Kela registration and health insurance card eligibility for newcomers in Finland

Researched from official sources · May 21, 2026

Kela · Kansaneläkelaitos · Folkpensionsanstalten administers the national health insurance scheme sairausvakuutus · sjukförsäkring and issues the KELA-kortti · FPA-kort.

A newcomer applies along one of four eligibility routes: residence in Finland under the kotikuntalaki · lagen om hemkommun five-factor determination, qualifying employment in Finland, statutory quota-refugee status, or EU long-term resident permanent residence under Article 16 of Directive 2004/38/EC.

Estimated time

Online application via OmaKela typically completed in 30 to 60 minutes once prerequisites are in hand; written decision returned by Kela on the timetable published for international situations

Cost

€0 for the application, the OmaKela e-service, and the Kela card itself; postage on the paper Form Y 77e is borne by the applicant

What You Need

Tap to check off items as you gather them

Additional Items

  • Eligibility route — residence: Kela determines whether a newcomer is living in Finland permanently under the kotikuntalaki · lagen om hemkommun, applying a verbatim five-factor list — length of stay in Finland, family ties in Finland and elsewhere, employment in Finland or in other countries and the length of the employment, previous residence in Finland, and permanent home in Finland or in another country.
  • Eligibility route — employment: Kela publishes the qualifying monthly wage threshold verbatim on its newcomer pages as EUR 800.02 per month or more. The employment route opens sickness allowance and parental daily allowances from the start of the employment; child benefit, basic unemployment allowance and basic-social-assistance availability remain tied to permanent-residence determination under the kotikuntalaki · lagen om hemkommun.
  • Eligibility route — quota refugee: statutory quota-refugee status creates immediate Kela eligibility on arrival in Finland, per the verbatim Kela newcomer page.
  • Eligibility route — EU long-term resident permanent residence: recognised by Kela for student financial aid and certain other benefits where the applicant holds EU permanent residence under Article 16 of Directive 2004/38/EC.
  • Statutory anchor: the underlying Act is the sairausvakuutuslaki · sjukförsäkringslag, statute number 1224/2004, with the English translation published by Finlex. The Act establishes the national health insurance scheme and designates Kela as the administering authority. The specific section number that anchors the published wage threshold for the employment route is not surfaced on the English Finlex translation page [T1-UNVERIFIED].
  • Referral-only routes covered on the Kela newcomer pages but not encoded in the structural-route list above: persons granted asylum (eligibility from the date the residence permit is granted, provided permanence is intended); Nordic citizens (a national ID from Iceland, Norway, Sweden or Denmark may be used instead of an EU-EHIC for necessary medical care during a temporary stay); persons under Ukraine temporary protection (a separate Kela process applies); non-EU students on study permits valid for two years or more (a sub-set of benefits, including sickness allowance and private-healthcare reimbursement); family members of a worker resident in Finland where Kela determines their country of residence is Finland. Each pathway is documented on the Kela canonical newcomer page.
  • Categories Kela does not cover on the standard newcomer routes: EU/EEA students whose stay is treated as temporary; trainees and au pairs; posted workers covered under another EU/EEA Member State; diplomats; asylum seekers before a residence permit is granted; tourists. Emergency medical care in the Finnish public healthcare system applies to everyone regardless of nationality or country of origin.
  • Entitlement to publicly-funded medical care is separate from Kela benefits and is tied to having a municipality of residence in Finland. Temporary visitors with a European Health Insurance Card from the country responsible for medical-care costs receive necessary medical care during the stay; visitors from outside the EU, EEA, Switzerland or the United Kingdom receive emergency medical care only.

Step-by-Step

  1. 1

    Settle the Kela prerequisites before applying

    1. Obtain the Finnish personal identity code (henkilötunnus · personbeteckning) from Digi- ja väestötietovirasto · Myndigheten för digitalisering och befolkningsdata
    2. Where applicable, secure a Maahanmuuttovirasto · Migrationsverket residence permit; EU, EEA, Swiss and Nordic citizens do not need one
    3. Open a Finnish bank account so Kela can pay benefits electronically once the coverage decision is positive
    4. The municipality of residence (kotikunta · hemkommun) is recorded by Digi- ja väestötietovirasto at the personal-identity-code step and is the basis for the public-healthcare entitlement test

    💡 Tip: Issuing of the personal identity code by Digi- ja väestötietovirasto does not create Kela coverage on its own — the Kela application is a separate step. Newcomers who conflate the two often discover months later that a downstream benefit application is blocked by the missing Kela determination.

