Seeking treatment in Finland | Our Services | KelaSkip to content

Seeking treatment in Finland

In Finland there are both public and private healthcare providers. You can come to Finland for treatment in the private healthcare system without prior authorisation. If you are covered for health insurance in another EU country, you can seek treatment on your own initiative also in the public healthcare system. For specialised medical care, you need a referral.

You should yourself find a suitable place of treatment and check your possibilities of obtaining treatment in Finland. If you seek treatment without prior authorisation, you pay all the costs for the treatment yourself. You cannot receive reimbursement for the costs from Kela if you are covered for health insurance in some other country than Finland and Finland is not responsible for your medical care expenses.

How to seek treatment in Finland with prior authorisation

You can also obtain treatment in the Finnish public healthcare system if you have a prior authorisation granted by your country of residence. Prior authorisation means a form E 112 or S2 granted by an EU or EEA country or Switzerland. Other types of prior authorisation are not accepted in Finland.

If you have prior authorisation, you pay a user fee corresponding to the fee paid by local residents for treatment obtained in the Finnish public healthcare system. You should yourself find a suitable place of treatment and check your possibilities of obtaining treatment in Finland.

If your country of residence has granted prior authorisation for treatment in the private healthcare system, you can claim reimbursement for the costs from Kela on form Medical care expenses incurred in Finland (SV 127e, PDF).

Read more

Last modified 11/7/2023