If European Union legislation does not provide otherwise for the rights of third-country nationals, a non-EU citizen must apply for a qualification certificate like Finns, meeting the requirements set in the Electrical Safety Act (1135/2016) Sections 66 – 70.
The law on the recognition of professional qualifications (1384/2015) applies only to EU citizens and to the recognition of professional qualifications based on an agreement on the European Economic Area or another agreement concluded by the European Union and its member states with another party, or on Union legislation on the status of citizens of third countries.
When issuing a qualification certificate, the qualification assessment body (SETI) shall take into account the electrical education and work experience acquired abroad. If the applicant´s (electrical) education is not from Finland (vocational school, university of applied sciences or university), a statement from the Finnish National Board of Education on the level and the content of the education must be included to the application. SETI can also, if necessary, request a statement from the applicant’s educational institution or Finnish educational institutions statement to support decision-making.
Government`s Degree on Electrical Work and Operational Work of Electrical Installations (1435/2016) Section 3 and Section 4 defines the content of suitable diploma in electrical education.
The electrical safety examination (administered by Tukes) is only available in Finnish or Swedish. More information about the electrical safety examination can be found on the Tukes website.
Application process
The online application must contain the following attachments in Finnish, Swedish or English:
- certificate of passed electrical safety examination (Electrical Safety Act Section 72),
- diploma in electrical education with transcript of studies,
- work certificates for electrical work with task description (signed and dated by the employer),
- copy of information page of the passport or ID,
- statement of education from the Finnish National Board of Education (if needed).
When the application has been sent and it has been reviewed by SETI (usually within one business day), the applicant will get a notification that the application has been received.
The Leading assessor processing the application will request a supplement or additional information to the application, if necessary.
Decision will be sent to the e-mail address the applicant have provided. Normal processing time is from 2 to 4 weeks, but during the summer holiday season from June to July processing time can be extended up to 8 weeks.
Electrician qualification
Only the person responsible for the company’s electrical installations needs a suitable qualification certificate according to the Electrical Safety Act. The assessment of the electrician’s professional skills and ability to work independently is the responsibility of the company’s manager of electrical work (certified person in a company).
All persons performing electrical work in Finland must be instructed in their tasks (responsibility of the company) and must have valid electrical work safety training.