    ⚠️ Watch out: If the bank account is not yet open, file the application anyway and add bank-account details via OmaKela once the account is set up. Benefit payouts begin only after Kela has the account details on file.

  2. 2

    Authenticate to OmaKela using Suomi.fi e-Identification

    OmaKela · MittFPA

    1. Open oma.kela.fi and select the English-language option
    2. Sign in via Suomi.fi e-Identification (vahva sähköinen tunnistautuminen · stark elektronisk autentisering)
    3. Accepted credentials are Finnish bank-issued credentials, Mobiilivarmenne · Mobilcertifikat mobile certificate, or the Citizen Certificate FINEID smartcard

    💡 Tip: Suomi.fi e-Identification is the standard mechanism for any Finnish public e-service. If no Finnish e-ID credential is available yet, use the paper Form Y 77e route at step six.

  3. 3

    Submit the Moving to Finland or employment in Finland application

    1. Select the Moving to Finland or employment in Finland application in OmaKela
    2. Record date of arrival; reason for moving (work, family, study, asylum decision, return after time abroad); whether moving with a partner or children; employment details (employer, start date, monthly wage)
    3. Record previous social-security coverage in another country and the expected length of stay
    4. Submit the application
  4. 4

    Attach the supporting document set

    1. Upload identity, residence-permit and employment documents listed in the What You Need section
    2. Posted workers attach the A1 certificate from the home Member State
    3. Pensioners coordinated under EU rules attach the S1 certificate from the Member State responsible for medical-care costs
    4. Family-member applicants attach marriage or partnership documentation evidencing family ties to a resident
    5. Quota refugees attach the placement-decision document

    💡 Tip: Kela may request additional documents during processing — for example, evidence supporting the residence-route permanence assessment under the Municipality of Residence Act, or evidence of the qualifying monthly wage for the employment route.

  5. 5

    Await Kela's coverage decision

    1. Kela processes the application and may need to request information from another country's social insurance institution
    2. Decision is notified in OmaKela and in writing
    3. If approved, the decision opens eligibility for the relevant downstream Kela benefit applications, which are filed separately

    ⚠️ Watch out: Processing can take longer when Kela has to request information from social insurance institutions of other countries. Plan for several extra months in cross-border cases and avoid filing dependent benefit applications until the coverage decision has issued.

  6. 6

    File on paper if no Finnish e-ID credential is available yet

    1. Download Form Y 77e from kela.fi/forms in English, Finnish or Swedish
    2. Complete the form with the same data captured by OmaKela
    3. Mail to: Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA

    💡 Tip: Form Y 77e is the same application as the OmaKela flow; the paper route is for applicants who cannot yet authenticate to OmaKela.

    ⚠️ Watch out: Sending the form to a local Kela service-point address rather than the central PL 10 mailing address can delay processing. Use the published mailing address Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.

  7. 7

    Receive the Kela card after a positive coverage decision

    KELA-kortti · FPA-kort

    1. Kela issues the Kela card automatically to anyone covered under the Finnish national health insurance scheme
    2. The card is delivered by mail
    3. If a card is needed before the automatic delivery arrives, request one via OmaKela

    💡 Tip: There is no electronic version of the Kela card and photocards are no longer issued. Newborns of covered residents are issued a Kela card automatically after birth registration.

  8. 8

    Notify Kela of changes after registration

    1. Report any change in residence, family situation or employment that may affect benefit eligibility via OmaKela
    2. International cases can call +358 20 634 0200
    3. Leaving Finland temporarily for more than a short stay is also reported to Kela

    💡 Tip: Coverage is reassessed against the residence-route five-factor list when circumstances change; reporting promptly avoids retroactive adjustments to benefit payments.

