Do you want to lead a peaceful life? Do you love wooden cottages by the lake? Do you enjoy swimming, boating, or fishing? Does a walk in the forest or a stroll in a national park bring you serenity? Finland can be your dream country. Services in Finland are of exceptionally high quality and will ensure a promising future for you.

What Are the Services in Finland Like?

If you are a permanent resident in Finland, you will typically benefit from various advantages. In specific situations, depending on your occupation, you may also receive social security benefits. Finland’s social insurance system includes residence and employment-based benefits and can guarantee that you won’t face future welfare problems. Residence-based benefits are provided by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela).

For instance, you can receive Kela benefits if you:

• – Have children or are expecting a child in your family.
• – Become ill or lose your job.
• – Are retired (national pension).
• – Your spouse or caregiver has passed away.
• – Become unemployed.
• – Need assistance with housing costs.

In all these cases, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland will provide its services.

Migration Services in Finland

The Finnish Immigration Service is a decision-making authority in matters of migration, asylum, refugee status, and citizenship. They employ a specific reception system for accepting migrants. The Finnish Immigration Service is responsible for executing Finland’s migration policies, focusing on controlled migration, good management, and adhering to fundamental rights. They act as experts in migration matters and handle all aspects from submitting applications to reaching Finland.

The European Union has common rules to preserve your entitlement to social benefits. Despite these regulations, moving to countries under the European Union (including Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland) will ensure you receive appropriate services. The aim of these regulations is not to replace various national guarantee systems with a single European system. European Union countries are free to decide who should be insured under their national rules and under what conditions social benefits are provided.

Who Receives Services in Finland?

Citizens of European Union countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland who have been or are insured in these countries and their family members.

Non-European Union citizens legally residing in the European Union, who have moved within the European Union and their family members, will receive Finnish services.

Earnings-related benefits in Finland

If you work in Finland, you are typically covered by employment-based insurance. Employment-based benefits include regular income-related allowances, occupational rehabilitation, compensation for work-related accidents and illnesses, and unemployment-related allowances tied to income, although membership in an unemployment fund is required for this.

Retirement income related to earnings is managed by the Finnish Center for Pensions.

If you plan to relocate permanently to Finland:

If you intend to move to Finland permanently, you will receive the mentioned benefits. If you move to Finland temporarily, you do not have an automatic right to receive Finnish social insurance benefits. However, depending on your occupation, you may still receive benefits in specific situations.

If you are working in Finland:

If you move to Finland for work, you generally have the right to receive Finnish social insurance from the start of your employment. In legal professions, your employer must take out statutory occupational accident insurance for you. If you are self-employed or a farmer, you must take out statutory occupational accident insurance yourself. This insurance provides you with earnings-related retirement benefits.

Public Health Services in Finland

According to the Finnish Constitution, public authorities must ensure that everyone has access to social and health services, and that their medical needs are fully met. Local authorities are responsible for providing these social and health services, and they receive financial support from the state for this purpose. The primary goal of healthcare is to promote and maintain health, social well-being, security, employment, and reduce health inequalities.

Public health services in Finland include:

• – Health promotion, prevention, treatment of diseases, and rehabilitation.
• – Maternity clinics and child clinics.
• – Vaccination.
• – Recommendations from doctors, dentists, or nurses.
• – Mental health services, emergency medical care, and emergency services.
• – Hospitals.
• – Home care services.
• – Health care for students.
• – Occupational health care.

General health services are mainly provided by public health centers and hospitals. Physicians working in healthcare centers are mostly general practitioners who can refer patients to specialized hospitals. All residents of Finland have access to these services. If a patient requires emergency medical care, they will receive treatment regardless of their country of origin. In addition to healthcare, health and disease prevention play a significant role in Finland. For example, thanks to vaccination programs and good healthcare, much progress has been made in controlling communicable diseases, especially among children. Changes in lifestyle have contributed to a significant reduction in cardiovascular diseases. Another important goal is to reduce accidents, in which positive steps have been taken.

Healthcare Centers and Services

Municipalities provide primary healthcare services at healthcare centers. These services include:

1. Care for patients in need of hospital care.
2. Health counseling, including maternity clinics and child clinics.
3. Medical examinations and vaccinations.
4. Dental care.
5. Mental health services.
6. Home care services.
7. Emergency services for certain acute illnesses.

Residents can choose which healthcare center to visit, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be the closest one. It’s important to note that you can change your designated healthcare center only once a year.

Hospitals

Finland has various hospitals across the country. Finland is divided into 20 hospital districts, and these hospitals mainly provide specialized medical services. Specialized medical services refer to specific treatments that require hospitalization, such as surgeries or psychiatric care. A doctor at the healthcare center can refer you to a hospital, and hospitals are responsible for providing emergency services when necessary.

Treatment, Coverage, and Social Insurance Costs in Finland

With the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), you have the right to receive necessary medical care at any public healthcare center. You can visit a social welfare clinic where doctors will assess your required care, and if necessary, they will refer you to hospitals. You need to provide a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) and identify yourself with your passport or other identification. The healthcare center charges you a fixed fee for the treatment, and depending on the treatment, the cost can vary (around 8 to 220 euros). In Finland, dental care is entirely free for those under 18 years old.

Hospital Treatment

To be admitted to a hospital, you need a doctor’s referral. In emergency situations, you can directly visit the emergency department of a public hospital. Show your valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) and identify yourself, then pay a daily fixed fee for hospitalization. You must pay the full cost of treatment at a private clinic, but you can later apply to Kela, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, or your own insurance company for reimbursement of essential medical expenses.

Prescriptions in Finland

In Finland, you can purchase prescribed medications as long as they are authorized. You can do this with either a paper prescription or an electronic prescription issued in another EU or EEA country. When buying medication from a pharmacy, you will pay the full cost and receive a receipt for all prescription expenses. You can use this receipt to apply for reimbursement of essential medical services from Kela.

Reimbursement in Finland

Finland’s healthcare insurance system offers partial reimbursement for the following:

1. Private healthcare services (based on fixed price scales).
2. Travel expenses related to treatment or examinations.
3. Prescribed medications.

To request reimbursement from Kela, use form SV 127(e), which is available at clinics. You can also find the form on Kela’s website. Fill out the form, sign it, and provide your address, date, and your bank details (including bank name and account number, IBAN, and BIC). Attach copies of the relevant documents when sending the form to Kela. Kela will deposit the amount directly into your bank account.

How to Apply for an EHIC

All insured individuals under the Finnish healthcare insurance system and those whose healthcare expenses are covered by Finland are entitled to the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

You can apply for the card in the following ways:

1. By phone.
2. By completing the application form (SV 193), which can be obtained from Kela’s website.
3. Using Kela’s online customer service. Note that the online customer service is available in Finnish and Swedish only.

How to Access Healthcare Services in Finland

If you require immediate assistance, you can go directly to the nearest healthcare center or, outside office hours, to the closest public hospital. You will need a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) and proper identification. Remember that you must have your EHIC for accessing healthcare services. All public healthcare providers in Finland accept the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Even if you opt for private facilities, the Finnish government will still reimburse you for the expenses incurred.

If you need advice on immigrating to Finland, you can speak with our experts at the FinlandQ group and get the necessary guidance.