How to claim

Applications for coverage under the social security system administered by Kela can be filed on form Y 77e. Submit your application to a Kela office of your choice. You will be issued a written decision about whether you have been enrolled in the Finnish social security system. If the decision is positive, you will be sent a personal health insurance card (Kela card).

Anyone moving to Finland for more than 12 months must register with the local register office. Foreign nationals staying in Finland temporarily (for less than 12 months) can file a voluntary notice of registration with a Kela office, a tax office or a local register office. At the Kela office, their identity and the legality of their residence in Finland are verified, after which the notice is forwarded to the local register office.

Based on the notice and the documents accompanying it, the local register office will decide whether you can be entered into the Finnish population register. As part of the registration, you will be issued a personal identity code, which will simpilify your interactions with various public agencies.