Local Tips from the Community

  • Kela registration is separate from the Digi- ja väestötietovirasto registration that issues the henkilötunnus · personbeteckning. Issuing of the personal identity code by DVV does not create Kela coverage; the Kela application is a distinct step.
  • Open a Finnish bank account before filing the Kela application. Kela pays benefits electronically and not in cash, so benefit payouts will not begin until Kela has bank-account details on file.
  • The Kela card is delivered by mail after a positive coverage decision; there is no electronic version and photocards are no longer issued.
  • If the automatic Kela-card delivery has not arrived and a card is needed for private healthcare, request one via OmaKela rather than wait.
  • MyKanta access — the national health-records portal — uses the henkilötunnus and Suomi.fi e-Identification rather than the Kela card.

What Could Go Wrong

Settle the Kela prerequisites before applying: Personal identity code or residence permit is not yet in hand

Recovery: Complete the Digi- ja väestötietovirasto registration first, then if applicable the Maahanmuuttovirasto application. Both are prerequisites for the OmaKela login and for the Kela coverage decision. Kela cannot decide on coverage without the personal identity code.

Authenticate to OmaKela using Suomi.fi e-Identification: No Finnish e-ID credential is yet active

Recovery: File the paper Form Y 77e instead. Download the form in English, Finnish or Swedish from kela.fi/forms and mail it to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA. The application data is the same as in OmaKela.

Attach the supporting document set: Posted-worker A1 certificate is missing

Recovery: Request the A1 from the home Member State's social-security institution before Kela proceeds. Without an A1, Kela determinations for posted workers are ambiguous and can lead to downstream healthcare-reimbursement disputes.

Await Kela's coverage decision: Processing has stretched beyond the published international-situations band

Recovery: Kela publishes processing times by downstream benefit application; the Moving to Finland or employment in Finland application itself has no single published figure. Check the message inbox in OmaKela for any request for additional information from another country's social insurance institution, and respond promptly.

Costs

Item Amount Payment Notes
OmaKela e-service application €0 N/A Free. Authentication via Suomi.fi e-Identification using a Finnish bank-issued credential, Mobiilivarmenne · Mobilcertifikat mobile certificate, or the Citizen Certificate FINEID smartcard.
Paper Form Y 77e application €0 Postage only, paid by the applicant Form Y 77e is available free in English, Finnish and Swedish at kela.fi/forms. Mailed to: Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.
Kela card — initial issuance after positive decision €0 N/A Kela publishes verbatim on the Kela-card page that the card is delivered automatically by mail. No fee is published for the initial card.
Kela card — renewal €0 N/A Kela publishes verbatim on the Kela-card page that no fee is charged for the renewal of the Kela card.
Replacement Kela card €0 N/A No replacement-card fee is published on the Kela-card page. Request a replacement via OmaKela.
OmaKela e-service application €0
Payment:
N/A
Notes:
Free. Authentication via Suomi.fi e-Identification using a Finnish bank-issued credential, Mobiilivarmenne · Mobilcertifikat mobile certificate, or the Citizen Certificate FINEID smartcard.
Paper Form Y 77e application €0
Payment:
Postage only, paid by the applicant
Notes:
Form Y 77e is available free in English, Finnish and Swedish at kela.fi/forms. Mailed to: Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.
Kela card — initial issuance after positive decision €0
Payment:
N/A
Notes:
Kela publishes verbatim on the Kela-card page that the card is delivered automatically by mail. No fee is published for the initial card.
Kela card — renewal €0
Payment:
N/A
Notes:
Kela publishes verbatim on the Kela-card page that no fee is charged for the renewal of the Kela card.
Replacement Kela card €0
Payment:
N/A
Notes:
No replacement-card fee is published on the Kela-card page. Request a replacement via OmaKela.
Total: €0

FAQ

General

I just arrived in Finland — do I need to register with Kela?

If you are moving to Finland and intend to live here permanently, or you are working in Finland on a qualifying monthly wage, file the Moving to Finland or employment in Finland application via OmaKela or on paper using Form Y 77e. The Kela newcomer page publishes the qualifying monthly wage threshold for the employment route verbatim as EUR 800.02 per month or more. If you are visiting on a temporary basis, you do not register with Kela — EU/EEA visitors rely on the EU-EHIC and non-EU visitors pay directly for non-emergency care. Everyone has the right to emergency medical care regardless of nationality or country of origin.

What does living in Finland permanently actually mean?

