Frequently asked questions on cross-border healthcare

In an emergency, call 112. Everyone is entitled to receive emergency treatment. If it is not an emergency, contact your nearest health centre. You can find the health centre’s contact information on the website of the wellbeing services county. You can also go to a private health centre.

If you have a European Health Insurance Card, you will receive medically necessary treatment in Finland’s public healthcare system by presenting the card. Medically necessary treatment refers to treatment that cannot wait for your return home.

If you reside permanently in Australia, you will receive medically necessary treatment by presenting your passport. If you come from another Nordic country, you can present your passport or official ID card instead of a European Health Insurance Card.

For more information about receiving treatment and the costs of treatment, see the falling ill when travelling in Finland and Finland-specific information about health services webpages.

If you are covered by health insurance in another EU country, you can freely seek treatment in public or private healthcare in Finland. You will receive treatment on the same terms as local residents. If you are not covered by health insurance in another EU country, you can freely seek treatment in Finland’s public or private healthcare at your own expense. However, treatment providers are not obliged to treat you.

Find a treatment provider that suits you and agree on the treatment arrangements directly with the provider. Ask your health insurance institution whether it covers the costs of seeking treatment. If you have prior authorisation in accordance with EU Regulation 883/2004, you will pay the same client fee for Finnish public healthcare as local residents. Otherwise, you will pay all treatment costs yourself.

On our website, you can find advice on how to find a suitable treatment place and a list of seven items to check when you seek treatment in Finland with a prior authorisation.

If you seek treatment in Finland, you should primarily seek information on the treatment possibilities directly from the treatment providers yourself. The EU-healthcare.fi website provides contact information for the wellbeing services counties, on-call hospitals, maternity hospitals and units for rare diseases. You can search for the contact information of public health centres and dentists on the websites of the wellbeing services counties or the Suomi.fi online service. You can use search engines to find private treatment providers.

The maximum client fees for public healthcare and some information on the average prices of private service providers are available on the EU-healthcare.fi website. Price information on public healthcare services can also be found on the websites of the wellbeing services counties. You should also look for price information on the service provider websites. You can also ask about the prices directly from the treatment providers.

If you need specialised medical care, you need a referral. Find out directly from the treatment provider to determine what kind of referral you need. The treatment provider must accept a referral written in another EU country, provided that it includes all the necessary information. Usually, the referral must be written in Finnish or Swedish, but the treatment provider may also accept a referral written in English. If you need a translation of the referral, you will have to pay the translation costs yourself.

Seeking treatment refers to a situation where a patient travels to Finland for the express purpose of receiving treatment. If you are covered by health insurance in another EU country and wish to seek treatment in Finland, you are entitled to receive treatment on the same terms as local residents. A healthcare professional will assess your need for treatment. You will have to wait in the same treatment queue as local residents.

If you are from outside the EU and seek treatment in Finland, the hospital has the right to decide if it provides treatment for you. Contact the hospital where you would like to seek treatment directly and ask if they can provide you with the treatment.

The hospital may also restrict the admission of patients from EU countries if it is necessary to ensure healthcare for municipal residents. The restriction can last a maximum of 12 months and must be notified. You can ask the Finnish Contact Point for Cross-Border Healthcare whether a hospital has notified restrictions on the treatment of foreign patients.

If you are covered by health insurance in another EU country, you can come to Finland to give birth. You will receive treatment on the same terms as local residents, but you have to pay the full cost of the treatment yourself. Ask your health insurance institution in advance whether you can be reimbursed for the costs of the treatment. If you have prior authorisation in accordance with EU Regulation 883/2004, you only have to pay the same client fee for the treatment as local residents.

If you come from outside the EU, the hospital is not obliged to provide obstetric care for you. Determine your treatment options directly with the maternity hospital of your choice. You are responsible for the full cost of the treatment yourself.

You can find contact information for maternity hospitals on our website. Read also the checklist for treatment seekers.

