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Medicine in Finland and the Finnish Doctors' Cooperative

It is a professional group that searches for the fastest, most convenient and most reliable methods for Turkish doctors to continue their medical practice in Finland or to continue their medical profession in Finland through the medical equivalence process "without profit". As professonals with higher education, especially doctors from Turkey, can become members of the Doctors Cooperative (Doktorlar Osuuskunta) in Europe.

You can follow the Finnish Doctors group on social media on "Facebook", "Telegram", "Twitter" and "Instagram". If you would like to enroll in the Finnish Language Course, please enter our "Doctoring in Finland Telegram" group, read the "Pinned messages in the top menu" and get in touch. Don't forget to join our Finnish Doctors Facebook group exclusively for physicians.


Registration is now open for Finnish certified school for doctors in Finland. Become a member of the Finnish Doctors' Cooperative for school discounts, Finnish translation of your medical diploma and support in finding a job, housing and professional support 👉membership

#Doctoring Abroad



How can Turkish doctors practice medicine in Finland?

Health professionals such as doctors or physicians who require legal authorization are authorized by Valvira in Finland. In order to become a legally authorized doctor in Finland, we have to follow the path set out by Valvira. The first requirement is your "medical school diploma". The second requirement is "at least 6 months of internship" in Finland. The third requirement is the "B1-B2 Finnish language proficiency" that you will obtain through "Finnish language training and YKI language exam" during the first two mentioned processes. In the last part, there are "three-stage exams" for medical qualification. Each exam increases your authorization. When you pass the final exam, you are registered as a fully legally competent doctor.


Finnish for doctoring in Finland

Announcements of the Finnish Language Course for Turkish Doctors and Finnish language training materials can be found at https://fince.fi.


For the Promotion of the Medical School Diploma

The documents required for medical equivalence procedures do not exceed the number of fingers of one hand. 1) Diploma, 2) Passport, 3) Good-Standing Certificate are the documents currently required. We recommend you to add 4) Transcript and if possible 5) Diploma Supplement according to the old way. As much as possible, keep the original documents in English. If your diploma is in Turkish, please ask the faculty secretariat for a "Diploma in English as Original" document. Click here for a short roadmap.


European Doctors' Cooperative

It is a cooperative providing products and services to doctors aiming to practice medicine in Europe and practice medicine in Finland. It was founded by doctors in Finland. Doktorlar Osuuskuntaclick here for details.


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What does the Doctors' Cooperative do?

Who are we? 

What are our objectives?

How and where do we benefit?

Our doctors' group is an interest group built on cooperation and solidarity. The benefits we achieve are reflected in the common denominator. With the skills we have acquired, we have been able to accomplish tasks that 100s of thousands of euros of capital would not be able to handle. 

We were able to formalize this group in the interests of our colleagues and set up a European cooperative. 

We are the first non-publicly funded physician cooperative in Finland. The first public cooperative, which is a university-owned and specialized doctors' cooperative, is located in the northern region. In this respect, we are the only physicians' cooperative in the south, in the capital region. As such, we have the potential to seize many opportunities.

The earning potential of our cooperative is increasing day by day.

I don't see any problem in using a slogan here:

"Our physicians can also be athletes, craftsmen, artists and businessmen. However, the opposite is rarely seen" 

In this respect, we should be open to using every potential of our cooperative.  

Cooperatives are "democratic" in nature and maintain their structure through their transparency.

In fact, there is not much room left for mistrust.

I believe it will be the place where you will feel safer and stronger.

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Working as a doctor abroad - Working as a doctor abroad

Studying medicine in Turkey and working abroad

Turkey's doctors have started to prefer working abroad. With more than 120 medical faculties, Turkey has become a country exporting doctors to the world. Beyond just brain drain, the exodus of physicians, half of whom are specialists and above, who receive the most expensive and painful education, has recently reached 2000 physicians annually. This number reveals that almost as many doctors leave the country as the average of 8-10 medical school graduates. Physicians who leave the country often migrate to countries where languages other than English are spoken. In this case, we can also say that our physician colleagues who have migrated abroad know 2 foreign languages on average. They quit their jobs or study for TUS to become a doctor abroad. Instead, they study a language and leave the country.


Practicing medicine abroad

In our country, our colleagues who studied medicine in English used to return after their residency abroad. Now English serves as an auxiliary language in the country they go to. In 2021, the country with the highest number of immigrants was Germany with 1300-1500 people per year. Demand for European countries such as Italy, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Norway increased. Common Wealth countries of the United Kingdom such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, New Zealand, Australia were also in demand. Saudi Arabia, America and Canada are also on the list. The ranking of countries of emigration is worth considering in terms of their population, prosperity and challenges. Our colleagues are trying to make the best choice for themselves. We will not make a comparison. Our advice is: "Choose the best and easiest option for you".


How to become a doctor abroad?

Start with Google searches. You can do your searches in Turkish. Look for opportunities to learn the language of your favorite country online for free. PDF books, apps, online language courses and private language lessons are enough to learn a language. You have to spend money and time to learn a foreign language. The time is at least 6 months.


