Finland · Medical reimbursements

Healthcare Reimbursement in Finland: Who Reimburses What Depending on Your Situation

Key points

In Finland, the carte Vitale (the French health insurance card) is not used at the doctor: coordination between France and Finland rests on European regulations, and it is your status that determines who pays. The employee who has settled falls under the Finnish system, the seconded employee keeps the French scheme with form A1, the retiree submits form S1 to Kela (the Finnish Social Insurance Institution) and the tourist or the student on a temporary stay uses the EHIC. A CFE member (the CFE is the voluntary social protection body for French nationals abroad) or a first-euro policyholder complements this foundation depending on their contract. In 2026, the affiliated patient pays a co-payment per consultation, capped at €815 per calendar year for public care, and Kela reimburses part of medicines and private care.

No carte Vitale in Finland: European regulations organise coordination, with the EHIC for a temporary stay and forms A1 and S1 for a lasting stay.
24 months at most: validity of the A1 document of a seconded employee, which keeps the French scheme in place; extension possible if both countries consider it serves the employee's interest (europa.eu).
€800.02 a month: minimum employment income in Finland that opens national health insurance to a worker without permanent residence (Kela).
€815: annual cap on co-payments for public care in 2026; at most €71.50 per day in hospital and at most €30.20 per consultation at a health centre (Ministry of Social Affairs and Health).
€636.12: annual cap on medicine expenses borne by the patient in 2026, after a deductible of €70.33 (Kela).
3.2% on the basic pension and 4.2% on the supplementary pension: health contribution levied on the general scheme pensions of a retiree whose tax residence is outside France (CLEISS, the French liaison centre for international social security).

Get a health insurance quote for Finland Full country guide: Finland

The Principle: Status Determines Who Pays

As France and Finland are members of the European Union, their social security schemes are coordinated by European regulations: a worker falls under the legislation of a single country. The carte Vitale does not work at a Finnish doctor. Proof of rights is the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card, CEAM in French) for a temporary stay, or a portable form (A1, S1) for a lasting stay. The EHIC entitles you to necessary care in the public sector at the same rates as local insured people; it covers neither rescue and repatriation, nor private care, nor planned treatment (europa.eu).

The most frequent situations are the employee on a local contract, the seconded employee, the self-employed person, the retiree and the person without an occupation, to which are added the student, the family, the CFE member, the first-euro policyholder and the tourist. The notions of reimbursement base and out-of-pocket cost help you compare cover. How the care network works is described in the guide to the Finnish healthcare system.

Locally Employed Worker, Seconded Employee and Self-Employed

The locally employed worker is covered by national health insurance as soon as they earn at least €800.02 a month in Finland, even without permanent residence (Kela, January 2026). With a municipality of residence, they access public care by paying only the client fee, Kela not reimbursing public care; without a municipality of residence, a certificate of entitlement to care gives them access to resident rates. The Kela card entitles them to reimbursement of part of private care and of medicines bought at a pharmacy (Kela). See living in Finland and the glossary entry on the local contract.

The seconded employee sent by a French employer remains attached to French social security with the A1 form valid for a maximum of 24 months; beyond that, the employee joins the Finnish scheme, or the A1 is extended if both countries consider it serves their interest (europa.eu). For care, CLEISS advises asking the French fund for form S1 in order to register for local care, or being reimbursed directly by the French fund, the EHIC giving direct access to public care. Sick leave is declared to the French fund within 48 hours, and form S3125 allows reimbursement of advanced care to be requested. See secondment versus expatriation and the glossary entry on the seconded employee.

The self-employed person settled in Finland falls under the Finnish system, with the same public care as employees; contributions are presented in the page on working in Finland. A self-employed person who works only temporarily in Finland checks with CLEISS about possibly remaining in the French scheme.