Service choices in healthcare refer to publicly-funded healthcare services. In addition to public health care, the services also include private health services for which Kela pays reimbursement. Service choices in healthcare are relevant if you, for example, wish to seek treatment in another EU or EEA country or Switzerland. You cannot receive Kela reimbursement or prior authorisation for treatment that is not included in the service choices in healthcare in Finland. An exception to this is rare diseases, for which prior authorisation can be granted in some cases.

In Finland, service choices in healthcare are defined by the Council for Choices in Health Care in Finland (COHERE Finland).

European Reference Networks for rare diseases are virtual expert networks. Their purpose is to serve as instruments for doctors in diagnosing, treating and researching rare diseases. Patients themselves will not be in contact with the reference networks; instead, their doctor is always the contact person.

Read more about European Reference Networks for rare diseases in the section for healthcare professionals

Each country provides treatment in accordance with its legislation. You can find country-specific information about healthcare services on the EU-healthcare.fi website.

If you have a European Health Insurance Card, you will receive medically necessary treatment in the EU and EEA countries, the United Kingdom and Switzerland by presenting the card. Medically necessary treatment refers to treatment that cannot wait for your return home. You will receive treatment on the same terms and at the same price as local residents. When travelling in Australia, you will receive the necessary treatment by presenting your Kela card and passport.

When travelling in other countries, you are entitled to urgent medical care. It is recommended to take out travel insurance that covers medical care costs.

You can freely seek treatment in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland, either independently or with a prior authorisation pursuant to the relevant EU regulation. You are entitled to access treatment on the same terms as local residents. However, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland are not legally obliged to treat you if you travel there independently to access health care services.

Find a place for treatment that suits your needs and agree on the arrangements for the treatment with the treatment provider in advance. Read also the checklist for treatment seekers.

If you independently seek treatment in an EU or EEA country, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland, you must first pay all the treatment costs yourself. You can then claim reimbursement for the treatment from Kela afterwards. Kela will reimburse the costs up to what similar treatment in Finland in your wellbeing services country would have cost.  However, you will always have to pay the client fee that the Finnish healthcare system would have charged for your treatment.

If you seek treatment with a prior authorisation pursuant to the relevant EU regulation, you will pay the local client fee for the treatment. You can browse frequently asked questions about prior authorisation at EU-healthcare.fi.

You are free to seek treatment also outside the EU or EEA countries. In this case, you cannot receive Kela reimbursement for treatment costs. Also, treatment providers are not obliged to treat you. Agree on the treatment directly with the care provider.

The costs of healthcare services vary by country. Where possible, contact the treatment provider or the authorities in the destination country in advance in order to determine the costs to be charged for your treatment. If you have paid the costs of treatment abroad by yourself, you can claim reimbursement from Kela.

In the EU countries, prices for treatment need to be equal for everyone. Healthcare service providers are free to set their own prices. However, the prices must not discriminate between the permanent residents of the country and patients seeking treatment who arrive from other EU countries. The treatment provider must give you an estimate of the cost of the planned treatment as well as a clear invoice and payment receipt that can be used as a basis for reimbursing the cost of your treatment retrospectively.

A foreign treatment provider may require making an advance payment or paying a deposit before providing treatment. Abroad, you will usually have to pay for your treatment in cash or by credit card at the place of treatment.

As a rule of thumb, you should investigate and determine the treatment possibilities in your desired country yourself. You can find links and tips on health services and their costs on our country-specific webpages. Each EU country also has a Contact Point for Cross-Border Health Care from which you can ask about the country’s health services.

Ask about the costs in advance from the hospital or place of treatment you aim to go to.

Not without a special reason. According to the EU Patient Directive, patients from other EU countries must be admitted and treated on the same terms as local residents. If there is a waiting list, you will have to wait as local residents.

The admission of patients coming from another EU country can only be restricted if it would compromise the availability of treatment to domestic patients. For example, if the number of patients coming from abroad exceeds the capacity of a hospital to provide treatment to local patients, it may refuse treatment. The hospital must report this, so you can ask the Contact Point for Cross-Border Healthcare in the country in question for any restrictions.

