Entitlement to medical care in Finland

You may be covered under the Finnish national health insurance scheme on the basis of residence or employment. If you live in Finland permanently, you are covered under the Finnish national health insurance scheme. You may also be covered under the national health insurance scheme if you work in Finland but do not live here permanently.

Apply for a Kela card. By showing your Kela card, you will be reimbursed for:

• part of the costs of private healthcare services
• medicines purchased at a pharmacy. You only pay a copayment.

If you have to pay the costs yourself, you can claim reimbursement from Kela afterwards.

If you are covered under the Finnish national health insurance scheme, you can also be reimbursed for travel costs in connection with medical care.

If you get a pension from another EU or EEA country or from Switzerland and you move to Finland for the long term, request an S1 certificate on the right to medical care from the authorities in your country of origin and submit the certificate to Kela. Also notify the authorities in your country of origin of your move to Finland. If you get a pension from another Nordic country or the United Kingdom, the S1 certificate is not needed.

Make sure to notify the authorities in your country of origin of your move to Finland also in case you get a pension from Finland.

Learn more about what other Kela benefits may be available to you if you live in Finland on a long-term basis or work in Finland.

If you live in Finland and are covered under the Finnish national health insurance scheme, but you do not have a municipality of residence, you may be entitled to medical care in the Finnish public healthcare system for a user fee. Apply for entitlement to medical care in Finland to find out if you qualify. If Kela grants you entitlement to medical care, you will get a document titled ‘Certificate of entitlement to medical care in Finland’. When you show this certificate, you will only be charged a user fee for treatment in the Finnish public healthcare system.

If you are covered under the Finnish national health insurance scheme, you will be reimbursed for:

• part of the costs of private healthcare services
• medicines purchased at a pharmacy. You only pay a copayment. If you have to pay the costs yourself, you can claim reimbursement from Kela afterwards.

If you work in Finland and you have a municipality of residence here but you are not covered by the Finnish National Health Insurance scheme, you have the right to use public healthcare services in Finland at the price of the client fee charged to local residents. Kela does not provide reimbursement for the costs of treatment obtained in the Finnish public healthcare system.

If you work in Finland but you are not covered by the Finnish National Health Insurance scheme and you do not have a municipality of residence here, you may have the right to use public healthcare services in Finland at the price of the client fee charged to local residents. Apply for entitlement to medical care in Finland to find out if you qualify. If Kela grants you entitlement to medical care, you will get a document titled Certificate of entitlement to medical care in Finland. If you show this certificate when you use public healthcare services in Finland, you will only have to pay the client fee charged to local residents. 

If you are temporarily staying in Finland and have a European Health Insurance Card issued by the country responsible for the costs of your medical care, you will receive necessary medical care in the Finnish public healthcare system. Necessary medical care means treatment that cannot wait until you return home. Finnish healthcare providers only accept a physical European Health Insurance Card. You cannot use a digital card.

If you come from another Nordic country, you can also get treatment by showing your official ID or passport.

If you come from the United Kingdom, you can get treatment by presenting your European Health Insurance Card, Citizens Rights Card or GHIC card.

You can receive reimbursement from Kela if you are covered for health insurance in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or Australia. Reimbursement is paid for the costs of necessary medical care. Reimbursement is also paid for treatment of a chronic disease or in connection with pregnancy and childbirth. Direct reimbursement is only possible for the costs of emergency care if you have a European Health Insurance Card. For other costs, you can claim reimbursement from Kela afterwards.

If you come to Finland temporarily from a country other than an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, you are only entitled to emergency medical care. You can be charged for the costs for the medical care afterwards. You can not get reimbursement for the costs incurred in Finland for private healthcare services, medicine purchases and travels in connection with medical care.

If you are staying in Finland without legal residence status, you have, in addition to emergency medical care, the right to certain necessary, non-urgent treatment procedures in the public healthcare system (eu.terveydenhoito.fi).

Check how you can obtain medical care in Finland under various circumstances if you are:

• a posted employee
• a recipient of a pension from another EU country
• a family member moving to Finland
• a student. 

You are a seasonal worker if you work in Finland temporarily during a specific season of the year and your employer is Finnish. For example, you may be employed in agriculture (farming) or tourism or tasked with picking wild berries.

If you came to Finland to work as a seasonal worker and you have a seasonal work permit, you may have the right to use the Finnish public healthcare system for the client fee charged to local residents. Contact Kela to apply for entitlement to medical care in Finland (hoito-oikeus) to find out if you qualify. You can also give permission to someone else, such as your employer, to apply for entitlement to medical care on your behalf. You give this permission with a power of attorney. You can write it yourself or use a template.

