Civil service law is a key branch of law in terms of the management of state personnel.

It includes the
regulations governing the general legal status of civil servants, i.e. their rights and duties. Civil service
law regulates the state's role as an employer.

Duties involving the exercise of public authority can primarily be performed only by civil servants in a
public office relationship. For this reason, such a relationship is the chief form of service relationship
used for government employees. Public office relationships are governed by specific responsibilities laid
down in the Constitution (731/1999) as pertaining to holders of public office.

According to the State Civil Servants Act (750/1994), a public office relationship is a service relationship
governed by public law, in which the state is the employer and the civil servant is the performer of the
duties in question. A public office relationship is formed based on the required, unilateral administrative
action involving a recommendation to recruit, i.e. an appointment. The duties of civil servants cannot be
agreed separately.

The legal status of employees with an employment contract is regulated by the Employment Contracts
Act (55/2001).

Lawyers from the Personnel Policy Unit of the Office for the Government as Employer advise employer
representatives in matters concerning civil service law. In the first instance, please direct any enquiries
and questions to the joint email address virkamiesoikeus@vm.fi. You can also contact the unit's lawyers
directly by email or telephone.

Social security coverage for civil servants

The category ’civil servants’ is considered to include not only employees in government service but also
other public-sector employees.

If you move to Finland from an EU or EEA country or Switzerland as a civil servant, you are covered under
the social security system in your employer country for the duration of the employment in Finland. In
other words, you are eligible for social security benefits from the country employing you, under the
terms applicable there. Each country is free to define whom it regards as civil servants. If you are part of
the personnel of a foreign diplomatic mission in Finland, you are covered under the Finnish social
security system if the minimum requirements regarding the terms of employment are met or if you are
resident in Finland.

If you move to Finland from some other country than an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or a country that
has a social security agreement with Finland, you are covered under the Finnish social security system if
you move to Finland permanently or if the minimum requirements regarding the terms of employment
are met. This also applies to the benefits not specified in a social security agreement between Finland
and another country.

Personnel posted to a foreign diplomatic mission are not covered under the Finnish social security
system. Foreign nationals working at foreign diplomatic missions are entitled to Finnish social security
benefits only if they were living in Finland permanently already before their contract of service began.
Locally hired Finnish citizens at foreign diplomatic missions who are permanently living in Finland remain
covered under the Finnish social security system.

https://www.kela.fi/web/en/from-other-countries-to-finland-civil-servants