Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificates (VKT)

The Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificates (VKT) are the language test system of the Finnish government for enabling public administration personnel to prove their command of the Finnish or Swedish language. The certificates can be used when applying for a job or a study place and to prove sufficient proficiency in Finnish or Swedish when applying for Finnish citizenship.

The Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificate tests have three skill levels: satisfactory, good and excellent. A test in oral, written and comprehension skills can be taken at all the skill levels. These parts of the language proficiency examination can be taken together or separately.

The Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificates will be abolished in stages by the end of 2028. From 1 July 2026 onwards, you may only retake a previously failed subtest if you have passed the other subtest of the same skill's examination and the other subtest has been failed.

In future, the language skills required in public administration can be proven with the National Certificates of Language Proficiency (YKI).

National Certificates of Language Proficiency (YKI)