How to start the jobseeking process from EU/ETA country

Jobseeking in Finland and how to start the jobseeking process

Jobseekers who arrive in Finland from an EU/ETA country or from Switzerland with the U2-/E303 form must register in person at the TE Office within 7 days of leaving their country of departure. The TE Offices in Finland are open Mon-Fri from 9 to 16.

Bring your passport or ID card which among other things verifies your nationality. We also recommend that you bring your earlier original employment and education certificates in addition to the U2-/E303 form when you visit the TE Office. A person who does not have a Finnish social security number must fill in the form for jobseekers TEM716c (www.suomi.fi)

Registration as jobseeker (suomi.fi)

Hand in the form together with the U2-/E303 in person to the TE Office, where the information is saved into the national registry of jobseekers. A jobseeker who for some reason has not brought the form from the country of departure, must still register within 7 days so that the jobseeking will not be interrupted.

How long will the jobseeking be effective?

The jobseeking is put to effect in accordance with the duration of the U2-forms (the expiration day of the right to benefits), that usually is 3 months (63-66 days, from some countries 6 months). The country of departure might also require registration for example once a month, in which case the job seeking is effective for 4 weeks at a time.

What happens after the registering?

After the job seeker has been registered, TE Office/EURES experts will process the U2-form and deliver the information about the registration in Finland to the authorities of the country of departure using the form SED U009. This enables continuous payment of unemployment benefits from the country of departure for the time the jobseeker is in Finland seeking employment.

Directive 2004/38/EC on the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States guarantees the possibility for a person to reside and seek employment in Finland for 3 months. Residence that lasts over 3 months requires EU/ETA-citizens to register at the Finnish Immigration Service.

Where to find more information and guidance?

The TE Office offers advice and guidance and tells how you should proceed with seeking a job in Finland. There is a comprehensive guide for job seeking in Finland on the TE Services page titled Work in Finland. We recommend that jobseekers acquaint themselves with the guide.

Here you will find information in different languages about transferring unemployment benefits to another country for the duration of the job seeking