A new application procedure makes applying for the right to practice in healthcare easier from May onwards

The reform makes it easier for nurses, midwives and pharmacists who have completed their education in an EU or EEA country to apply for the right to practice in Finland. The KEHA Centre plays a key role as the provider of the system for cross-border information exchange.

Applying for the right to practice in healthcare will become easier in spring 2026 when the Finnish Supervisory Agency provides electronic services to nurses, midwives and pharmacists who have completed their training in an EU or EEA country. At the same time, the Finnish Supervisory Agency will be the first to use the EU’s system for cross-border information exchange, the Once-Only Technical System (OOTS), in an e-service for the recognition of professional qualifications in the whole EU.

The KEHA Centre has been appointed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment to act as the national coordinator referred to in Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 of the European Parliament and of the Council (SDG Regulation). In addition to coordinating and supervising the national implementation of the Regulation, the KEHA Centre makes the national components of the OOTS system available centrally for the authorities to use. The authorities responsible for e-services can join the system flexibly with low development costs.

Applying for the right to practice and OOTS

The Finnish Supervisory Agency’s e-service has been connected to the Once-Only Technical System (OOTS) specified in the SDG Regulation. The system enables the Finnish Supervisory Agency to request the additional information needed in the recognition of the right to practice directly from the register of another EU or EEA country if the user so wishes.

The Finnish Supervisory Agency will continue to integrate the other professional titles it is responsible for into the system by the end of the year.

In addition to the Finnish Supervisory Agency, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland has already joined the system by integrating the application for study benefits into it.

More information

A new application procedure makes it easier for nurses, midwives and pharmacists to apply for a right to practice – Finland at the forefront in the EU (lvv.fi)