Falling ill abroad

If you are already in hospital and are asked to present your European Health Insurance Card but do not have it, contact Kela’s Centre for International Affairs immediately. Kela will send a certificate that temporarily replaces the card either to you or directly to the hospital. In an emergency, you can usually receive treatment without the card. 

If you are about to travel and do not have time to obtain a European Health Insurance Card before departure, you can ask Kela for a certificate that temporarily replaces the card. Contact Kela’s telephone service. 

The certificate is valid for the duration of your stay abroad, up to a maximum of 6 months. 

EU and EEA countries, Switzerland and the United Kingdom: 

• You cannot receive reimbursement for travel from abroad to Finland or from Finland abroad. 
• Kela can only reimburse the cost of travelling to the nearest healthcare facility abroad where you could have received the examinations and treatment you needed. 
• You must always pay the co-payment yourself. 
• If you have a European Health Insurance Card and the country’s legislation provides for reimbursement of travel costs, the country where you are staying may also reimburse your travel costs up to the amount of the co-payment. 

Follow-up treatment in Finland: 

• You can receive reimbursement from Kela for travel directly from your point of entry into Finland (e.g. an airport or port) to the nearest hospital. 

Kela does not reimburse travel costs incurred in countries other than EU or EEA countries, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. 

If you have received medical treatment in another Nordic country and have to change your return travel plans, you may be reimbursed for the additional travel costs. 

The health insurance institution in the country where you are staying decides whether to reimburse your return journey. 

If your illness requires you to travel directly to a public healthcare facility in Finland, you may also be reimbursed for any additional travel costs. 

• Reimbursement may be granted on the basis of a medical certificate. 
• The health insurance institution in the country where you are staying will assess whether you are entitled to reimbursement. 
• Before returning home, ask the health insurance institution in the country where you are staying how to claim reimbursement. 
• You can also claim reimbursement from Kela afterwards. 

Travel in the border regions with Norway and Sweden 

If you are staying in the border regions with Sweden and Norway and need medically necessary treatment, you can use the nearest hospital providing emergency care in the border region. Kela may reimburse travel costs afterwards. 

Each country provides treatment in accordance with its own legislation. You can find information about healthcare services in individual countries.

If you have a European Health Insurance Card, presenting it entitles you to medically necessary treatment in EU and EEA countries, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

You will receive treatment on the same terms and at the same price as local residents. When travelling in Australia, you can receive medically necessary treatment by presenting your Kela card and passport.

When travelling in other countries, you are entitled to urgent medical care. You will usually have to pay for treatment yourself, so you should take out private travel insurance.

In EU and EEA countries, Switzerland and the United Kingdom,

• you can receive medically necessary treatment for your long-term condition with a European Health Insurance Card.
• You will pay the same client fee for treatment as local residents.
• If you have paid the treatment costs yourself, you can claim reimbursement from Kela.
• The healthcare provider decides what treatment you need. The treatment may differ from the treatment you would receive in Finland.
• If you need regular treatment during your trip, arrange it in advance with the healthcare provider. For example, dialysis, oxygen therapy and chemotherapy must be arranged in advance.

You can also get more information from Contact Points in EU and EEA countries.

In other countries, your right to treatment is determined by local legislation and you will usually have to pay your treatment costs yourself.

In an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom 

• You can receive treatment in the public healthcare system with a European Health Insurance Card when you are temporarily staying abroad, for example while on holiday.
• You will pay the same client fee for treatment as local residents.
• If you pay the treatment costs yourself, you can claim reimbursement from Kela or from the health insurance institution of the country where you received treatment.
• A newborn baby can also receive treatment under the mother’s European Health Insurance Card when the treatment is related to childbirth or, for example, care for a premature baby.

You can also get more information from Contact Points in EU and EEA countries.

In other countries, you usually have to pay for your treatment yourself. If you have travel insurance, ask your insurer about reimbursement of the costs.

By presenting the European Health Insurance Card in an EU or EEA country, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, you will receive medically necessary treatment at the same price as local residents.

If you do not have your European Health Insurance Card with you or it is not accepted, you can subsequently claim reimbursement for the treatment costs from Kela or the health insurance institution of the country where you received treatment.

If you have received treatment in other countries, the costs will not be reimbursed. You should take out private travel insurance.

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is used in EU and EEA countries, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

By presenting the card, you can receive medically necessary treatment on the same terms and at the same cost as local residents.

Medically necessary treatment refers to treatment that cannot wait until you return to your country of residence.

In addition to sudden illness or an accident, the card covers, for example, treatment required for a long-term condition or pregnancy.

The European Health Insurance Card is free of charge. In Finland, you can order the card from Kela.

The European Health Insurance Card and travel insurance complement each other.

With the European Health Insurance Card, you only pay the local client fee for treatment. Without the card, you must first pay all the treatment costs yourself.

During your trip, the European Health Insurance Card also entitles you to medically necessary treatment that may not be covered by travel insurance, such as treatment related to a long-term condition or pregnancy.

However, it is advisable to have private travel insurance, as the European Health Insurance Card does not cover, for example, air ambulance flights or other special arrangements for your return journey. Check the terms and conditions of your travel insurance before your trip.

In an emergency, you can often receive treatment without the card.

Contact Kela’s Centre for International Affairs, which can confirm that Finland is responsible for the costs of your treatment. Kela will send a temporary certificate that replaces the card either to you or directly to the hospital.

If you are charged the full cost of treatment rather than only the local client fee, you can subsequently claim reimbursement from Kela.

