You may relocate to another country in the EU area (EU, EEA and Switzerland) for 3 months for a job search while you are unemployed. KOKO will pay you the normal daily allowance for the duration of such a job search.
When you leave to undertake such a job search, you leave the Finnish labour market and enter the labour market of the target country.
Contact information for employment authorities in the EU area
Before leaving
Contact the TE Office. You may go abroad for a job search if you have been registered as an unemployed jobseeker for at least 4 weeks before your departure. The TE Office will issue a statement to the KOKO fund on this matter.
Request a U2 form from KOKO at least 2 weeks before leaving for a job search. The U2 form is a form used within the EU area to verify your right to seek employment.
When arriving in your target country
Report to the local employment authorities no later than 7 days after leaving Finland. The last date for reporting is given on the U2 form.
Once you have reported to the authorities in your target country, they will send a U009 form to KOKO. With this form, the authorities in your target country verify to KOKO that you have reported to them within 7 days as required. This document is not handled by you; it is sent directly from the authorities to the recipient. However, you should ensure that the authorities have sent the U009 form to Finland, because KOKO cannot pay your daily allowance before receiving the form.
During the job search
Keep your jobseeker status valid as required by the authorities in your target country.
Apply to KOKO for your daily allowance as normal.
Finding employment during the job search
If you find employment during the job search, notify the local employment authorities and submit your daily allowance application to KOKO as normal. You will be paid daily allowance up to the day before the start of employment and again after termination of the employment if the employment is a full-time job lasting more than 2 weeks. An adjusted daily allowance will be paid in the case of a part-time job or a full-time job lasting no more than 2 weeks. Always remember to append all work-related documents to the application you submit to KOKO.
Returning to Finland
You must return to Finland no later than 3 months after your date of departure. The date of return is given on the U2 form. You must report to the TE Office no later than on the date given on the form. Take this into account when planning your return.
If you are abroad for more than three months and then apply for earnings-related unemployment allowance in Finland, you must first:
- accrue at least one month meeting the employment condition,
- spend four weeks in labour market training as referred to in chapter 5 of the Act on Public Employment and Business Service,
- or spend four weeks participating in job seeker’s independent studies supported by unemployment benefit, as referred to in chapter 6 of the Act on Public Employment and Business Service.
Your return to Finland may of course be delayed because of your finding employment during the job search. In that case, please read the instructions concerning working in the EU area.
New job search
You may go abroad for a job search again when you have been employed in Finland for at least 1 calendar week meeting the employment condition after your previous job search and then 4 weeks as an unemployed jobseeker at the TE Office.