Patient insurance considerations when using health services abroad
17.11.2025
When seeking health services at a foreign clinic or hospital, ensure in advance that you are aware of matters related to patient safety. The Finnish national patient insurance only covers treatment provided in Finland.
Seeking treatment abroad means that you travel to another country for the express purpose of using health services. You can choose to travel abroad for treatment. Before seeking treatment, verify that your chosen place of treatment has valid patient insurance and the necessary licences to operate.
If you use the services of a doctor or online clinic registered in another country via remote consultation, it is also considered seeking healthcare abroad. This is still the case even if you stay in Finland for the duration of the treatment and your place of treatment arranges all of your appointments virtually.
Finnish national patient insurance only covers treatment provided in Finland
If a patient injury occurs in Finland, you may submit a notice of injury to the Patient Insurance Centre. However, Finnish patient insurance does not cover treatment provided abroad. Exceptions to this are situations in which the Finnish public healthcare organises your treatment abroad.
If you seek treatment abroad, any patient injury will always fall under that country’s patient insurance system. Responsibility for the treatment depends on the country in which the treating doctor or place of treatment is registered.
What if I need treatment due to a patient injury?
If you need medical care due to a treatment injury by a foreign clinic or hospital, you are entitled to receive it in Finnish healthcare as usual. A doctor will assess what kind of treatment you need. This treatment may differ from the care you received abroad.
Applying for compensation for a treatment injury
If a treatment injury or complication occurs, any notice of injury and compensation application must be handled directly with the foreign clinic or hospital that provided your care. In the event of a patient injury, the legislation of the country where the treatment was provided always applies. Each EU member state has its own patient insurance system.
For more information about a particular country’s patient insurance system and practices relating to treatment injuries, contact the local national contact point for cross-border healthcare. There is a contact point for cross-border healthcare in each EU member state.