The Finnish National Agency for Education issues advisory statements on Finnish qualifications for international use. The advisory statements can be issued on completed qualifications which are governed by the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland. The advisory statements are subjected to a fee.

The advisory statement may concern:
•    the applicant’s eligibility for higher education studies in Finland,
•    the status of the qualification and/or the educational institution within the Finnish system of education or
•    the professional rights that the qualification gives in Finland.  

Advisory statements are issued in Finnish, Swedish or English.

 

Fill in the application form and send it with the required documents to the Finnish National Agency for Education. The required documents are listed in the application instructions.

You will receive an electronically signed advisory statement by either email or mail.

If you wish to apply for the advisory statement using the paper-based application form, please request for the application form and instructions by sending an email to recognition [at] oph.fi. Please note that you will receive the advisory statement faster by using the electronic application form.

Back to top

The fee for an advisory statement issued by the Finnish National Agency for Education on a Finnish qualification is €161. Value Added Tax (VAT) will be added to the fee according to the Value Added Tax Act. From September 1, 2024, the total fee for the statement is €202.06, including VAT (25.5%).

If you use the electronic form to apply for the advisory statement, you will pay the fee electronically. More detailed instructions for the electronic payment can be found on the application form. If you apply for the advisory statement using a paper-based application form, an invoice for the fee will be sent by post.

Back to top

Processing an application for an advisory statement takes usually up to two to three months. The processing will be faster if all the infomation and documents are included in the application. 

Back to top

You do not necessarily need an advisory statement by a Finnish authority when applying for recognition of your qualification abroad. You can make use of the documents provided by the Finnish educational institution, or the Europass documents, in particular the Certificate Supplement of Diploma Supplement.

If you apply for recognition of your professional qualification in another EU or EEA country, the competent authority of the host country may send questions concerning your professional qualifications to the Finnish competent authority via the Internal Market Information Exchange System (IMI).

Back to top

Back to top