You will receive follow-up treatment in Finland in the usual way. You do not need to seek follow-up treatment abroad if you have first received treatment abroad. A doctor will assess what kind of follow-up treatment is needed. Follow-up treatment in Finland may differ from that recommended by doctors in another country, as the treatment practices differ from country to country.

If you receive treatment abroad, ask to have all the treatment documents at the end of the treatment. The patient documents help in assessing the need for care and follow-up treatment.

People have many reasons to seek treatment abroad, such as cheaper costs or shorter waiting lists. The treatment of some rare diseases may have been concentrated in specific countries. Some people may want to be treated in a specific hospital or by a specific doctor. Many also have family, language or cultural ties abroad.

You can check the Contact Point for Cross-Border Healthcare’s Slideshare presentation for Kela’s statistics on reimbursements for treatment abroad. However, the statistics do not include treatment that has not been claimed for reimbursement from Kela, or that is not Kela-reimbursable.

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is a card used in the EU and EEA countries, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. By presenting the card, you will receive medically necessary treatment on the same terms and for the same fee as local residents. Medically necessary treatment refers to treatment that cannot wait until you return to your country of residence. Besides sudden illness or accident, the card covers, for example, treatment required for long-term illness or pregnancy.

The European Health Insurance Card is free of charge. You can usually apply for the card from the health insurance institution in your country of residence. In Finland, the card is granted by Kela. Read also Kela’s frequently asked questions about the European Health Insurance Card.

The European Health Insurance Card and travel insurance complement each other. With the European Health Insurance Card, you will only pay the local client fee for the treatment. Without the card, you must first pay all treatment costs yourself. With the European Health Insurance Card, you will also receive medically necessary treatment related to, for example, long-term illness or pregnancy, which may not be included in your travel insurance.

That said, it is good to have private travel insurance as the European Health Insurance Card does not cover, for example, ambulance flights or other special arrangements for return travel. Make sure to check the terms of your travel insurance before travelling.

In most cases, you will receive treatment in an emergency also without the card. Contact Kela’s Centre for International Affairs to determine if you are covered by Finnish health insurance or if Finland is responsible for the costs of your treatment. Kela will provide you or the hospital directly with a temporary certificate replacing the card.

If you do not receive treatment at the cost of a local client fee but have to pay the actual costs of the treatment yourself, you can claim reimbursement for the treatment from Kela afterwards.

The European Health Insurance Card can be used in the public healthcare of the EU and EEA countries, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland or with a treatment provider who has an agreement with the public healthcare system. If the treatment provider does not accept the European Health Insurance Card and you have to pay the actual costs of the treatment yourself, you can claim reimbursements afterwards from Kela or from the health insurance institution of the country that provided the treatment.

Each country issues the card in its official language. Kela issues the European Health Insurance Card in Finnish or Swedish. The card is similar in different countries, only the language varies.

You can apply for prior authorisation pursuant to the relevant EU regulation (form S2) for treatment that is provided in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom. If you are granted prior authorisation, you will pay the same amount for the treatment as local residents. Your wellbeing services county will pay the rest of the treatment costs. Agree on the practical matters with the treatment provider and ensure in advance that the provider accepts the prior authorisation.

Apply for prior authorisation from Kela. Attach a statement about your treatment, such as a doctor’s statement, to the application. Kela will ask public healthcare for a statement on your case and grant the prior authorisation if the healthcare of your wellbeing services county supports it.

At the moment, only prior authorisation in accordance with EU Regulation is in use in Finland.

Yes, you can, as long as you have prior authorisation in accordance with EU Regulation 883/2004 (S2 form). Apply for prior authorisation from the health insurance institution of your country of residence, and agree on the arrangements for the treatment directly with the treatment provider. In Finland, prior authorisation can be used in public healthcare. You will pay the same client fee for the treatment as local residents.

