.
The employer must assure in their employee’s application (section 71b, subsection 1, paragraph 6 of the Aliens Act) that
- the employer has met all their obligations as an employer, and
- the terms of employment comply with all applicable legislation.
Both Enter Finland and the paper ‘Terms of employment’ form have a checkbox that the employer can check to assure the following:
- As required by section 71b subsection 1 paragraph 6 of the Aliens Act, I hereby assure that I have met and will continue to meet my obligations as an employer and that the terms of employment I have agreed on with my employee comply with the provisions of law in force and with the applicable collective agreement or, if there is no applicable collective agreement, that they correspond to the terms of employment applied to employees in the labour market doing similar work. I am competent to sign this form, and a power of attorney is attached, if necessary, and the details I have provided are correct.
If you do not provide this assurance, your employee cannot be granted a residence permit on the basis of work.
If you have authorised a third party to represent your company, this authorised representative will make the assurance on your behalf. As the employer, you are responsible for ensuring that the information provided by your representative on the ‘Terms of employment’ form is correct and that your representative provides the assurance that the employer will meet their obligations as an employer. The information must be in line with what has been agreed with the employee.
If an employer gives false or misleading information to the authorities, the Finnish Immigration Service or the Employment and Economic Development Office may refrain from issuing residence permits regarding employment for this employer for a specific period of time, and the employer may be committing a violation of the Aliens Act (Aliens Act, sections 186 and 187).