The right of a student studying veterinary medicine abroad to act as a substitute veterinarian
- Professional qualification
- Nationwide
- Public service
If a person studies veterinary medicine in an EU/EEA state outside Finland, they can be granted a right to temporarily practise the profession of a veterinarian in Finland for a justified reason. The person is required to have completed studies that are equivalent to a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine as well as other studies that are equivalent to the studies required from those studying in Finlan ...
Do the following
The application to temporarily practise a profession is free-form. The application should indicate:
- the topic of the application
- the applicant’s name, personal ID/date of birth, contact details and municipality of residence
- the special justification for granting a temporary right to practise the profession (such as the future employer’s testimony for a need and difficulty of finding a substitute)
The following documents should be attached to the application:
- a certified copy of a document that proves the applicant’s identity (such as passport or ID card)
- transcript of records (original or certified copy)
- a certificate issued by the home university that all of year five studies have been completed
- a clarification regarding how much clinical training (study credit/ECTS) the student has completed after the fifth academic year (small animals, horses, production animals)
- a certificate of training as a municipal veterinarian in Finland (five continuous working days of training under the supervision of a municipal veterinarian)
- a special justification (employer’s testimony of needing a substitute etc.)
The application and its attachments can be sent to the Helsinki office of the Finnish Food Authority either by mail or email.
To whom and on what terms
A prerequisite for granting the right is that
- the person is studying veterinary medicine in another EU/EEA state,
- the person has completed studies that are equivalent to a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine as well as other studies that are equivalent to the studies required from those studying in Finland and
- there is a justified reason for granting the right (such as difficulty to find a substitute for a veterinarian).
A student who studies veterinary medicine in another EU/EEA member state is required to have passed:
- all mandatory intermediate studies that are meant to be taken during the fourth and fifth academic year of the degree programme of veterinary medicine, including related on-call duties,
- clinical training and
- an uninterrupted five-day introductory of a municipal veterinarian’s work and working environment by visiting a municipal veterinarian that practices the profession regularly.
Period of validity
The licence is valid for maximum three (3) years.