Retiree, Student, Family and Person Without an Occupation

The retiree who receives only a French pension, lives in Finland permanently or more than six months a year and carries out no activity there asks their pension fund for the S1 form before departure (CLEISS), then submits it to Kela. Once the S1 is registered, Kela issues a certificate of entitlement to care that gives access to public care at the client fee (Kela). If tax residence is outside France, a health contribution of 3.2% on the basic pension and 4.2% on the supplementary pension is levied on general scheme pensions, while the CSG and CRDS (French social levies) apply only with tax residence in France (CLEISS). See the guide to the S1 form: how to use it and the page on retiring in Finland.

The student on a temporary stay uses the EHIC. If they settle for a longer period, Kela assesses whether the stay is permanent based on its length, family ties, employment and housing, and the municipality of residence is obtained from the DVV (the Digital and Population Data Services Agency) for a stay of at least one year (Kela). See student insurance abroad.

The spouse and children of a resident employee access care according to their own residence situation, which Kela examines. For the family of a seconded employee, CLEISS specifies that cover depends on each person’s status and place of residence. See expat family insurance.

The person without an occupation who settles for more than three months shows sufficient resources for their right of residence, as the page on living in Finland details. They obtain the municipality of residence for a planned stay of at least one year; bridging cover that is useful during the procedures should be planned.

CFE Member, First-Euro Insurance and Tourist

The CFE member keeps French cover by contributing to both systems: according to ameli.fr, they pay the compulsory contributions of the country of expatriation and those of the CFE, which avoids a break in French cover on return and the loss of pension contribution periods. Enrolment conditions and waiting periods should be checked with the CFE. See the guide to CFE reimbursements.

International health insurance with first-euro cover reimburses actual costs within its ceilings, after any deductible, waiting periods and exclusions. It applies to private care, of which Kela reimburses only a small share, with no annual cap on co-payments for this sector (Kela), and may include repatriation.

The tourist presents their physical EHIC to public providers, the digital version not being accepted (Kela), and pays the same rate as residents. Travel insurance that covers hospitalisation, repatriation and rescue usefully complements the EHIC. See long-stay travel insurance.

Returning to France: Reopening Your Rights

According to ameli.fr (page updated on 19 January 2026), an expat who returns informs the health insurance body of the country they are leaving, then files form S1106 requesting the opening of rights with their French health insurance fund. CFE members check the conditions for resuming with the body. See the guide to reducing the waiting period and the page on returning to France.

Item by Item: Consultation, Hospital Stay, Medicines, Dental, Optical, Maternity

Consultation: at most €30.20 at a health centre in 2026, or €60.30 for an annual flat fee; at most €71.30 for a specialist consultation at the hospital and €41.40 for a first-level emergency consultation (Ministry of Social Affairs and Health). With a private doctor, Kela reimburses €8 per consultation since 1 January 2026 (Kela).
Hospital stay: at most €71.50 per day of care, €32.80 in psychiatry and €233.80 for day surgery; once the annual cap of €815 is reached, at most €26.80 per day (Ministry of Social Affairs and Health).
Medicines: Kela reimburses 40%, 65% or 100% of the price, after an annual deductible of €70.33; the annual cap on expenses borne by the patient is €636.12 in 2026 (Kela).
Dental: public dental consultation and treatment fees count towards the annual cap of €815; private dental care is partly reimbursed by Kela, as the page on the Finnish healthcare system details.
Optical: the official pages consulted do not describe cover of glasses for adults; the amount should be checked with the region of residence, and international contracts set a ceiling per period.
Maternity: maternity services are free for people with a municipality of residence, and giving birth in a public hospital costs little; a pregnancy certificate is issued from 154 days of pregnancy (InfoFinland). Kela pays a maternity grant of €210 when the due date is on or after 1 April 2026 (€170 before that date), or a maternity package topped up with €40; the claim is filed at the latest two months before the due date (Kela).

The reimbursement guide and the page on expat health insurance give benchmarks; Expavy helps you weigh these options against your situation.

