The international voucher

The City of Turku provides financial support for employers hiring an international talent. The City’s international talent recruitment voucher, or international voucher, is intended to promote the employment and retention of international higher education students or those who have recently graduated. The value of the voucher is either €3,000 or €5,000.

• Support is granted as follows:
• For an employment contract lasting 3–6 months, the support is €3,000
• For an employment contract lasting more than 6 months, the support is €5,000
• The voucher is not available for employment contracts shorter than 3 months.

Applications are accepted until 30 November 2026. Please read all the terms and conditions carefully.

• The voucher may be used to hire a higher education student or jobseeker with a foreign background, who has graduated within the past 12 months. If the applicant is still a student, they must graduate within one year.
• The jobseeker must not be a Finnish citizen.
• The jobseeker must be registered as a resident of Turku.
• The voucher can be granted only once per person and cannot be split between multiple employers.
• A student or recent graduate must not have been previously employed by the same employer.

• Eligible employers include companies, associations, NGOs, parishes, and foundations.
• The voucher cannot be used for employment within a municipal or state organisation, nor for employment by a private individual.
• The employer must have a valid business ID (Y-tunnus).
• The employer must be registered in the Finnish prepayment register and have a Finnish bank account.
• The workplace does not need to be located in Turku, but must be within the Turku employment region.
• The employer’s operations must have been running for at least one year.
• The International Talent Recruitment Voucher is granted as de minimis aid, in accordance with the European Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2831.
• Vouchers are granted based on discretion and available budget.

• The employment contract must last at least 3 months.
• The value of the voucher cannot exceed the total wages paid to the employee during the employment period.
• The employer must pay wages that comply with the relevant collective agreement, or wages that are customary and reasonable if no applicable collective agreement exists.
• Payment may not be based solely on performance (e.g. commission only).
• For part-time employment, the weekly working hours must be at least 20 hours per week.
• The employer is responsible for complying with the Employment Contracts Act, collective agreements, employee rights and insurance requirements.
• If the planned employment does not start or ends before the end of the probation period, the employer must notify maksatus.tyollisyysalue@turku.fi
  without delay.
• The work must correspond to the employee’s skills and educational background, though tasks related to closely connected fields are permitted.

The employment must not receive any other public employment subsidies, nor may additional subsidies be applied for during the contract period.

• The employer applies for the voucher by completing a preliminary information form. Information about the employee is also required.
• The voucher can only be applied for employment contracts that start on or after 2 December 2025.
• Applications can be submitted before the employment starts, or within one month of the start date.
• The application period runs until 30 November 2026, or until funds distributed.
   

• Turku Employment Services will process the form, Upon this, a decision about the support is made. The decision will be sent to the employer by encrypted email.
• You may apply for payment of the voucher when the employment has passed the probation period or has lasted at least one month. Use the City of Turku’s confidential message email service (turva.turku.fi) when submitting a payment request. Attach the employee’s employment contract and one month’s payslip. Send your email to maksatus.tyollisyysalue@turku.fi
• Further instructions on applying for payment will be provided with the voucher decision.
  The voucher will only be paid if all eligibility requirements are met. Missing or inconsistent documents may delay or prevent payment.
• If the employee’s contract ends early, given support may be reclaimed. The employer must notify Employment Services of any changes to the employment relationship.
• The voucher is paid approximately one month after the payment application and all required documents have been submitted.
   

NB! The City of Turku is not a party to the employment relationship. The city's sole role is to provide support for employers in the Turku commuting region to hire an international employee at the beginning of their career.

For questions related to the international voucher, contact:

tyonantajapalvelut.tyollisyys@turku.fi ja p. 044 793 7602, Sari Sainio.