Medical Certificate in Finland: Online Doctor's Note, Same-Day, from €39.99

Finland Legal Snapshot: Sick Leave / Lääkärintodistus

Note on sick-leave timing: Unlike countries with one nationwide day-threshold, Finland leaves the point at which a lääkärintodistus becomes necessary to each employer's collective agreement or internal policy. Practice differs by industry and by employer: some ask for a certificate from day one, many allow 1-3 self-notified days first. Confirm your own collective agreement or staff handbook rather than assuming a single rule applies to you.

In practice, most Finnish collective agreements that address sick-leave documentation ask for a lääkärintodistus somewhere in the first few days of absence, with many employers accepting a simple self-notification, such as a phone call or message to a manager or HR, for the earliest day or two. Roles that are safety-critical or contact-heavy sometimes require a certificate sooner; for other roles the requirement may only apply once an absence runs longer. Because the rule sits at the collective-agreement or company level rather than in national law, the only reliable way to know your own threshold is to check your työehtosopimus, your individual employment contract, or your employer's staff handbook, or to ask your HR contact or union representative directly.

For longer sickness absences, the picture changes. Once employer-paid sick pay for a given absence runs out, ongoing income support generally moves to Kela in the form of sairauspäiväraha. Kela's process for that benefit generally does ask for a doctor's certificate to support the claim, and Kela applies its own eligibility and duration rules, separate from whatever threshold your employer used to decide when a certificate was first needed. If you're claiming or expect to claim sairauspäiväraha, it's worth checking Kela's own published guidance for the specific documentation currently required, since benefit rules are reviewed periodically.

None of this changes how our service works. Because a doctor reviews every case individually rather than applying one fixed day-count, you can request a certificate whenever your own situation calls for one, whether that's day one of a short illness or a longer absence where you also need to start a Kela claim. What the doctor cannot do is certify something they have not genuinely assessed, so be ready to answer follow-up questions if asked.

A lääkärintodistus issued by a doctor registered to assess cases in Finland, after a genuine online assessment, is treated the same as one issued after an in-person visit. Because timing is set locally rather than nationally, we recommend checking your own collective agreement or company policy for the day from which a certificate is generally expected. Sources: Kela, general Finnish employment-law guidance. Last reviewed July 2026. Finnish sick-leave documentation timing is generally set by collective agreement or company policy rather than a single national threshold; always confirm current rules before relying on them for a specific case.

1. 1

   Complete assessment

   3-5 minutes. Select your certificate type, confirm Finland as your country, and answer relevant health questions. No payment yet. You can complete this from a phone, tablet, or computer, at whatever time suits you.

2. 2

   A doctor registered to assess cases in Finland reviews

   Reviewed against your specific circumstances during Finnish business hours (9am-5pm EET/EEST, Monday-Friday). May request more information before deciding; if your case needs a follow-up question, we'll contact you directly rather than decide without the full picture.

3. 3

   Receive your PDF

   Emailed same day, usually within a few hours of approval, with doctor credentials and a verification reference. You can download or forward the PDF directly to whoever needs to see it.

Every price below includes the doctor's review, your PDF certificate with certificate verification, and same-day delivery by email once approved; there are no separate consultation or delivery fees added afterwards.

Private consultation costs are typical ranges reported for a private doctor visit in Finland and vary by clinic and region.

A private consultation in Finland typically costs €40-80 and generally means booking a slot, travelling to a clinic, and waiting for an appointment before you're seen. Our certificates start from €39.99, are reviewed by a doctor registered to assess cases in Finland, and are delivered as a same-day PDF with a verification reference that lets an employer, school, or club confirm authenticity without needing to contact us directly. The trade-off is a genuine one, not a shortcut: as with an in-person visit, a doctor reviews your answers, may ask follow-up questions, and decides whether it is clinically appropriate to issue a certificate. We don't skip that step for speed; if a certificate can't be issued, you receive a full refund rather than a certificate you weren't entitled to.

There's a practical side to this too. A same-day PDF with certificate verification means the person or organisation relying on it, whether an employer's HR team, a school office, or a sports club committee, can check it in seconds rather than calling a clinic to confirm a paper note is genuine. That doesn't make the underlying assessment any less real; it just removes the extra friction of verifying a physical document. If you'd rather see a doctor in person, that option obviously still exists in Finland at the typical €40-80 private-consultation cost; we're simply offering a same-day, doctor-reviewed alternative for people who'd rather not book and travel to an appointment.

Every Finland certificate is reviewed by a doctor registered to assess cases in Finland. A clinician will only issue a certificate after assessing your case and if it is clinically appropriate to do so; if not, you receive a full refund.

Nearby countries

• Sweden
• Norway