If you have any other prior authorisation (e.g. under the Patient Directive), you will pay the cost of the treatment yourself, after which you will be able to claim reimbursement from your health insurance institution.

Yes, you can. Find a treatment provider that suits you and find out whether the provider accepts the prior authorisation (S2 form). As a rule, the S2 form is accepted only in public healthcare or a place that has an agreement with the public healthcare system. Prior authorisation is granted for a specific country and specific treatment. The prior authorisation also has a deadline within which you must seek the treatment.

Public healthcare in your wellbeing services county will evaluate your application. Prior authorisation must be granted if the treatment is justified in your particular case and included in the public healthcare services in Finland, and it is not possible to arrange treatment for you in Finland within the time limits defined under the waiting times guarantee system. In some cases, prior authorisation may be granted based on, for example, language or cultural criteria, even if the treatment is also available in Finland.

There is no obligation to grant a prior authorisation if the treatment you need can be arranged in Finland within the time limits defined under the waiting times guarantee system. The treatment must also be included in the service choices in public healthcare in Finland. Thus, prior authorisation can be refused if the treatment is not included in public healthcare in Finland. That said, prior authorisation may be granted based on, for example, language or cultural criteria, even if the treatment is also available in Finland.

Public healthcare in your wellbeing services county will evaluate your particular case. Kela grants or refuses prior authorisations according to the statement by public healthcare. Kela cannot refuse your application for prior authorisation if public healthcare recommends its granting.

Yes. If you travel abroad to receive treatment with prior authorisation, you can apply for reimbursement from Kela for the travel costs. Kela will reimburse travel costs above the copayment up to the place of treatment in the destination country. You can also apply for reimbursement for the costs of medicines and your stay. If healthcare considers that an accompanying person is necessary, reimbursement can also be obtained for that person’s costs.

Yes. You can apply for prior authorisation retrospectively if you have paid all the costs of the treatment yourself. The authorisation must be granted if you would have received it anyway before the treatment. Apply for authorisation and reimbursement from Kela within six months of paying for the treatment. Prior authorisation can be granted for deliberately seeking treatment abroad. You cannot apply for prior authorisation in case of sudden illness.

Under EU legislation, there are two possibilities for reimbursement when patients seek treatment abroad: prior authorisation in accordance with EU Regulation 883/2004 (form S2) and in accordance with Patient Directive 2011/24/EU. Prior authorisation under the Regulation can be used in public healthcare. Prior authorisation under the Directive can be used both in public healthcare and private healthcare.

At the moment, only prior authorisation in accordance with EU Regulation is in use in Finland.

Yes, you can. If you are dissatisfied with Kela’s decision on prior authorisation, you can appeal against it to Kela. If, in Kela’s opinion, the decision cannot be rectified in the way you wish, you can appeal further to the Administrative Court. Decisions by the Administrative Court can be further appealed against to the Supreme Administrative Court if the Supreme Administrative Court grants leave to appeal. The Supreme Administrative Court’s decision is final and cannot be appealed. Further information on the appeal process is available on the Kela website.

You can appeal to the Social Security Appeal Board against Kela’s decisions on the reimbursement of travel, accommodation and medicine costs related to the treatment provided with prior authorisation.

By presenting the European Health Insurance Card in an EU or EEA country, the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland or Switzerland, you will receive medically necessary treatment at the same price as local residents. If you do not have the European Health Insurance Card or the treatment provider does not accept it, you can claim treatment cost reimbursement from Kela afterwards or from the health insurance institution of the country that provided the treatment.

Costs incurred by treatment required in a country other than an EU or EEA country, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland will not be reimbursed. It is recommended that you take out personal travel insurance.

Yes. You can claim reimbursement from Kela if you seek treatment independently in an EU or EEA country, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland. Kela will reimburse costs as if you had received treatment in a similar situation in your own wellbeing services county. However, you must always pay the client fee yourself. Apply for reimbursement within six months of paying for the treatment.

