I want to seek treatment in Finland
If you are covered by health insurance in another EU country, you can freely seek treatment in public or private healthcare in Finland. You will receive treatment in the same manner as local residents.
If you are not covered by health insurance in another EU country, you can freely seek treatment in Finland’s public or private healthcare at your own expense. However, treatment providers are not obliged to treat you.
What sort of treatment can I seek?
Seeking treatment means that you arrive in Finland for the purpose of using healthcare services. You can seek services in both public and private healthcare to receive both primary healthcare and specialised medical care and you can also receive treatment for a chronic condition.
However, you cannot seek the following services in Finland:
- long-term institutional care
- organ transplants
- vaccinations according to the national programme
- occupational healthcare or
- school and student healthcare.
You need to contact the treatment providers personally in order to determine the opportunities for treatment, waiting times and treatment costs.
If necessary, you can request information from the Finnish Contact Point for Cross-Border Healthcare.
See also these topics:
Who pays for my treatment in Finland?
If you travel to Finland for treatment, you will be responsible for paying the costs of treatment. You will also pay for possible interpretation and translation of documents. The cost of treatment can also be invoiced in advance as an advance fee. The amount of this payment may not exceed the estimated treatment costs.
If you come from another EU or EEA country, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, check with your country’s health insurance institution how they reimburse treatment costs. You can apply a prior authorisation pursuant to the relevant EU regulation for treatment provided in Finland. A prior authorisation is a payment commitment that allows you to receive treatment for the same client fee as the resident of Finland.
Read more about the prior authorisation.
If you come from outside EU or EEA countries, you will be responsible for all treatment costs yourself.
Travel costs
If you seek treatment independently in Finland, you will be responsible for paying all the travel costs. You will not be eligible for reimbursement of travel costs from Kela.
If you are granted a prior authorisation for treatment in Finland, you can claim for reimbursement from your health insurance institution for travel costs related to treatment.
Travelling to Finland for childbirth
Coming to Finland to give birth from another EU or EEA country, the United Kingdom or Switzerland
You can travel to Finland to give birth if you are covered by health insurance in another EU country. You may also apply for a prior authorisation pursuant to the relevant EU regulation for childbirth from your own health insurance institution.
You can contact the child health clinics and hospitals directly in order to receive information concerning access to treatment and pricing. Remember to agree with the treatment provider in advance, if you wish to come to Finland to give birth. If you come from Switzerland or the United Kingdom and wish to give birth in Finland without a prior authorisation, remember that Finnish treatment providers are not legally obliged to treat you.
Coming from outside the EU and wanting to give birth in Finland
The Finnish public healthcare system can choose whether or not to offer treatment for persons arriving from outside the EU for the purpose of giving birth. Remember to agree with the treatment provider in advance, if you wish to come to Finland to give birth. You will be responsible for the treatment costs yourself.
Read also: Contact information of Finnish maternity hospitals