The European Health Insurance Card is accepted in the public healthcare systems of EU and EEA countries, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, as well as by healthcare providers that have an agreement with the public healthcare system.

If the healthcare provider does not accept your European Health Insurance Card, always try to resolve the matter with the provider first. However, if you have to pay the actual treatment costs yourself, you can claim reimbursement afterwards from Kela or from the health insurance institution in the country where you received treatment.

You can also pursue the matter afterwards through the European Commission’s SOLVIT service. SOLVIT provides authorities with information about the rights of people from other EU countries and helps resolve problems. Read more about the SOLVIT service at www.solvit.eu

The European Health Insurance Card in other languages 

• English: European Health Insurance Card 
• Swedish (in Finland): Europeiska sjukvårdskortet 
• Swedish (in other countries): Europeiska sjukförsäkringskortet 
• French: Carte européenne d’assurance maladie 
• German: Europäische Krankenversicherungskarte 
• Spanish: Tarjeta Sanitaria Europea. 

The English abbreviation EHIC is commonly used for the card, which is also referred to as the EHIC card. 

Each country issues the card in its official language. Kela issues the European Health Insurance Card in Finnish or Swedish. The card looks the same in different countries; only the language varies.

The text on the European Health Insurance Card is standardised, so it can be understood in other countries regardless of the language in which it is written.

Yes. You can be reimbursed for medicines if you fall ill suddenly in an EU or EEA country. 

By presenting your European Health Insurance Card at a pharmacy, you can usually obtain medicines on the same terms as local residents. 

If you pay the full cost of your medicines yourself, you can claim reimbursement from Kela or the health insurance institution of the country in question. 

No. You must make sure that you obtain your medical records from the healthcare provider and bring them with you to Finland. You have the right to a written or electronic patient record.

What to do:

• Ask the healthcare provider for all medical records concerning you.
• Have the documents translated into Finnish or Swedish if you need them in the Finnish healthcare system. You must pay the translation costs yourself.
• In Finland, submit your medical records to your local health centre or to the doctor responsible for your follow-up care.

You can receive the follow-up treatment you need in Finland’s public healthcare system in the same way as if your original treatment had been provided in Finland.

• If you need follow-up treatment in Finland, contact your health centre.
• A doctor in Finland will assess what follow-up treatment you need.
• Follow-up care may include, for example, post-operative wound care, laboratory tests, a follow-up examination, physiotherapy or other rehabilitation.
• Treatment is provided in accordance with Finnish practices. The treatment provided in Finland may differ from the follow-up care recommended to you abroad.

You must make sure that you obtain your medical records from the healthcare provider and bring them with you to Finland.

• You cannot receive compensation from Finland for a patient injury that occurred abroad.
• Discuss the incident with the healthcare provider and claim compensation from the authorities in the country where you received treatment.
• All EU countries have a patient insurance scheme that provides compensation for patient injuries.
• If necessary, you can seek advice from the Contact Point in the country where you received treatment.
• However, you can receive treatment in Finland even if the need for treatment arises from a patient injury that occurred abroad.

Ask the healthcare provider whether an interpreter can be arranged for you. If you fall ill in another EU or EEA country and receive treatment using your European Health Insurance Card, the healthcare provider may arrange an interpreter for you.

You may have to pay separately for the interpreting.

Yes, you can. If you fall ill abroad and receive medically necessary treatment, the healthcare provider may provide you with an assistive device.

Practices for obtaining and providing assistive devices vary considerably between countries.

• In some countries, the provision of an assistive device is part of treatment. For example, in the Nordic countries, you can usually receive crutches directly from the healthcare provider.
• In some countries, you have to buy or hire the assistive device yourself.

In EU and EEA countries, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, you can obtain an assistive device with a European Health Insurance Card if, for example, you fall ill while on holiday and the assistive device is part of your treatment.

You can also claim reimbursement from Kela afterwards for the cost of an assistive device if you have to pay for it yourself and it is part of medically necessary treatment.

In other countries, you pay for the assistive device yourself and Kela will not reimburse the costs afterwards.

Kela may reimburse the costs if the healthcare provider has determined that the rehabilitation constitutes medically necessary treatment. In most cases, however, rehabilitation is not medically necessary.

In some cases, you can also receive rehabilitation using the European Health Insurance Card.

The European Health Insurance Card does not cover hospital transfers.

A patient must always be treated until they are fit to travel home safely.

The decision to arrange a hospital transfer is always made on a case-by-case basis, and either you or the healthcare provider is responsible for the arrangements.

Remember to take out comprehensive travel insurance before your trip. A hospital transfer is expensive and difficult to arrange without insurance. If you do not have travel insurance, you will usually have to pay all the costs yourself.

• If you have received treatment abroad and need a hospital transfer to Finland for follow-up treatment, payment for the transfer must be agreed in advance. The transfer costs are paid by you, the receiving hospital in Finland or your insurer.
• You must always pay the costs yourself if the transfer is arranged solely at your request rather than on the basis of a decision by the healthcare provider.
• If you need a hospital transfer from one Nordic country to another, your healthcare provider can arrange the transfer from one hospital to another on your behalf. In that case, you do not need to pay the transfer costs yourself. The healthcare provider will arrange the transfer. Find out more about the Nordic Social Security Agreement (in Finnish, finlex.fi).

Kela may reimburse the cost of a hospital transfer from your point of entry into Finland, such as an airport or port, to a hospital in Finland. You may receive reimbursement if you have paid the transfer costs yourself.