You can also apply for a prior authorisation pursuant to the relevant EU regulation from Kela for treatment provided abroad. In this case, you will pay the same amount for the treatment as local residents.

If you seek treatment in a country other than an EU or EEA country, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland, you cannot receive Kela reimbursements for the treatment costs.

You can ask Kela in advance what kind of reimbursement you can receive for treatment provided abroad. Apply for prior notification in good time before seeking treatment, as Kela requests the necessary information from the public health care of your wellbeing services county.

For the application concerning the prior notification, you will need from the doctor providing the treatment abroad an account of the treatment to be provided, an estimate of the costs of the treatment as well as a referral, if one would be required for accessing similar treatment in Finland. Kela will reimburse the costs of treatment in the manner indicated in the prior notification, if the treatment has been implemented in accordance with the information you have provided.

No. Kela can only reimburse treatment provided in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland. Another prerequisite for reimbursement is that the treatment is medically necessary and is included in the range of services provided by public health care in Finland.

However, if you are seeking treatment abroad with a prior authorisation pursuant to the relevant EU regulation, you can only obtain a prior authorisation for treatment included in the public health care services in Finland. Therefore, you cannot obtain prior authorisation for treatment that is not available in Finland. An exception to this is rare diseases, for which prior authorisation can be granted in some cases.

If you seek treatment abroad without prior authorisation, you will be reimbursed based on the actual costs of the treatment. The practice is based on the EU Patient Directive.

If you seek treatment with prior authorisation, you will pay the local client fee for the treatment. The country that provided the treatment invoices Finland for the rest of the treatment costs.

Yes, you can. If you are dissatisfied with Kela’s decision on reimbursement of medical care provided abroad, you can appeal against it to Kela. If, in Kela’s opinion, the decision cannot be rectified in the way you wish, you can appeal further to the Administrative Court. Decisions by the Administrative Court can be further appealed against to the Supreme Administrative Court if the Supreme Administrative Court grants leave to appeal. The Supreme Administrative Court’s decision is final and cannot be appealed.

If your complaint concerns the reimbursement of travel, accommodation and medicine costs, please address your complaint to the Social Security Appeal Board. You can appeal against the decision of the Social Security Appeal Board to the Insurance Court, which is the highest appellate instance.  Further information on the appeal process is available on the Kela website

Yes, you can. If you are dissatisfied with Kela’s decision on reimbursement of medical care provided in Finland, you can appeal against it to Kela. Kela will either rectify the decision or forward your appeal to the Appeal Board. If you are dissatisfied with the decision of the Appeal Board, you can appeal to the Insurance Court, which is the highest appellate instance. Further information on the appeal process is available on the Kela website

You can purchase medication with a prescription issued in another EU or EEA country or Switzerland from a Finnish pharmacy if the medication in question is licensed for sale in Finland. The prescription must include the details of the patient, the prescription’s date of issue, the details and signature of the prescriber and information about the medication. That said, not all medication can be bought with a prescription issued abroad. For example, medicines classified as narcotics can only be bought with a prescription issued by a doctor operating in Finland.

Prescriptions written outside the EU or EEA countries or Switzerland are not accepted in Finland.

You can buy medicines from other EU or EEA countries either with a separate paper prescription or an electronic prescription. Currently, Finnish electronic prescriptions are accepted in Croatia, Estonia and Lithuania and certain pharmacies in Portugal, Poland, Czech Republic and Spain.

You can also ask your doctor to provide you with a paper prescription for purchasing medication abroad. The restrictions on the use of prescriptions include, for example, medicines classified as narcotics that cannot be purchased with a prescription written in another country. A prescription issued in Finland will not be accepted outside the EU or EEA countries.

Currently, Finnish electronic prescriptions are accepted in Croatia, Estonia and Lithuania and certain pharmacies in Portugal, Poland, Czech Republic and Spain. The restrictions on the use of prescriptions include, for example, medicines classified as narcotics that cannot be purchased with a prescription written in another country.

