Unemployment benefits for persons moving to or from Finland

You will keep your right to the general social security benefit for a maximum of 3 months if you look for work in another EU or EEA country or in Switzerland and you fulfil the work requirement (työssäoloehto).

This means that you cannot get the general social security benefit if you do not fulfil the work requirement.

Do as follows if you go to another EU or EEA country or Switzerland to look for work:

1. Tell the employment services of your municipality of residence (kotikunta) (tyomarkkinatori.fi) that you are moving well in advance. Employment services will check if you can get unemployment benefits from Finland while looking for work abroad.
2. Ask Kela or your unemployment fund to issue a PD U2 certificate to you at least 2 weeks before you move abroad. Take the certificate with you to the country where you will be looking for work.
3. Register with the local employment authorities within 7 days. If you cannot get the PD U2 certificate in time, register without it.
4. Remember to comply with the obligations laid down by the employment authorities in the country where you look for work.

Kela or your unemployment fund will pay you unemployment benefits on the same grounds as for jobseekers in Finland. Payment of the general social security benefit or earnings-related unemployment allowance starts after the employment authorities in the country where you look for work have reported to Kela that you are registered there as a jobseeker.

If your registration as a jobseeker in Finland is valid, you can stay abroad temporarily and still keep your right to the general social security benefit. However, you can keep your right to the benefit only if Kela still considers you to be living in Finland on a permanent basis.

You must be able to return to Finland on short notice if you are offered a job or are invited to a job interview.

Read more about what a temporary stay abroad means.

You can make use of your Finnish employment history if you move to another EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain or Northern Ireland and you apply for unemployment benefits in your country of residence. As in Finland, your employment history affects your right to get unemployment benefits in many other EU and EEA countries as well.

You can get a PD U1 certificate as proof of your Finnish employment history. Contact Kela’s Centre for International Affairs or your unemployment fund for example by phone to ask for the certificate. Request the certificate in time because it takes time to issue it.

Do as follows if you have recently moved to Finland and you are unemployed:

1. Register as an unemployed jobseeker with the employment services of your municipality of residence (kotikunta) (tyomarkkinatori.fi) as soon as possible. Kela can grant you general social security benefit at the earliest from the day when you registered as an unemployed jobseeker with the employment services.

   • Employment services will issue a labour policy statement (työvoimapoliittinen lausunto) to Kela. The statement tells Kela whether you are an unemployed jobseeker who can get unemployment benefits.
2. After you have registered with the employment services, apply for the general social security benefit from Kela. If you are applying for Kela benefits for the first time after moving to Finland and Kela has not yet checked if you qualify for benefits, you must also fill in and submit the form Moving to Finland Y 77e (PDF) to Kela.

Read more about what to do if you have become unemployed.

Have you fled the war in Ukraine and moved to Finland? Learn more about the benefits available to you in Finland.

Work you have done abroad can count towards the Finnish work requirement (työssäoloehto) if you have worked in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain or Northern Ireland. Work in some other country than an EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain or Northern Ireland cannot be included in the work requirement.

You need a PD U1 certificate granted by the employment authorities in your country of employment that confirms all your employment and unemployment insurance periods.

In order for your employment in another country to count towards the Finnish work requirement, you must work in Finland for at least 4 weeks after your employment abroad has ended. The work you do in Finland must be the kind of work that counts towards the work requirement.

The requirement of working in Finland for 4 weeks does not apply in the following situations:

• Finland remained your country of residence despite your stay and employment abroad. You returned to Finland after your employment ended.
• You worked in the other country as a cross-border worker while living permanently in Finland.
• You return to Finland from another Nordic country and one of the following situations applies to you:
• You have been paid unemployment benefits from Finland in the previous 5 years.
• You have been in paid employment that can count towards the work requirement for at least 1 week during the previous 5 years.
• You have been in self-employment that can count towards the work requirement for at least 4 months during the previous 5 years.

Do this for work you have done abroad to be included in the work requirement

1. Request a PD U1 certificate from the employment authorities of your country of employment (EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain or Northern Ireland). Get the certificate before you move to Finland.
2. Register as an unemployed jobseeker with the employment services of your municipality of residence (kotikunta) (tyomarkkinatori.fi).
3. Apply for the general social security benefit in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish). Submit the PD U1 certificate as a supporting document with your application.
4. If you are applying for Kela benefits for the first time after moving to Finland and Kela has not yet checked if you qualify for benefits, you must also fill in and submit the form Moving to Finland Y 77e (PDF) to Kela.

If you come from another EU or EEA country or Switzerland and you look for work in Finland, you can get unemployment benefits from your country of origin.

However, to qualify for the benefits, you must agree on going to look for work abroad with the employment authorities in your country of origin before you come to Finland. You cannot get unemployment benefits from Finland at the same time.

You can get unemployment benefits from your country of origin while looking for work in Finland for a maximum of 6 months.

Do this for your right to unemployment benefits from your country of origin to apply in Finland

1. Request a certificate on your right to unemployment benefits (PD U2 certificate) from the employment authorities in your country of origin.
2. Submit your PD U2 certificate to the employment services in your municipality of residence (kotikunta) (tyomarkkinatori.fi).
3. Remember to report any changes in your circumstances to the employment authorities in your country of origin. For example, you must tell them if you find a job.