Health insurance for foreigners in Finland
Kela health insurance covers you if you live in Finland permanently or earn 800.02 EUR a month here. Students also need private cover for the permit.
As a foreigner in Finland, you get national health insurance from Kela once Kela decides you live in Finland permanently or you earn at least 800.02 euros per month from work done in Finland, according to Kela's moving to Finland page. Kela health insurance reimburses part of private care and medicines. Public healthcare beyond urgent care follows your municipality of residence, and public client fees are capped at 815 euros in 2026. If you come to study, Migri also requires private insurance as a condition of the residence permit. Employed people get occupational healthcare through the employer on top.
Who this applies to
- EU, EEA, Swiss and UK nationals on a temporary stay use the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) from their home country. If you move to Finland permanently, Kela decides which country is responsible for your social security.
- Third-country nationals need a residence permit before Kela can cover them, then a Finnish personal identity code and a bank account.
- Students from outside the EU must show private insurance, or an accepted card, with the residence permit application.
- Employees of Finnish employers also get occupational healthcare, which ends with the job.
Public healthcare and the municipality of residence
Urgent care is available to everyone in Finland. Beyond that, access to the full range of public health services generally follows your municipality of residence (kotikunta), which the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV) records in the population register. The article on the personal identity code in Finland explains why having an identity code and having a municipality of residence are two separate things.
Since 2023, public healthcare has been organised by 21 wellbeing services counties (hyvinvointialueet) and the City of Helsinki. Each sets its own client fees within the limits of the law.
Annual client fee ceiling
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health states that the annual ceiling on client fees for public services is 815 euros in 2026. Once your fees that count towards the ceiling reach that amount in a calendar year, most further fees are waived for the rest of the year. The ceiling resets every calendar year. Wellbeing services counties must also reduce or waive a fee if collecting it would endanger the client's or family's livelihood.
Kela's national health insurance
Kela is the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. Its moving to Finland page describes two routes into coverage:
- Residence-based coverage. Kela assesses whether you live in Finland permanently, looking at how long you will stay, your family ties, your employment, any earlier residence in Finland and where your permanent home is.
- Work-based coverage. Working in Finland qualifies you for Kela benefits if you earn at least 800.02 euros per month from work done in Finland.
If you need a residence permit, you must have it before you can be covered. You also need a Finnish personal identity code and a bank account, because Kela pays benefits electronically. Notify Kela through the OmaKela e-service (in Finnish and Swedish) or by post on form Y 77e.
Reimbursements for private care
Once you are covered, Kela reimburses part of the cost of private doctor visits. The Kela card proves your entitlement at private clinics that cannot check it electronically. Kela's reimbursement page lists these rates for 2026:
| Appointment | Kela reimbursement |
|---|---|
| General practitioner or specialist (in person, video, phone or chat) | 8 EUR |
| Psychiatrist, in person | 50 to 60 EUR, depending on duration |
| Obstetrician or gynaecologist, in person | 70 EUR |
| Physiotherapy (up to 4 times per calendar year) | 15 EUR |
The reimbursement is a fixed sum, while private clinic prices vary. Private care has no annual ceiling on what you pay yourself, so the 815 euro public ceiling does not protect you there.
Medicines
Prescribed medicines have their own system. Kela's medicine expenses page gives these 2026 figures:
| Item | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Annual initial deductible (adults; children exempt) | 70.33 EUR |
| Basic reimbursement | 40% |
| Lower special reimbursement | 65% |
| Annual out-of-pocket ceiling | 636.12 EUR |
| Payment per medicine after the ceiling | 2.50 EUR |
Pharmacies check your entitlement electronically, so you do not need the Kela card there.
Private insurance for students
For most employed people, private health insurance is optional. For students it is a residence permit requirement. The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) sets out the insurance rules in this table:
| Length of studies | Minimum cover | Maximum excess |
|---|---|---|
| Under two years | Medical expenses up to 120,000 EUR | 300 EUR |
| Two years or more | Pharmaceutical expenses up to 40,000 EUR | 300 EUR |
A travel insurance policy that only covers trips of up to 90 days is not accepted. Migri also accepts a copy of a valid Kela card, a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or a UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) in place of private insurance, provided the card stays valid after you move to Finland. The insurance certificate must show your personal details, the validity period, the geographical area, the cover, the insured amounts and the excess.
The European Health Insurance Card
If you are insured in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the UK and you stay in Finland temporarily, your home country's EHIC (or GHIC) gives access to medically necessary care at the same cost as local residents. It is meant for temporary stays. If you move to Finland permanently, your coverage is decided under the rules on which country is responsible for your social security, so contact Kela.
Occupational healthcare
Finnish employers must arrange preventive occupational healthcare (työterveyshuolto) for their employees under the Occupational Health Care Act. Many employers also include medical care for illness. Occupational healthcare is for the employee and ends when the employment ends. Family members are not covered by it. See the glossary entry on occupational healthcare.
The gap after arrival
The most exposed period is the time after arrival, before your municipality of residence is registered and before Kela has decided on your coverage. Register with DVV and notify Kela as early as you can. A second gap can open when a job ends: work-based coverage depends on your employment, so check your status in OmaKela if your circumstances change.
For a broader overview, see the guide to healthcare in Finland and the healthcare rights page.
The law behind it
- Kela's national health insurance rests on the Health Insurance Act (sairausvakuutuslaki 1224/2004).
- Client fees follow the Act on Client Fees in Social Welfare and Health Care (laki sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon asiakasmaksuista 734/1992).
- Coverage in cross-border situations follows the Act on Social Security in Cross-border Situations (laki asumisperusteisesta sosiaaliturvasta rajat ylittävissä tilanteissa 16/2019).
- The employer's duty to arrange occupational healthcare comes from the Occupational Health Care Act (työterveyshuoltolaki 1383/2001).
The risky window falls between your arrival date and the start date in Kela's coverage decision: a private doctor's bill dated inside that window gets no Kela reimbursement.
Frequently asked questions
Do foreigners get public healthcare in Finland?
Anyone in Finland can get urgent care. Non-urgent public services depend on a municipality of residence recorded by DVV, and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health caps the yearly client fees for residents at 815 euros in 2026.
How do I get covered by Kela health insurance?
You qualify either by living in Finland permanently or by earning 800.02 euros or more per month from work here. Have your residence permit (if you need one), identity code and Finnish bank account ready, then send the Y 77e form or use OmaKela, as set out on Kela's moving to Finland page.
Do international students need private health insurance in Finland?
Yes, the permit depends on it. Migri asks for 120,000 euros of medical cover for studies shorter than two years, or 40,000 euros of pharmaceutical cover for longer studies, with an excess capped at 300 euros. A valid Kela card, EHIC or UK GHIC can stand in for the policy.
Does the 815 euro fee ceiling apply to private healthcare?
No. That ceiling only counts public client fees. Medicines run on their own ceiling of 636.12 euros in 2026, after which Kela sets your share at 2.50 euros per medicine.
Does occupational healthcare cover my family?
No. The employer arranges it for its own staff under the Occupational Health Care Act, and it stops with the job. Spouses and children use public services, their own Kela coverage or private insurance.
Sources
- Kela, Moving to Finland, checked 1 October 2026
- Kela, Reimbursements for private medical care, checked 1 October 2026
- Kela, Medicine expenses, checked 1 October 2026
- Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Client fees, checked 1 October 2026
- Finnish Immigration Service, Insurance, checked 1 October 2026
- Finlex, Health Insurance Act 1224/2004, checked 1 October 2026
- Finlex, Occupational Health Care Act 1383/2001, checked 1 October 2026
Last updated: October 2026