A medical prescription for purchasing medication abroad is a paper prescription that allows you to buy medicines in another EU or EEA country. You cannot print the prescription yourself from, for example, the My Kanta service, but a doctor can provide you with a printout. Also, you cannot use a prescription intended to be used abroad in Finland.

When you buy medication in another EU country, the validity of the prescription is determined based on where the medicine is purchased. In Finland, a prescription is usually valid for two years. You can ask the destination country’s Contact Point for Cross-Border Healthcare how long the prescriptions are valid in that country.

If you have a prescription written in Finland to buy medication abroad, you can use it in the EU and EEA countries. If you do not have a suitable prescription with you, you can request a prescription from a local doctor.

You can also get reimbursement for prescription medication: depending on the country, you can get the medicines directly at the local price by presenting the European Health Insurance Card at the pharmacy, or you can apply for reimbursement for medicine expenses from Kela or the local health insurance institution afterwards.

Outside the EU, you usually need a prescription from a local doctor to purchase prescription medicines.

Find out in advance from the customs authorities of the destination country (and any transit countries) whether there are restrictions on the import of medicines in that country. In Finland, you can usually buy medication for three months of treatment from a pharmacy. Take along a summary of your prescriptions and keep the medicines in hand luggage in their original packaging. If you travel in the Schengen area carrying narcotic drugs or drugs that affect the central nervous system, you need a Schengen certificate. You can get the certificate at a pharmacy.

The purchase of prescription medicines abroad involves some restrictions. For example, you cannot buy narcotics or medicines that affect the central nervous system. For a full list of restrictions, visit the Kanta.fi website.

The use of prescriptions involves some restrictions. For example, you will need a prescription written by a local doctor for narcotic or psychotropic medicines. A pharmacy may also refuse to accept a prescription if there is doubt about its authenticity.

You can obtain information on the prices of medicines, clinical nutritional preparations and emollient creams sold in Finland from Kela’s Medicinal Products Database. The service also provides information on the reimbursability of medicines and interchangeable medicines. The service is available in Finnish, Swedish and English.

You can check the availability of medicine at a particular pharmacy via the Lääkehaku online service at apteekki.fi (in Finnish). You can also ask about the availability of the medicine directly from the pharmacy where you would like to buy it.

Yes, if a corresponding medicine is eligible for reimbursement in Finland. You can receive Kela reimbursement for the cost of prescription medicines if you suddenly fall ill or your medicines run out during a trip, for example.

You can also apply for Kela reimbursement if you travel to another EU or EEA country, United Kingdom or Switzerland to buy prescription medicines.

Kela does not reimburse medicines purchased from abroad over the Internet or by mail.

Ask the treatment provider directly in advance what kind of patient information they need, and provide them with it. Also, find out whether you need a referral for the treatment and whether a referral written in Finland will be accepted. If you need to translate patient documents, you will be responsible for the translation costs yourself.

Patient information does not automatically move between countries. Ask the treatment provider for information about the treatment you have received and submit it for registration in the healthcare system in Finland. Ask your health centre where you can submit your patient documents. If you need to translate patient documents, you will be responsible for the translation costs yourself.

Contact the hospital or place of treatment where you were treated. Patient information does not automatically move between countries. Data protection also often prevents the transfer of patient information between hospitals in different countries.

Patient information does not automatically move between countries. You yourself must ensure that the necessary documents are received. After the end of treatment in Finland, remember to request the documents concerning your treatment with you as a printout. If you need to translate patient documents, you will be responsible for the translation costs yourself.

Find out the language in which they need your patient information from the place of treatment. If you need to translate patient documents, you will be responsible for the translation costs yourself.

Check with your treatment provider in advance if you can receive treatment in a language you understand. Countries are obliged to provide treatment in their official languages (Finnish and Swedish in Finland), but you can ask if the treatment personnel can speak another language with you.

