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Moving abroad after retirement? Check how your move will affect your Kela matters | News archive | KelaSkip to content
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Moving abroad after retirement? Check how your move will affect your Kela matters
Published 8/6/2026
Do you dream about moving to the Sun Coast, Estonia or elsewhere in Europe after retirement? In this article, we tell you what you should know about how your move will affect your Kela benefits, medical care and prescription medicines before you leave Finland behind.
Are you moving abroad permanently or staying in another country for part of the year?
As a general rule, you will be considered to have moved abroad permanently if you stay in another country for more than six months.
However, where you actually live in practice also matters and not just the duration of your stay abroad.
If you spend the majority of the year abroad (including recurring periods of less than six months), Kela can consider you to have moved abroad permanently.
A temporary stay is usually a stay that lasts a maximum of six months. In that case, your right to Kela benefits and medical care usually stays the same, although some benefit-specific exceptions apply.
How to get medical care abroad
Your access to medical care abroad depends on if Finland covers the costs of your medical care.
If Finland covers the costs of your medical care, you must apply for entitlement to medical care abroad from Kela. Kela will grant you a certificate of entitlement to medical care (S1 certificate) that you must register with the health insurance institution in your new country of residence.
Registering your certificate is often mandatory if you want to get medical care in your new country of residence. However, you will usually not need an S1 certificate if you move to another Nordic country or to the United Kingdom.
Can you get medical care in Finland if you return for example for the summer?
If Finland covers the costs of your medical care abroad, you can use public healthcare services in Finland in the same way as individuals who live in Finland. You can use your pensioner’s European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) with a lime-green back to get reimbursements from Kela for example for your prescription medication and treatment-related travel costs.
An EHIC card with a lime-green back is granted to pensioners whose medical care is covered by Finland while they live permanently in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom.
If Finland does not cover the costs of your medical care in the country you live in, you can get medically necessary treatment in Finland by showing an EHIC card issued by your country of residence.
Sirpa lives in Spain for the majority of the year. She travels to Finland in the summer for a stay at her summer house.
Finland covers the costs of Sirpa’s medical care in Spain. While Sirpa stays in Finland during the summer, she can use public healthcare services in the same way as individuals who live in Finland, and she can use her European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) with a lime-green back that identifies it as a pensioner’s EHIC card.
Sirpa can also get reimbursements from Kela for example for her prescription medication and treatment-related travel costs.
Pekka lives permanently in Greece, and Finland does not cover the costs of his medical care.
When Pekka comes to Finland for a short visit, he can only get medically necessary treatment in Finland by showing the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) issued to him in Greece. Pekka must cover the costs of other medical care in Finland himself.
Prescription medicines abroad
If you take prescription medicines regularly, check how you can get them abroad before you leave Finland.
If you plan to stay abroad temporarily, you can usually get up to a three-month supply of your prescription medication with Kela reimbursement before you leave Finland. Whether Kela can reimburse you for prescription medicines you buy abroad depends on the medicine and the country.
Pensions and other benefits for pensioners in EU and EEA countries, Switzerland and the United Kingdom
Kela does not pay old-age pension, disability pension or guarantee pension to individuals who live abroad permanently. However, earnings-related pensions can be paid to individuals who live abroad.
Spouse’s pension and orphan’s pension are paid to individuals who live in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom.
You can continue to get your care allowance for pensioners if you stay abroad temporarily for up to six months. In some cases, the allowance can be paid to individuals who live abroad permanently.
You cannot get housing allowance for pensioners if you live abroad for half of the year. Where you stay for the majority of the year is key in determining if Kela can pay you the allowance.
Your stay abroad can also consist of several separate periods of less than six months. The total number of months you spend abroad in a year is what decides whether you qualify for the allowance.
What if your plans change?
Your life abroad can be full of surprises and might not always go to plan. You might end up staying abroad for longer than you thought or you might return to Finland earlier for example for health reasons.
If the duration or nature of your stay abroad changes, Kela can reassess your right to Kela benefits and medical care.
Tell Kela if your stay abroad is longer than planned
Kela does not automatically get information on how long you stay abroad. Contact Kela if you stay abroad for longer than planned or if your plans change otherwise. For example, if your return to Finland is delayed because you fall ill abroad, contact Kela immediately when your situation changes. If you do so, Kela can assess your right to benefits and medical care correctly and you will not have to pay back overpaid benefits later.
