Selection event
Regional offices will invite those who applied for voluntary service to a selection event which will be organised in April. If you applied for service between 16 January 2025 and 15 January 2026, your selection event will take place in April 2026. The invitation to the event is sent by the end of March.
Apart from providing information about conscript service, the selection event involves interviews and health examinations. At the event, you will also have an opportunity to express your wishes involving training and service.
At the selection event, you will learn about the following:
- Grounds for ordering to military service
- Service tasks
- Special operations forces and special duties
- Classes of fitness for military service
- Contingents and service locations
- Rights and duties
- Allowances and benefits while in service
- Things to do after the selection event
- Everyday life in the military
- Reserve
At the selection event, you will be ordered to service if you are deemed fit for service at the medical examination. Fitness for service is determined by the physician, observing the legislation in force and the Defence Forces’ health examination guidelines.
If you are deemed fit for service, your service location and start date will also be determined at the selection event. Service task and time will be determined only after recruits have started their service in the brigade-level units.
The number of recruits each brigade-level unit can take per each contingent is limited. This means you may not get to serve in the location or on the start date you preferred. Therefore, it is good to have a plan B, just in case your first choice is not possible.
The event may well take the whole day. The selection events are specified by the Act on Voluntary Military Service for Women (285/2022), Section 1.
How to prepare for the selection event
It is a good idea to learn about different service tasks and locations before the selection event.
Physical and mental fitness and a healthy diet have a bearing on the fitness for service class determined at the selection event. The Defence Forces provides all future conscripts with a training programme, which can be accessed free of charge by downloading MarsMars application. The application helps you evaluate your fitness level and suggests a progressive training programme which is tailor-made just for you. For those about to enter military service, there is a tailored 3-month fitness programme before starting service.
In addition to fitness tests, the application gives you plenty of training tips and instructions with illustrations and videos, which help you in your exercises. If you have not done physical exercises for a while, talk about it with health care professionals before you start. Training is easy when you get support and advice. The MarsMars application is compatible with Android and iPhone.