Finland has required foreign wild-berry pickers to hold a seasonal work visa since 2025. The rules fall under the Seasonal Workers Act.
For the 2026 season, Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs says embassies will use new supervisory reports from the 2025 season. If checks indicate exploitation or unmet legal employer duties, an application may be refused.
The ministry said companies must follow Finnish law and contract terms. Employers are also responsible for working conditions, accommodation, and the pickers’ rights.
Applications are expected to rise compared with last season, according to preliminary data. The Finnish Embassy in Bangkok is revising its application intake procedures to handle higher volumes.
The tighter rules followed several years of scrutiny over how Thai berry pickers were recruited and treated in Finland. Police investigated suspected aggravated human trafficking linked to berry-picking seasons in 2020–2022, and Finnish courts have since convicted executives in cases involving Thai workers. These cases, plus wider concerns about exploitation risks, pushed Finland to bring wild-berry picking under the Seasonal Workers Act from the 2025 season.