Kela assesses it on a case-by-case basis under the Municipality of Residence Act (kotikuntalaki · lagen om hemkommun) using the five-factor list published verbatim on kela.fi: length of stay in Finland; family ties in Finland and elsewhere; employment in Finland or in other countries and the length of the employment; previous residence in Finland; permanent home in Finland or in another country. The type of residence permit also feeds into the determination — a continuous (A) permit or a permanent (P) permit weighs more heavily toward permanence than a temporary (B) permit.

I work in Finland but earn less than the published wage threshold — am I excluded?

You are not eligible under the employment route at the start of the employment. You can still be assessed under the residence route on the five permanence factors. The Kela newcomer page publishes the qualifying monthly wage threshold verbatim as EUR 800.02 per month or more. File the application and let Kela make the determination on whichever route applies.

How do I log into OmaKela?

Open oma.kela.fi and authenticate with Suomi.fi e-Identification (vahva sähköinen tunnistautuminen · stark elektronisk autentisering) using a Finnish bank-issued credential, Mobiilivarmenne · Mobilcertifikat mobile certificate, or the Citizen Certificate FINEID smartcard. If you do not yet have any of these credentials, file the paper Form Y 77e instead.

I am an EU citizen working in Finland — do I need a residence permit?

No. EU, EEA, Swiss, and Nordic citizens do not need a Maahanmuuttovirasto residence permit. You still register with Digi- ja väestötietovirasto for the henkilötunnus · personbeteckning and apply to Kela for coverage. The wage-threshold rule for the employment route applies the same way.

I am a Nordic citizen — do I need an EU-EHIC or an S1 certificate?

For necessary medical care during a temporary stay, a national ID from your Nordic country (Iceland, Norway, Sweden or Denmark) is accepted instead of the EU-EHIC. For Kela registration once you move to Finland permanently, no S1 certificate is required — the Kela page on cross-border situations states verbatim that you do not need to file an S1 certificate if you come from a Nordic country or the United Kingdom.

When does my Kela card arrive?

After Kela's positive coverage decision, the Kela card is automatically sent by mail. Kela does not publish a specific delivery-time figure on the Kela-card page. If you need a card before the automatic delivery arrives — for example, to use private healthcare during the wait — request one via OmaKela.

Is there a digital Kela card?

No. The Kela-card page states verbatim that there is no electronic version of the Kela card, and that Kela photocards are no longer being issued. Only a physical plastic card is issued.

I am a quota refugee — when can I get Kela benefits?

Immediately on arrival. The Kela newcomer page states verbatim that as a quota refugee you can get benefits from Kela immediately after you have moved to Finland.

I am an asylum seeker — can I register with Kela now?

No. The Kela newcomer page states verbatim that you cannot get benefits from Kela until you have been granted a residence permit. Once asylum is granted, you can apply, provided you intend to live in Finland permanently.

After This Process

  • → Apply separately for the downstream Kela benefits the coverage decision unlocks — sickness allowance, family benefits, child benefit, parental daily allowance — each is a distinct application
  • → Enrol with a public healthcare provider via the wellbeing services county (hyvinvointialue) responsible for your municipality of residence
  • → Register for MyKanta to access the national health-records portal using the personal identity code and Suomi.fi e-Identification
  • → Keep Kela informed of changes in residence, employment or family situation via OmaKela so the coverage determination stays current

Sources

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More in Finland

8 sources cited last accessed 2026-05-21

T1 official portal · T2 embassy/consulate · T3 news · T4 community — higher tier wins on conflict. methodology →

  1. T1
    Kela · Kansaneläkelaitos · Folkpensionsanstalten — newcomer canonical 2026-05-21

    Kela's newcomer page is the canonical anchor for the two main eligibility routes. The page states verbatim that you can get Kela benefits when you live in Finland permanently or work in Finland, and that for the employment route your wage in Finland must amount to EUR 800.02 per month or more. The page lists the five permanence factors verbatim — length of stay in Finland; family ties in Finland and elsewhere; employment in Finland or in other countries and the length of the employment; previous residence in Finland; permanent home in Finland or in another country — and notes that the processing of the applications can take longer if Kela has to request information from the social insurance institutions of other countries. The paper Form Y 77e is mailed to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.