You do not need a Finnish personal identity code to apply for entitlement to medical care.

If Kela grants you entitlement to medical care, you will get a document titled Certificate of entitlement to medical care in Finland. If you show this certificate when you use public healthcare services in Finland, you will only have to pay the client fee charged to local residents.

Apply for entitlement to medical care in Finland on the form Entitlement to medical care when moving to Finland, SV 141e (PDF). You can also apply for an S1 certificate with the SV 141e form. If you are a seasonal worker, please fill in the form Application - Certificate of entitlement to medical treatment in Finland (seasonal worker), SV 139e (PDF).

To make sure that the form functions properly, you need to use the latest version of Adobe Reader. It is available as a free download on the Adobe website (get.adobe.com).

1. Save the blank form to your device. Do not fill in the form directly in the browser because some of the information may not be saved that way.
2. Open the form with Adobe Reader and fill it in.
3. After you have filled in the form, save it in PDF format. You do not have to sign the form.
4. Send your application in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish) under Tee hakemus tai ilmoita muutoksista (Submit an application or report changes).
5. Send supporting documents in OmaKela by selecting Lähetä liite (Send a supporting document). Take photographs of the documents you are sending if they are not in a digital format. Supporting documents you will need to enclose:

   • Pension recipients: If you do not receive a pension from Finland but from another EU or EEA country or Switzerland, enclose a certificate S1 (certificate of entitlement to medical care) with your application. Request this certificate from the health insurance institution of the country that pays you a pension. If you receive a pension from another Nordic country or the United Kingdom, the certificate is not needed.
   • Employees posted to Finland: Enclose a certificate S1 (certificate of entitlement to medical care) issued by the sending country with your application. However, you do not need to enclose a certificate S1 if the sending country is another Nordic country or the United Kingdom or if you move to Finland for less than a year from another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom.

Go to OmaKela to view the decision on your entitlement to medical care. The decision states whether Finland takes responsibility for the costs of your medical care in Finland. If supporting documents are missing from your application, you will get a reminder about that in OmaKela. 

In OmaKela, you can also give consent for Kela to send you messages. This will help make your application process and other contacts with Kela quicker.

If you cannot use OmaKela, mail your application to Kela. Fill in the form and print it out. Remember to sign the form. Send the form together with any supporting documents to Kela, Centre for International Affairs, PL 78, 00381 Helsinki.

The decision notice is only in Finnish or Swedish. If you need help with anything, you can call one of our English-language customer service numbers.

You can receive reimbursement for part of the costs of private healthcare services, medicine purchases and travel costs. You must claim reimbursement within 6 months of the date of paying the costs.

Claim reimbursement for 

• for medicine purchases on the form SV 178e (PDF)
• for travel costs on the form SV 4e (PDF)
• for the costs of private healthcare services on the form SV 127e (PDF).

To make sure that the form functions properly, you need to use the latest version of Adobe Reader. It is available as a free download on the Adobe website (get.adobe.com).

1. Save the blank form to your device. Do not fill in the form directly in the browser because some of the information may not be saved that way.
2. Open the form with Adobe Reader and fill it in.
3. After you have filled in the form, save it in PDF format. You do not have to sign the form.
4. Send your application in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish) under Tee hakemus tai ilmoita muutoksista (Submit an application or report changes).
5. Send supporting documents in OmaKela by selecting Lähetä liite (Send a supporting document). Take photographs of the documents you are sending if they are not in a digital format. Supporting documents you will need to enclose:

   • If you live in another Nordic country and you are covered for health insurance there, enclose a copy of your European Health Insurance Card, your passport or other ID.
   • If you live in the United Kingdom and you are covered for health insurance there, enclose a copy of your European Health Insurance Card, Citizens Rights Card or GHIC card.
   • If you live in Australia and you are covered for health insurance there, enclose a copy of your passport.

Go to OmaKela to see if Kela has made a decision on your application. You will also see how much you will get and when it will be paid. If supporting documents are missing from your application, you will get a reminder about that in OmaKela. 

In OmaKela, you can also give consent for Kela to send you messages. This will help make your application process and other contacts with Kela quicker.

If you cannot use OmaKela, mail your application to Kela. Fill in the form and print it out. Remember to sign the form. Send the form together with any supporting documents to Kela, Centre for International Affairs, PL 78, 00381 Helsinki.

The decision notice is only in Finnish or Swedish. If you need help with anything, you can call one of our English-language customer service numbers.