Access to free treatment for COVID-19 in Finland: Changes to eligibility

Under the new guidance, free treatment for COVID-19 is not available to persons who are not registered residents of a Finnish municipality or who do not qualify for a certificate on entitlement to medical care.

The new guidance is effective since 11 May 2020 and is applied for patients, whose treatment started 11th May or after.

Right to free treatment for COVID-19 in the Finnish public healthcare system

You have the right to receive free treatment in Finland for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus

• if you are a registered resident of a Finnish municipality
• if you are not a registered resident of a Finnish municipality but you have a certificate on entitlement to medical care:
  • Persons from another EU or EEA country or from Switzerland can get treatment by presenting their European Health Insurance Card.
  • Finnish pensioners living abroad can get treatment by presenting a European Health Insurance for pensioners issued by Kela.
  • Persons from the Nordic countries do not necessarily need a European Health Insurance Card, because they can obtain treatment also by presenting a valid passport or other official ID.
  • Persons from Great Britain and Northern Ireland can present a European Health Insurance Card or their passport.
  • Persons from Australia get treatment by presenting their passport.
• if you qualify for a certificate on entitlement to medical care from Kela: Certificate of entitlement to medical care in Finland (this means for example persons working in Finland)
• you are travelling in Finland. Travellers may not have a certificate of entitlement to medical care, but they are, under World Health Organization recommendations, entitled to free treatment for COVID-19.

Groups of persons for whom the treatment of the coronavirus disease is subject to a charge

For others, the treatment of the disease caused by coronavirus is subject to a charge, as is all other treatment within the public health care system of Finland. Such persons include, for example, those coming from third countries

•  students who do not work in Finland
• diplomats
• posted workers
• au pairs
• so-called ‘paperless persons’ who have received a negative decision on asylum

This means that the actual costs of the treatment must be paid by the persons themselves and no reimbursements can be applied for from Kela.

Please note

•  If you are not sure of your entitlement to medical treatment in Finland, you can contact Kela’s Centre for International Affairs.
• Kela has compiled information on the effects of the coronavirus situation on Kela’s benefits, the processing of applications and the services on the page Update on the coronavirus situation. The page will be updated as the situation evolves.

Read more:

• Falling ill when travelling in Finland