Place of treatment
You usually get a reimbursement based on the cost of travelling to a treatment provider located in your wellbeing services county. Trips to private-sector providers can be reimbursed if the treatment you are getting is reimbursable by Kela or if you have a payment voucher or service voucher for the treatment from your wellbeing services county.
If you have such a voucher, you will be reimbursed for the cost of travelling to the treatment location.
If you are in rehabilitation arranged through Kela, you will usually get a reimbursement for travel costs to the rehabilitation site. The reimbursement of travel costs is investigated in connection with the application for rehabilitation. If there are limitations on the reimbursement of the travel costs, this will be explained to you in the rehabilitation decision.
Public health care
If you visit a treatment provider in your wellbeing services county, you will get a reimbursement for your costs of travelling to that provider.
If you exercise your right to choose a treatment provider outside your wellbeing services county, the reimbursement will be determined as follows:
- Trips to primary healthcare can be reimbursed up to an amount equal to the cost of visiting the health and social services centre in your wellbeing services county that offers extensive health services.
- Trips to specialised healthcare can be reimbursed up to an amount equal to the cost of visiting the university hospital in your wellbeing services county.
Private health care
If you visit a private-sector healthcare provider, you will usually get a reimbursement if the treatment you receive is reimbursable by Kela. As an exception, you can also get a reimbursement for your travel costs if you see a doctor and he or she performs a treatment-related procedure.
Read more about how the reimbursements from Kela change 1 January 2023.
If you have a payment voucher or service voucher from your wellbeing services county that covers the treatment, you will get a reimbursement for your travel costs.
If you visit a treatment provider in your wellbeing services county, you will get a reimbursement for your costs of travelling to that provider. If you visit a treatment provider outside your wellbeing services county, the reimbursement will be determined as follows:
- Trips to see a private general practitioner or dentist can be reimbursed up to an amount equal to the cost of visiting the health and social services centre in your wellbeing services county that offers extensive health services.
- Trips to see a private specialist doctor or dentist can be reimbursed up to an amount equal to the cost of visiting the university hospital in your wellbeing services county.
Travels of higher education students to student health services
Kela can provide reimbursement for travel costs in relation to student health services. Higher education students use the services of the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS) and they can get reimbursements for the cost of travel to these primary healthcare services.
Costs are reimbursed up to the amount that a visit to the nearest FSHS location offering the treatment needed by the student would cost. Costs can be reimbursed also to other FSHS locations provided that a healthcare professional deems the treatment available there necessary.