If you are going to another country to get treatment, you will need to take the necessary patient records with you from Finland and make sure that you bring the information related to the treatment abroad back to Finland.  You will be responsible for the translation of your patient records and any related costs.

Finnish patient data can be gradually transferred electronically to other European countries. The electronic transmission of data across borders takes place through a Patient Summary, which is a compilation of your most important patient records. At the moment, the information can only be transmitted to Estonian, Dutch and Spanish healthcare providers, but other countries will be included in the service in the near future. You will need to give your consent in MyKanta to allow your information to be transmitted abroad.

A Patient Summary is a compilation of your most important patient records, which can be transmitted to healthcare providers in other EU countries if you have given consent to do so in MyKanta. The summary will allow healthcare professionals to view a limited amount of patient information that has previously been recorded about you in Finnish healthcare and stored in the Kanta services. This information includes, for example, prescriptions, allergies and diagnoses. 

Finnish citizenship does not decide whether you have the right to use health services in Finland. The right to use public healthcare services is based on the municipality of residence. If you have a municipality of residence in Finland, you are entitled to use public healthcare services in a normal manner.

If you do not have a municipality of residence in Finland, your entitlement to treatment in Finland depends on which country you are covered by health insurance. For example, if you are covered by health insurance in an EU or EEA country or Switzerland, you have wider access to health services in Finland than if you are covered by health insurance in some other country. You can find more information about your right to treatment in Finland in the Moving abroad section if you have moved abroad as a student, employee or pensioner, for example.

If you move abroad from Finland to study abroad, you are usually covered by Finnish health insurance. In an EU or EEA country, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, you will get treatment by presenting a European Health Insurance Card. In the Province of Quebec in Canada, you will receive treatment in accordance with the social security arrangement. In other countries, you will get treatment in accordance with the legislation of the destination country. Find out in advance from the educational establishment, for example, whether you will need private insurance to use healthcare services.

Going abroad to do paid training relating to your studies may affect your health insurance coverage in Finland. In this case, notify Kela that you will be working abroad.

Yes, you can. If you have a European Health Insurance Card for pensioners granted by Kela, you are entitled to use all municipal healthcare services in a normal manner during your stay in Finland. You will recognize the card from the lime green backside.

You can also come to Finland for treatment from another EU country on your own initiative, even if you are not entitled to a Kela-issued European Health Insurance Card for pensioners. In this case, find out from the health insurance institution in your country of residence how it will cover the costs of treatment.

If you live and work in different countries in the EU area, you are a frontier worker. As a frontier worker, you are entitled to medical care in both your country of residence and country of employment at the same price as local residents.

When you move abroad from Finland, apply to Kela for a decision on your entitlement to medical care. The decision will tell you whether Finland is responsible for the costs of your medical care abroad.

You can appeal against the decision. If you are dissatisfied with Kela’s decision on your entitlement to medical care, you can appeal against it to Kela. If, in Kela’s opinion, the decision cannot be rectified in the way you wish, you can appeal to the Social Security Appeal Board. You can appeal against the decision of the Social Security Appeal Board to the Insurance Court, which is the highest appellate instance. Further information on the appeal process is available on the Kela website

If you do not have a municipality of residence in Finland, you can apply to Kela for a decision on your entitlement to medical care. It will tell you whether you are entitled to medical care in Finland with the costs covered by the Finnish public healthcare system.

You can appeal against the decision. If you are dissatisfied with Kela’s decision on your entitlement to medical care, you can appeal against it to Kela. If, in Kela’s opinion, the decision cannot be rectified in the way you wish, you can appeal to the Social Security Appeal Board. You can appeal against the decision of the Social Security Appeal Board to the Insurance Court, which is the highest appellate instance.  Further information on the appeal process is available on the Kela website.

If you are unhappy with the treatment you received in Finland, you should primarily try to sort the matter out with the treatment provider. If necessary, the patient ombudsman can help you investigate the matter. If the matter cannot be solved by means of negotiations, you can submit a claim to the health centre or a complaint to the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira).