Summary: Who Reimburses Depending on Your Situation

Situation	Who reimburses first	Condition or step	Point of caution
Locally employed worker	Finnish system, client fee	Employment of at least €800.02 a month; municipality of residence or certificate of entitlement to care	Cap of €815 a year for public care; Kela for medicines and private care
Seconded employee	French scheme kept in place	A1 for 24 months at most; S1 or EHIC for care; S3125 if costs are advanced	Sick leave to be declared to the French fund within 48 hours
Self-employed	Finnish system	Affiliation to national health insurance depending on residence or activity	Contributions to be confirmed with ETK and Vero
Retiree	Finnish system with the S1 issued by the French fund	S1 requested before departure, submitted to Kela	Health contribution of 3.2% and 4.2% on the pension if tax residence is outside France
Student	EHIC (temporary stay); Finnish system with municipality of residence	EHIC to request before departure; municipality of residence for a stay of at least one year	Permanence of the stay assessed by Kela
Spouse and children	Depending on the insured person's status and place of residence	Residence situation examined by Kela	Bridging cover to plan during the procedures
Person without an occupation	Finnish system after municipality of residence	Sufficient resources for the right of residence	Bridging cover during registration
CFE member	CFE in addition to the Finnish scheme	Enrolment according to CFE conditions	Contributions to both systems; waiting period depending on the body
First-euro insurance	Insurer: actual costs within ceilings	Medical questionnaire, waiting periods, exclusions	Useful for private care, little reimbursed by Kela
Tourist	Physical EHIC with public providers; travel insurance	Free EHIC, to request from your fund before departure	No repatriation, private care or planned care
Return to France	Assurance Maladie (the French national health insurance), French fund	Form S1106 to request the opening of rights	CFE: resumption conditions depending on the body

Sources: CLEISS, Kela, Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, europa.eu, ameli.fr. Amounts are for 2026; individual situations should be checked with the fund concerned.

Frequently asked questions

Does the carte Vitale work in Finland?

No. For a temporary stay, the EHIC gives access to necessary care in the public sector at the same rates as local insured people. For a lasting move, proof of rights depends on status: affiliation to Finnish health insurance, form A1 for a seconded employee or form S1 for a retiree.

How much does an affiliated patient pay for care in Finland?

In 2026, at most €30.20 per doctor's consultation at a health centre, €71.30 for a specialist consultation and €71.50 per day in hospital, all capped at €815 per calendar year for public care. Medicines have their own cap of €636.12.

Can a French retiree get treated in Finland?

Yes, with form S1 requested from their pension fund before departure then submitted to Kela. They receive a certificate of entitlement to care that gives access to public care at the client fee, and a health contribution of 3.2% and 4.2% is levied on their French pensions if their tax residence is outside France.

What does the EHIC cover in Finland?

Necessary care in the public sector, on the same financial terms as for residents. It covers neither rescue and repatriation, nor private care, nor planned treatment. Only the physical card is accepted in Finland.

How is a seconded employee covered in Finland?

They remain in the French scheme with form A1, valid for 24 months at most. For care, they ask their fund for an S1 to register for local care or are reimbursed by the French fund; advanced care is reimbursed with form S3125, and sick leave is declared within 48 hours.

Does Kela reimburse private care?

In part. Since 1 January 2026, Kela pays €8 per private doctor consultation, with higher amounts for a gynaecologist or a psychiatrist. No annual cap applies to private care, and the claim is filed within six months of payment.

Does first-euro insurance avoid advancing costs?

Often, thanks to direct payment arranged with the facility. The contract's ceilings, deductibles, waiting periods and exclusions determine the out-of-pocket cost; this type of contract is mainly useful for private care, which Kela reimburses only slightly.

How do you reopen your rights on returning to France?

By informing the Finnish health insurance body of your departure, then filing form S1106 requesting the opening of rights with your French health insurance fund (ameli.fr). A CFE member checks the conditions for resuming with the body.