Travel and coronavirus
Many are currently wondering how to secure proper care in the event of a coronavirus infection during travel. Make preparations in advance and study the guidelines issued by the relevant countries, the terms of your travel insurance policy and your rights to medical care in the relevant countries. It is important to observe the guidelines on hygiene and safety distances during travel and any possible quarantine guidelines on your return.
Remember these when travelling

Observe good hand and coughing hygiene as well as safety distances.

Follow the instructions provided by the local authorities.

Bring your European Health Insurance Card with you to all EU and EEC countries as well as Switzerland.
Before the trip
- Apply for a free European Health Insurance Card well in advance of your holiday
- Check the coverage of your travel insurance
- Read the current travel advice (in Finnish) and issue a travel notification
- Study the border traffic and quarantine guidelines issued by the country of destination and Finland
- Read the instructions provided by and regarding airports, terminals, transport services and travel organisers
- Follow the instructions provided by the local authorities. For example, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has compiled links to the websites of local authorities in their travel advice bulletins
- Store the contact information of your next of kin under the acronym ICE (In Case of Emergency) on your phone
- Check whether a COVID-19 app is available in the destination country. The app will inform you if you have been exposed to coronavirus.
- Bring with you a patient guide printed out by your doctor or a summary sheet that you can print out yourself from the My Kanta service. If necessary, you can also obtain one at a pharmacy or health care unit. You can also request a printout in English.
- Look up country-specific information about health services
- Make preparations for the possibility of getting stuck abroad. Account for the possible prolongation of your trip in terms of your finances and the sufficiency of your medication, for example.
If you contract the coronavirus abroad
With the European Health Insurance Card, you gain access to medically essential treatment in EU and EEC countries and Switzerland. Medically necessary treatment refers to treatment that cannot wait for your return home. The need for treatment is determined by the attending doctor. By showing the card, you will receive treatment at the same price as local residents. The European Health Insurance Card also covers the treatment of the COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus. Travellers should be able to receive treatment for COVID-19 free of charge in countries that apply the WHO’s International Health Regulations.
- When travelling in the UK*, you can obtain treatment at the rate of the local customer fee by presenting your passport. Nordic countries accept official IDs in addition to passports. The European Health Insurance Card is also valid in these countries.
- When travelling in Australia, you can get treatment by presenting your Kela Card and passport.
In all other countries, you must be prepared to pay all the treatment costs yourself during travel. If you are covered by the Finnish social security scheme, you can apply for Kela reimbursements for any medical expenses you have covered yourself. Please note that the reimbursements are fairly limited.
You should always take out travel insurance for any trips abroad. The insurance may cover the costs if you have to take an ambulance flight home, for example. Please check the coverage of your travel insurance carefully.
The availability of treatment may vary between countries due to the coronavirus pandemic.
If you contract COVID-19 in Finland
If you experience symptoms suggesting a coronavirus infection in Finland, please call the health centre of the municipality in which you are currently staying. You can also assess your symptoms at omaolo.fi. Do not go to the health centre before receiving instructions from health care professionals. In Finland, everyone is entitled to urgent care regardless of their country of origin.
If your municipality of residence is in Finland, you have a certificate of entitlement to medical care or you are a traveller, you will receive treatment for COVID-19 free of charge.
- If you are from an EU or EEC country or Switzerland, present your European Health Insurance Card or the European Health Insurance Card for pensioners granted by Kela.
- If you are from Australia or the UK*, you can present your passport instead. If you are from a Nordic country, you can also present an official ID.
- If you have a certificate of entitlement to medical care in Finland granted by Kela (people working in Finland, for example), ensure to present it.
- If you do not have a certificate of entitlement to medical care but you are travelling in Finland, tell the health care providers that you are in the country temporarily or for a short period of time as a traveller.
For other groups, medical care in Finland is subject to applicable charges. However, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health recommends that municipalities do not charge the examination and urgent medical care costs caused by the COVID-19 infection from persons who do not have a municipality of residence or certificate of entitlement to medical care in Finland or who are not in Finland as travellers. Check with the municipality providing medical care whether they will charge you.
If you are unsure of your entitlement to medical treatment in Finland, you can contact Kela’s Centre for International Affairs.
The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare provides information on the COVID-19 situation and recommendations in Finland. The Koronavilkku app informs you via your phone if the app estimates that you have been exposed to coronavirus. The app is available in Finnish, Swedish and English.
*The UK will be following the same rules as EU countries until the end of 2020. After this, the situation may change depending on the Brexit negotiations.
COVID-19 testing of asymptomatic people
