If you fall ill abroad or move abroad

If you are travelling or temporarily staying in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, you can receive necessary medical care for a local user fee by showing your European Health Insurance Card. Necessary medical care means treatment that cannot wait until you return home. You can also receive treatment for a chronic illness and in connection with pregnancy and childbirth. Order the card well in advance of your travel.

If you cannot get the card before you travel, you can ask Kela for a certificate that temporarily replaces the card. We can send the certificate to a hospital abroad, if needed.

In the Nordic countries, you do not need a European Health Insurance Card, since you can obtain treatment by showing a valid passport or other official ID.

If you have paid the costs of medical care in an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom yourself, you can claim reimbursement for the costs from Kela. You must claim reimbursement within 6 months of paying the costs. You can also be reimbursed for medicine and travel costs you have incurred on a trip abroad. You will be reimbursed for the costs of travel to the nearest local treatment provider.

When you claim reimbursement for medical care, you can choose one of the following options on the claim form:

• Reimbursement according to the Finnish legislation. In this case, we will reimburse you for the costs as if you had received treatment in a similar situation in the Finnish public healthcare system, and we will ask for more information from the public healthcare provider in your wellbeing services county. We are unable to provide advance information about the amount of the reimbursement.
• Reimbursement according to the legislation of the country that provided the treatment. In this case, we will ask the country in question to specify the amount of the reimbursement. We are unable to provide advance information about the amount of the reimbursement.

You can be reimbursed for medical care you have received, medicines you have paid for and travel costs you have incurred abroad.

Claim reimbursement on the form Medical care expenses incurred abroad, SV 128e (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:

   • a statement describing the treatment you have received
   • receipts of your expenses and copies of your medical prescriptions.

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.

If you temporarily stay in a country other than an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, you are advised to get travel insurance. If you fall ill or are injured in an accident, the costs for returning to Finland may be high. It can also be difficult to arrange transportation such as an ambulance flight without extensive insurance coverage.

Kela does not provide reimbursement for the costs of medical care in a country other than an EU or EEA country, Switzerland of the United Kingdom. In these other countries, you must pay all the costs of your treatment yourself. You will not be reimbursed for any travel in relation to medical treatment in these other countries either. When you return to Finland, you will only be reimbursed for the travel costs you have incurred in Finland, such as the costs of going from the airport to the hospital. Please note that this means you will not be reimbursed for your flight from the other country to Finland.

If you are temporarily staying in Australia, you can receive treatment in the public healthcare system for a local user fee by showing your Kela card and passport.

By applying for entitlement to medical care, you can find out whether you are entitled to medical care abroad with the costs covered by the Finnish public healthcare system. You should apply for entitlement to medical care as soon as you move abroad.

If you move to an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom or work in these countries, you can receive all necessary medical treatment in your country of residence for a local user fee. You can do this if you have applied to Kela for entitlement to medical care and Finland is responsible for the costs of your medical care. Apply for entitlement to medical care if you are:

• a posted employee
• a pensioner living abroad
• a family member moving abroad
• a cross-border worker
• a maritime worker or
• a member of flight personnel. 

When you apply for entitlement to medical care abroad, you can also receive a document titled ‘Certificate of entitlement to medical care in Finland’ if you do not have a municipality of residence in Finland. When you visit Finland and show this certificate, you will only be charged a user fee for treatment in the Finnish public healthcare system.

Let us know in OmaKela if you are moving abroad or working abroad. Another option is to fill in and send us the form Moving from Finland or employment abroad Y 38e (PDF). If you are a posted employee, you do not have to do this.

Apply for entitlement to medical care abroad on the form Entitlement to medical care when moving from Finland, SV 140e (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).

Visit 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 abroad. If you meet the conditions for entitlement to medical care, we will issue you a certificate S1 and a document titled ‘Certificate of entitlement to medical care in Finland’. The certificate S1 will be sent to you by mail to your home address.

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.

Register the certificate S1 with the health insurance institution in your country of residence. That way, you will get the medical care you need in your country of residence, and Finland will be responsible for the costs. If you live in the United Kingdom or the Nordic countries, the certificate S1 is not needed. By showing the document titled ‘Certificate of entitlement to medical care in Finland’, you will only be charged a user fee for treatment in the Finnish public healthcare system.

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.