You can receive treatment in Finland, even if the treatment needed is due to a patient injury that has taken place abroad. You can decide for yourself if you want to receive further complication treatment in the country that provided the treatment or in Finland.

Apply for patient injury compensation from the patient insurance of the country that provided the treatment. You cannot apply for compensation from Finnish patient insurance unless the Finnish public healthcare has arranged your treatment abroad as an outsourced service.

Apply for patient injury compensation from the patient insurance of the country that provided the treatment. You cannot apply for compensation from Finnish patient insurance unless the Finnish public healthcare has arranged your treatment abroad as an outsourced service.

Find out from the treatment provider or the contact point of the country that provided the treatment how you can claim compensation for a patient injury.

If you have suffered an actual or suspected patient injury in Finland, you can register an injury report with the Patient Insurance Centre.

Yes, if the travel costs exceed the copayment.  If you travel to another EU or EEA country, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland for treatment without a prior authorisation, Kela will reimburse you for the travel costs corresponding to the costs for travelling to the nearest place of treatment in Finland, where you would have received the necessary treatment. Thus, you cannot receive reimbursement for travel costs up to the destination country but only to the nearest place of treatment in Finland.

If you travel to another EU or EEA country, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland for treatment with prior authorisation, Kela will reimburse you for the travel costs above the copayment up to the place of treatment in the destination country.

Apply for travel reimbursement within six months of paying for the treatment. If you seek treatment in other countries, you will not be reimbursed for travel costs.

Yes, if it takes place in an EU or EEA country, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland. Kela will reimburse travel costs up to the nearest local place of treatment if the travel costs exceed the copayment.

If you have to return to Finland due to falling ill, Kela will reimburse you for the return trip from the place of treatment to, for example, the airport and, in Finland, from the airport to the nearest hospital. If you travel directly home, the trip made in Finland will not be reimbursed. Please note that Kela will not reimburse the flight from abroad to Finland.

Kela may reimburse you for overnight accommodation, but only if you have a prior authorisation from Kela. You can get an accommodation allowance for an overnight stay if it is necessary for your treatment. No accommodation allowance is paid for overnight stay in a hospital. If the healthcare staff consider it necessary for you to have an accompanying person with you, Kela may also pay an accommodation allowance for the costs of the accompanying person.

Claim for reimbursement of costs from Kela (Kela)
Read also: Seeking treatment abroad a with prior authorisation

You may be entitled to reimbursement for the travel costs of an accompanying person if the healthcare staff consider it necessary for you to have an accompanying person. Underage children always travel with an accompanying person and do not need a separate assessment of the need for an accompanying person.

Kela will reimburse the accompanying person’s travel costs according to what the trip would have cost if the cheapest means of travel were used. Claim reimbursement for the accompanying person’s costs from Kela.

The European Health Insurance Card does not cover your hospital transfer. If you need a hospital transfer to Finland, you will usually be responsible for the transfer costs yourself. If the transfer is carried out by ambulance, you can receive reimbursement from Kela for part of the trip afterwards. Travel insurance may cover the transfer, so please review the policy and take out travel insurance.

If you need a hospital transfer between Nordic countries, your treatment provider can arrange the transport from one hospital to another on your behalf. In this case, you do not need to pay the transport costs yourself. The transfer is the responsibility of the treatment provider.

In Finland, you will receive transport by ambulance or rescue helicopter for the same price as residents of Finland when you present your European Health Insurance Card to the ambulance personnel.

If you are permanently residing in another Nordic country, you can present an identity card instead of the European Health Insurance Card. If you arrived from the United Kingdom, you can prove your right to treatment with either the European Health Insurance Card issued during the EU membership of the United Kingdom or the Brexit transition period, the Citizens Rights Card or the Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC).

If you are permanently residing in Australia, the medical care convention between Finland and Australia entitles you to receive reimbursement from Kela retrospectively for the costs of ambulance transport.