How to apply for entitlement to medical care
You can ask Kela to determine if you are entitled to medical care when
- you move abroad or stay abroad
- you live in Finland but work in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain or in Northern Ireland.
- Fill in and print the form Entitlement to healthcare when moving from Finland (SV 140e, PDF).
- Enclose additional documents in support of the application as necessary.
- Mail your application along with the supporting documents to Kela, Centre for International Affairs, PO Box 78, 00381 Helsinki. If you have Finnish online bank access codes, you can also send the supporting documents via our e-service OmaKela. Please note that our e-service is only available in Finnish and Swedish.
- A written decision on your application will be sent to you by post. You can also view the decision in OmaKela.
If you apply for a benefit for the first time after moving to Finland and your entitlement to benefits provided by Kela has not yet been determined, you should notify your move to Finland in OmaKela. You can also complete and submit the form Moving to Finland (Y 77e, PDF).
If you have been denied a benefit and your circumstances change, you can apply for the benefit again. A change in circumstances can be, for instance, more working hours or higher pay so that the minimum entitlement criteria are met. Also in that case you should notify your move to Finland in OmaKela or include the notification Moving to Finland (Y 77e, PDF) with your application.
Read more about payment of benefits abroad if you receive a benefit from Kela and you are about to move abroad.
If you live in Finland but work in another EU or EEA country or Switzerland, enclose certificate S1 or E 106 with the application. Request the certificate from the health insurance institution in your country of employment. If you work in another Nordic country, Great Britain or Northern Ireland, the certificate is not needed.
If your entitlement to medical care is based on employment in Finland, Kela can check the data that the employer has reported about your employment from the national incomes register.