Applying for a safety licence for the use of radiation 

The use of radiation requires a safety licence, so you should apply for a safety licence at least one month before starting a radiation practice. You may not start the practice or possess any equipment before STUK has granted you the safety licence.

The safety licence application must contain the following information: 

• information about the applicant 
• the purpose of the practice and information on the facility or place where the practice is carried out; for example, structural radiation shielding (floor plan) or other arrangements to ensure safety 
• the management system for radiation practice, including the Radiation Safety Officer (STV) and his/her duties and the use of a radiation safety expert (STA) in the practice 
• a certificate demonstrating the qualifications of the Radiation Safety Officer (this requirement does not apply to hospital physicists or dentists with a health care provider identifier issued by Valvira) 
• safety assessment concerning the radiation practice 
• information on the radiation sources, the related appliances and shielding and on service arrangements 
• the quality assurance procedures complied with in the practice  
• plan for radiation safety deviations

In addition

• a plan of security arrangements if a safety licence is applied for the use or transport of a high-activity sealed source or the use of mobile radiography equipment.
• the management of radioactive waste and emissions arising from the use of unsealed radioactive sources
• information required for the transport of high-activity sealed sources. For more information, see Transport of high activity sealed sources on the page Transport of radioactive substances.

Please ensure that the applicant has the right to represent the operator (Business ID) when submitting the application. The Radiation Safety Officer (STV) cannot represent the operator unless he or she has been granted an authorisation. 

The authorisation may be granted in: 

• the Suomi.fi service
• the management system of a radiation practice  
• on a separate form 1.4. (in Finnish, docx)

The easiest way to fill in a safety licence application is to use STUK's form service (Formbox). The form service instructs you on how to fill in the information required by the application. You can preview the form without authentication, but the preview form will not allow you to submit any information to STUK.

• STUK’s form service (in Finnish, formbox.fi) 

Technical requirements of the form service 

The form service supports the following browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari (version 9+). To ensure secure and smooth transactions, we recommend that you use the latest versions of the supported browsers. Other requirements: javascript and cookies must be enabled on the browser. The form service uses Suomi.fi identification provided by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. 

If you are unable to use the online service, please fill in the application and the related forms and send them by e-mail. Forms - STUK, in Finnish

The processing will take approximately 30 days, after which you might receive a request for further information or a decision concerning the granting of the safety licence. You may not commence the radiation practice before receiving the decision. STUK sends the decision by email to the address you have stated in the application. 

• Fees for radiation practices regulation

When you have received the safety licence, please ensure that the use of radiation complies with the safety licence and that the information in the safety licence is up to date. Some changes in operations require STUK's approval and a change to the safety licence in advance. Some changes can be reported to STUK within two weeks of the date the change became effective.

Significant changes in operations require an application in advance. Such changes include, but are not limited to:

• a change of the safety licence holder (the Business ID changes)
• a significant change in the management system 
• a change in the place of business or addition of a new radiation facility 
• a change in the premises or radiation shielding when adding a new piece of equipment 
• a change of operations towards more demanding operations (an updated safety assessment has to be attached to the application)
• a change in the classification assessed in the safety assessment to a more demanding classification. 

Other changes in operations require a notification within two weeks. Such changes include, but are not limited to:

• a change of the radiation safety officer (STV)
• removing or replacing a radiation source with an equivalent one without any changes to the structural shielding or other arrangements 
• a change in the operations so that the classification assessed in the safety assessment becomes less demanding 
• a change of contact details or a change of the name of the operator. 

Please ensure that the applicant has the right to represent the operator (Business ID) when submitting the application or notification. The Radiation Safety Officer (STV) cannot represent the operator unless he or she has been granted an authorisation. 

The authorisation may be granted in: 

• the Suomi.fi service
• the management system of a radiation practice  
• on a separate form 1.4. (in Finnish, docx)

The easiest way to make changes to a safety licence is to use STUK's form service (Formbox, in Finnish and Swedish). The form service instructs you on how to fill in the information required by the change. You can preview the form without authentication, but the preview form will not allow you to submit any information to STUK. 

STUK’s form service (formbox.fi) 

• Application to change the safety licence  (in Finnish)
• Notification on a change to the practice (in Finnish)

Technical requirements of the form service 

The form service supports the following browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari (version 9+). To ensure secure and smooth transactions, we recommend that you use the latest versions of the supported browsers. Other requirements: javascript and cookies must be enabled on the browser. The form service uses Suomi.fi identification provided by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. 

If you are unable to use the online service, please fill in the application and the related forms and send them by e-mail. Forms - STUK (in Finnish)