Hiring a Foreign Employee to Finland in 2026: Complete Employer Guide
Hiring a foreign employee in Finland: the permit route, Enter Finland for Employers, right-to-work checks, the seven-day notification and record keeping.
Short answer
The employer's role is not limited to issuing a contract. The employer should help identify the correct permit route, complete the terms of employment in Enter Finland for Employers after the application is filed, ensure salary and working conditions comply with Finnish law and the applicable collective agreement, verify the actual right to work and submit required notifications. If a non-EU/EEA employee already has a valid permit/right to work and terms of employment were not submitted with a new permit application, the employee announcement is generally due within 7 days from the start of employment. If employment tied to a work-based residence permit ends prematurely, the employer generally has a 14-day notification duty.
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Work Permit in Finland1. Start with the correct permit route
Finland has more than twenty work-based residence-permit grounds. TTOL, Specialist, EU Blue Card, seasonal work, ICT, researcher and other routes have different criteria. The title alone does not decide the route; duties, salary, duration, qualifications and sector matter together.
Choosing the wrong permit type can slow the application down or raise the risk of refusal. For an employer the soundest starting point is not trying to make the job description and the real working conditions fit a preferred permit category, but identifying which category the existing employment relationship actually belongs to.
2. How Enter Finland for Employers fits into the process
After the employee submits the online application, the employer can complete terms of employment in Enter Finland for Employers. The service uses Suomi.fi e-Authorizations; where it cannot be used, the paper Terms of employment form is used.
For Fast Track, the employer must complete the terms in Enter Finland for Employers within two working days after the employee files. Employers can also handle several employees with the same terms and follow application progress online.
3. Employment terms, salary and collective agreement
Salary, duties, working hours, duration and collective-agreement information submitted by the employer should match the real employment relationship. Terms must comply with Finnish law and the applicable collective agreement.
Meeting a minimum threshold does not override a higher collective-agreement salary. For 2026, TTOL has a EUR 1,600 gross monthly floor while Specialist and EU Blue Card use EUR 3,937 gross monthly; fringe benefits do not count toward the latter threshold.
4. Right of residence and right to work are different
A person can be legally present in Finland without having the right to perform the planned work. The employer must verify the employee's actual right to work before employment begins.
Check the residence permit card, pending-extension certificate and, where needed, Migri confirmation. If an extension was filed before the previous permit expired, the right to work will usually continue during processing; late filing can break that continuity.
5. When is the 7-day employee announcement required?
If you hire a non-EU/EEA employee who already has a valid permit and right to work, and you are not submitting terms of employment as part of that employee's current work-based permit application, an employee announcement is required. It must be submitted in Enter Finland for Employers within seven days from the start of employment, or on paper within ten days if the online service cannot be used.
The announcement includes identity/permit copy, employee and employer details, employment duration, salary and applicable collective agreement. No separate announcement is needed when the terms of employment were already submitted as part of the permit application.
6. The 14-day early-end notification
If a non-EU/EEA employee holding a work-based residence permit does not start work or the employment ends before the permit expires, the employer must submit an end-of-employment announcement. Since 11 June 2025 the notification is due within 14 days of the end of the employment and is filed in Enter Finland for Employers; failing to notify can lead to a penalty.
No early-end announcement is needed when a fixed-term relationship ends exactly as originally reported together with the permit expiry. Temporary lay-off does not end the employment relationship.
7. What information must be retained at the workplace?
Employers must retain information showing the foreign employee's right to work and information on duties at the workplace for inspection by occupational-safety authorities. Migri instructs employers to retain a permit-card copy for non-EU/EEA workers and a passport copy for EU/EEA/Swiss workers.
The employee's name and applicable collective agreement must also be communicated to the relevant workplace representatives. Personal data should be stored securely and only as required.
8. After the permit: DVV, Vero, Kela and banking onboarding
A residence permit is not the end of onboarding. Personal identity code, DVV/municipality registration, tax card, Kela assessment, banking and strong identification are separate processes. Employers are not responsible for granting these, but structured guidance reduces delays for international hires.
Where relocation support is provided, define clearly what the employee, employer, ENB and public authorities each handle.
9. End-to-end employer checklist
Use this checklist to assign ownership across the first international-hire process.
Checklist
- Correct permit route selected?
- Contract reflects real duties?
- Salary meets collective agreement and permit threshold?
- Employee submitted Enter Finland application?
- Employer completed terms of employment?
- Fast Track two-day employer step met?
- Right to work verified before start?
- 7-day employee announcement submitted where required?
- Permit/passport copy stored securely?
- Duties and collective-agreement data available for inspection?
- Extension monitored before expiry?
- 14-day early-end notification assessed?
- DVV/Vero/Kela/banking onboarding planned?
Common questions about this topic
Can the employer submit the residence permit application for the employee?
The employee submits the application. The employer supplements it with terms of employment and employer information.
If the employee has a valid residence permit card, must I still verify the right to work?
Yes. Residence and work rights are different; check what work the permit allows and any restrictions.
Must an employer notify Migri if the employee leaves early?
Generally yes for a non-EU/EEA worker holding a work-based permit when employment ends before the permit expiry; current Migri rules include a 14-day notification duty for premature-end/no-start situations.
Guides usually read alongside this one
TTOL, Specialist and EU Blue Card 2026 for Employers: Which Permit Fits Which Employee?
TTOL, Specialist and EU Blue Card from the employer's side: duties, salary, qualifications, contract length, benefits, Fast Track and evidence duties.
Open guideEmploymentFinland Fast Track and D Visa 2026: Complete Guide for Specialists, EU Blue Card, Startups and Families
Who can use Fast Track: the 14-day target, identity proved in five working days, the employer's two days, and the 100-day D visa after a positive decision.
Open guideEmploymentFinland Residence Permit for Professional Athletes, Coaches and Referees 2026
The athlete, coach and referee permit: the 2026 EUR 1,149 and EUR 1,463 income thresholds, professional competence, business income and the 90-day rule.
Open guideOfficial sources
The following official or public sources were checked for this guide. Current authority instructions always take precedence.
Work Permit in Finland
For employees, specialists and employers: choosing between TTOL, the specialist permit and the EU Blue Card, and checking the file against the 2026 salary floors of EUR 1,600 and EUR 3,937 a month before it is submitted.
This guide is general information. The related service is a case-specific review of your circumstances and documents.
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General guides do not replace individual legal, immigration, tax or financial advice. ENB can assess your circumstances and documents separately.