Countries with doctor shortage

There is one doctor for every 500 people in Turkey. This number is very insufficient. However, by shortening the time spent per patient and implementing a performance system, the shortage of doctors is masked. With 120 medical faculties, it is clear that there will be a surplus of doctors in a short period of time, but the only solution seems to be closing faculties or migrating doctors abroad. The ideal number of doctors per capita in Scandinavian countries is 250. The average examination time for a patient is 20 minutes. The number of medical faculties is between 3-5. Countries in need of doctors have made it a policy to save money and inward migration by bringing doctors from abroad. Almost every developed country that has reached a high income level will import doctors from abroad. We can also say that the recruitment of doctors from abroad is a unique policy of these countries.


What to do to become a doctor abroad?

Present your medical school diploma at the relevant institution in the country you decide to visit. Start learning the native language of that country. At the same time, do google searches such as "doctor telegram in Finland", "doctors abroad group", "doctors cooperative in Europe" for the country you are going to. Never be separated from your colleagues. Benefit from the experience of every colleague who has been on this path before. Although theoretical knowledge is worth gold, experience is priceless. Verify negative information on this path with written sources and those with experience. Use the opportunities provided by the digital environment to the fullest. You can also get answers by asking questions to the institutions of that country by email.


In which countries is the Turkish medical diploma valid

Diplomas from countries like Turkey where Western medicine is taught are recognized in almost every country. The procedures required vary from country to country.


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Introducing the Medical School Diploma in Finland

Which institution in Finland recognizes a medical degree?

In Finland, the institution that recognizes medical degrees is "Sosiaali- ja terveysalan lupa- ja valvontavirasto" (Social and Health Permission and Monitoring Agency), also known as "Valvira" (the name of the special institution is a combination of the first syllables of the words valvonta and virasto). You must send the necessary documents to Valvira by post. The company you send your mail to must make the customs declaration for your mail. Otherwise, your mail will get stuck in customs. Valvira updates and publishes the required documents and procedures on its website.Click here for the requirements for doctors who have studied medicine outside Europe (outside EU/ETA countries).


What are the documents required for the presentation of the Turkish medical school diploma in Finland?

Passport, Medical School Diploma, Good-Standing document (Certificate of Good Standing) are required for the recognition of Turkish medical school diploma in Finland.


Passport, Medical School Diploma, Good-Standing document (Certificate of Good Standing) are required for the recognition of Turkish medical school diploma in Finland.

The apostilled copy of the medical school diploma and passport translated into English by an apostille authorized notary and a legally competent translator (whose translation will be apostilled at the Governorship or District Governorate) and the apostilled version of the English Good-Standing document will be sufficient. List of apostille authorizing institutions. Valvira also does not accept Turkish translators. You can email your diploma in pdf to an authorized translator in Finland and ask them to send the translation to Valvira on your behalf. They charge 40€ but your document is 100% verified. You can also print out the Finnish application formfrom Valvira's relevant page (If the application form link is not working, you can also download it from our page), fill it in, write your name and date and attach it to your documents ( Click here for application help). When filling in the form, please write your address and the name of your medical school without translating it. You will be asked for your medical school's e-mail, website and phone number. Keep the contact of someone from your faculty who can answer in English ready for you.
Transcripts and Diploma Supplement are not included in the required documents at the moment, but if you send them, there will be no problem. If possible, keep the original documents in English. If your diploma is in Turkish, ask the faculty secretariat for the "Diploma in English is like the original" document. Problems arise if the translators are not authorized by the apostille.


Which postal address do I send the documents to? Will they get stuck in customs?

PO Box address : Sosiaali- ja terveysalan lupa- ja valvontavirasto Valvira, PL 43, 00521 Helsinki / Finland

For shipments by hand or registered mail, the postal address is : Sosiaali- ja terveysalan lupa- ja valvontavirasto Valvira, Ratapihantie 9, 00520 Helsinki / Finland

Send a digital copy of your documents to the e-mail address kirjaamo@valvira.fi in the Finnish application form( click here for application assistance). You can also send digital copies of your documents to https://turvaviesti.valvira.fi, which has a cyber security level.

You have to make a customs declaration for every letter or mail coming into Finland from outside the EU. Let the postal company you are sending documents to do the customs declaration for you. You must also confirm that Posti Oy in Finland will pay the assessment fee (€2.90). Otherwise your mail will get stuck at customs (common problem with PTT shipments). You can track your mail with your tracking code here.

In order to make the additional payment for Posti Oy, you must first be able to activate the Finnish Identity Confirmation Servicewith your passport. Unfortunately, it is not possible to make a customs declaration for your post. The only way to make this declaration is to be the recipient or someone living in Finland. Or the company you send your mail to must make this customs declaration on your behalf.

Always check the page you are tracking with your postal code. Within 20 days from the date of receipt of your mail, you must first make and pay the customs declaration and then pay the postal surcharge. Otherwise your mail will be returned. Posti Oy has collected all the links mentioned in this section on this page. In our experience, if we show the customs value as "1 Euro" and select "Paper ..." in the declaration, we get the job done with 0.24 Euro VAT and 0 Euro customs costs. In order to make this payment you need to use a Finnish bank account or Finnish Identity Confirmation Service. When you search for Posti surcharge by tracking code, a payment button should appear. You have to pay 2,90 Euro. If the payment button for the postal surcharge does not appear, you can ask the Valvira Agency at terhikki@valvira.fi if your mail has arrived.