Work certificates
Work certificate exams 2026 — hygiene and alcohol serving passports
In the restaurant and food trade the job often starts with a certificate. The hygiene passport is required of anyone handling unpackaged perishable food; the alcohol serving passport of whoever is present as the licence holder representative. Both can be practised here free of charge.
The practice tests follow the format and the pass mark of the real exam, but they are not the official questions: they are written from the topics the authorities publish, and every answer carries an explanation with its source.
Key figures 2026
- 3 mo
- work, then the hygiene passport
- 34/40
- hygiene passport pass mark
- 80 %
- alcohol passport pass mark
- indefinite
- both valid
Hygiene passport practice test
Practise free for the Finnish hygiene passport test: 40 true-or-false statements in the same format as the real test. Every answer comes with an explanation and its source.
Alcohol serving passport practice exam (anniskelupassi)
Practise free for the Finnish anniskelupassi exam: 30 questions on age limits, serving hours, prohibitions and supervision. Every answer comes with an explanation and its source.
Collective agreement minimum pay 2026
What an employer must pay at least: the pay-group tables from the generally binding agreements for hospitality and for cleaning and property services, with evening, night and Sunday rates.
Which certificate do I need?
The hygiene passport belongs to food law and Ruokavirasto: it is needed by anyone whose work involves unpackaged perishable food, once three months of such work have built up. The alcohol serving passport belongs to the Alcohol Act and Lupa- ja valvontavirasto, and is required of whoever is present as the licence holder representative.
Neither certificate replaces the other, and many people need both: a waiter who also plates food is the typical case. Both are valid indefinitely and never need renewing.
How the hygiene passport test runs
The test has 40 statements answered true or false. Passing takes 34 correct, the time is 45 minutes, and a wrong answer costs no points. It is taken on site under supervision at a tester approved by Ruokavirasto — it cannot be done online.
The statements fall into six areas of knowledge: microbiology, hygienic handling and temperatures, personal hygiene, cleaning, own-check and legislation. Temperatures are where people most often come unstuck.
How the alcohol serving exam runs
The decree requires at least 30 questions and 80 per cent of the maximum score. Neither the question type nor the time is laid down, and there is no national question bank, so the exam varies by institution: 30–40 questions and 45–60 minutes are typical.
The topics are limited to four: serving prohibitions, staff duties of supervision and order, the serving area and serving hours. Marketing is not examined at present, because the authority recommends leaving it out until the guidance is updated.
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Are these the official exam questions?
No. Both practice tests are written from the topics the authorities publish, and every explanation names its source. The real questions are either confidential or written by each institution.
Can the exams be taken online?
The hygiene passport test is always taken on site under supervision at an approved tester. The alcohol serving exam is run remotely under invigilation by some institutions, and costs more when it is.
What do the certificates cost?
The hygiene passport price is set by the tester, the alcohol one by the institution. For the alcohol passport, the exam alone usually costs 50–65 euros and training with the exam 85–155 euros.
How long are they valid?
Both indefinitely. Neither needs renewing, and both follow the person rather than the job.
Is the alcohol serving passport required of every waiter?
No. The Act requires it of whoever is present as the licence holder representative whenever the premises are open to customers. An employer may still ask for it more widely, and many do.
Do the three months start again at a new job?
No. The time accumulates across all jobs, previous ones included.
What languages can the exams be taken in?
The hygiene passport test uses official forms in Finnish, Swedish and English, and other languages through an interpreter. The alcohol exam offers a wider choice depending on the institution, including English, Russian, Arabic and Vietnamese.