    kela.fi
  2. T1
    Kela — eligibility-determination canonical 2026-05-21

    Kela's eligibility-determination page states verbatim that whether you are considered to be living in Finland permanently is determined on the basis of the Municipality of Residence Act, and reproduces the wage-threshold rule for the employment route — if you work in Finland and your wage amounts to EUR 800.02 per month or more, you can get certain Kela benefits as from the start of the employment, for instance sickness allowance (sairauspäiväraha). The page also states verbatim that as a quota refugee you can get benefits from Kela immediately after you have moved to Finland, that asylum seekers cannot get benefits from Kela until granted a residence permit, that you do not need to file an S1 certificate if you come from a Nordic country or the United Kingdom, that posted workers cannot, as a rule, get benefits from Kela, and that diplomats cannot get benefits from Kela. Family members can get benefits if Kela considers that their country of residence is Finland. Non-EU students on study permits valid for two years or more are entitled to sickness allowance, daily allowances for parents and reimbursement for the costs for private healthcare services.

    kela.fi
  3. T1
    Kela — Kela card canonical 2026-05-21

    The Kela-card page states verbatim that the Kela card proves the holder has the right to health insurance reimbursements paid by Kela, that there is no electronic version of the Kela card and that Kela photocards are no longer being issued, and that no fee is charged for the renewal of the Kela card. The card is automatically issued to everyone who is covered under the Finnish national health insurance scheme, and to newborns of covered residents after birth registration. A card can be requested via OmaKela if a holder needs one before the automatic delivery arrives.

    kela.fi
  4. T1
    Kela — entitlement-to-public-healthcare canonical 2026-05-21

    Entitlement to publicly-funded medical care is tied to municipality of residence in Finland — the page states verbatim that if you have a municipality of residence in Finland, you are entitled to all the treatment you need in the public healthcare system. Temporary visitors with a European Health Insurance Card issued by the country responsible for medical-care costs receive necessary medical care in the Finnish public healthcare system. Visitors from outside the EU, EEA, Switzerland or the United Kingdom are entitled only to emergency medical care. Everyone has the right to emergency medical care in the Finnish public healthcare system, and that right is not affected by nationality or country of origin.

    kela.fi
  5. T1
    Kela — processing-times international situations 2026-05-21

    Kela publishes processing times by downstream benefit application for international situations rather than a single figure for the Moving to Finland or employment in Finland application. Published figures include entitlement to medical care (one to three months), sickness allowance and related allowances (one to three months), child benefit (two to four months), pregnancy allowance and parental allowance (two to four months), and old-age pension when living in Finland (three to eight months). The page notes verbatim that if Kela needs information from abroad in order to process the application, the processing time may be several months longer.

    kela.fi
  6. T1
    Suomi.fi — Kela organisation canonical 2026-05-21

    Suomi.fi publishes the Kela authority canonical with the postal address Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA, the visiting and mail address Nordenskiöldinkatu 12, 00250 Helsinki, the international situations telephone +358 20 634 0200, the health and pensions telephone +358 20 634 2650, and the families, students, unemployed and housing telephone +358 20 634 2550. Suomi.fi translates Kela's English name as the Social Insurance Institution of Finland.

    suomi.fi
  7. T1
    InfoFinland (KEHA Centre) — newcomer aggregator 2026-05-21

    InfoFinland publishes that Finland has comprehensive and affordable health services for everyone living here, that public healthcare is organised by the wellbeing services counties (hyvinvointialueet), and that newcomers should bring the Kela card when going to the health and social services centre. Visitors with an EU-EHIC pay the same amount for treatment in the public system as permanent residents do.

    infofinland.fi
  8. T1
    Finlex — translations of Finnish legislation 2026-05-21

    Finlex publishes the English translation metadata for the Health Insurance Act (Sairausvakuutuslaki · Sjukförsäkringslag), statute number 1224/2004, date of enactment 21 December 2004. The translation was completed 1 December 2011 with the most recent amendment tracked at 911/2011. The Act establishes the national health insurance scheme and designates Kela as the administering authority. The specific section anchoring the published monthly wage threshold for the employment route is not surfaced on this English translation page [T1-UNVERIFIED].

    finlex.fi
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