If you are asymptomatic and would like to be tested for COVID-19 (for example, at your airline’s request), as a rule, you must pay for the test yourself. Practices related to accessing testing may vary, so find out from the test provider if you are eligible for testing and at what price. For example, access to testing and test prices may vary between municipalities. Private healthcare also provides COVID-19 testing.
If your need for testing is not due to illness, you are not eligible to receive Kela reimbursement for private healthcare COVID-19 testing. Information about COVID-19 testing at Helsinki Airport is available here.
More information for travellers
Information on the coronavirus
These links provide access to up-to-date information on COVID-19, protection, symptoms and treatment. Information is also provided on border traffic, quarantine guidelines and the pandemic situation in various countries.
Useful links
- Updates on COVID-19 (National Institute for Health and Welfare)
- Omaolo.fi symptom assessment service (in Finnish)
- Recommendation on the use of face masks for citizens in Finland (National Institute for Health and Welfare)
- Koronavilkku application (THL)
- Advice to travellers from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (um.fi, in Finnish)
- Travel notification (Ministry for Foreign Affairs)
- Travel and the COVID-19 pandemic (National Institute for Health and Welfare) (in Finnish)
- Traffic light model to help in the assessment of risks associated with foreign travel (THL)
- Instructions for border traffic during emergency conditions (Finnish Border Guard)
- Re-open EU (European Union)
- Practical information to people travelling to Finland during the COVID-19 pandemic (Visit Finland)
- Kela update on the corona situation (kela.fi)
Country-specific information on the coronavirus pandemic
Useful links
- Questions and answers about travelling and coronavirus (Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland)
- Entry restrictions and travel recommendations tightened – continue to avoid non-essential travel (Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland)
- Australia: Coronavirus (COVID-19) health alert (health.gov.au)
- Canada: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Travel restrictions, exemptions and advice (canada.ca)
- Mexico: federation website about the coronavirus (in Spanish)
- Mexico: Ministry of Health in Ciudad de México (information in Spanish)
- Mexico: coronavirus helplines in all states (information in Spanish)
- Greece: information and 24/7 National Coronavirus Helpline (in English)
Tips for travel preparations
There are good tips on healthy and safe travel available online. You can enquire for more information on using health care services in Europe from the contact points for cross-border health care in EU countries.
On a short trip
If you fall ill or have an accident during your holiday in EU or EEA countries or in Switzerland, you will receive treatment on the same terms and at the same price as the local residents. When you present the European Health Insurance Card, you will only pay the local customer fee for the treatment and the costs of your treatment will be invoiced from Finland. In an emergency, call the emergency number or go to the local hospital.
Useful links
- What to do if you fall ill in Europe
- Assistance in emergencies abroad
- Country-specific information about health services
- Remember the European Health Insurance Card (kela.fi)
- Will I receive treatment if I forgot the card at home – and other frequently asked questions about the European Health Insurance Card (kela.fi)
- Who will pay if you fall ill during your holiday? (kela.fi)
On a longer trip
Using health care services in different countries may vary, so you should find out about the practices of your holiday destination, especially if you are planning a longer holiday. With the European Health Insurance Card, you will receive treatment when you fall ill in EU and EEA countries also during a longer residence or for a worsening chronic condition.
Useful links
- How does health care work in your destination country? Look up country-specific information
- Holiday touring Europe? Pack the European Health Insurance Card (kela.fi)
- Travel notification with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (matkustusilmoitus.fi)
- Notify Kela of trips longer than 3 months (kela.fi)
- How to get reimbursed for treatment abroad
On holiday with children
Check before the holiday trip that all family members have a European Health Insurance Card. The card is free of charge, and you can order it for yourself and your children via Kela’s website. Travel insurance also covers the costs of illness or accident, for example, if you have to travel home mid-holiday due to an accident. Remember to also check vaccinations before leaving on your trip.
Useful links
- How to apply for a European Health Insurance Card (kela.fi)
- You can now order a European Health Insurance Card online also for a child (kela.fi, news in Finnish)
- Travel insurance provides more coverage for the trip
- Do you need vaccinations for the trip? Check country-specific recommendations (rokote.fi, in Finnish)
To Europe as a pensioner
Are you spending a part of the year in another EU or EEA country in retirement? You will receive medically necessary care there with the European Health Insurance Card. Notify Kela and the Digital and Population Data Services Agency if you will be residing abroad for more than three months.
Useful links
- Health care services in Spain and the Canary Islands
- Rehabilitation abroad?
- Pension abroad during temporary residence (kela.fi)
- Do you live abroad for a part of the year? Moving in retirement
- Notify Kela of trips longer than three months (kela.fi)
- Notification of move to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (dvv.fi)
Medications and prescriptions
In addition to medications, take also their prescriptions with you or print out a summary from the My Kanta service. If needed, you can use them at customs to prove that you have the right to take your personal medication with you. If you want to purchase medication at your holiday destination, ask your doctor to provide a medical prescription for purchasing medication abroad.