SUBMIT A TRAVEL NOTIFICATION
Finnish missions provide assistance to Finns with consular issues such as passports and personal IDs as well as in events of illness, death or becoming a victim of a crime. It is recommended that you submit a travel notification regardless of whether you live overseas temporarily or permanently. It allows the Foreign Ministry to contact you in case of an emergency or crisis situation. You can file a travel notification online at matkustusilmoitus -system (not applicable when travelling to Finland).
APPLY FOR A EUROPEAN HEALTH INSURANCE CARD
If you travel to another EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain or Northern Ireland, you should apply for a European Health Insurance Card well before departure to ensure you receive it on time. You can apply for the card easily online here.
VISIT THE EU-HEALTHCARE.FI WEBSITE
The site provides country-specific information about health services in more than 50 countries; in which situations you are entitled to access treatment, how to make a doctor’s appointment and how much you must pay for the care yourself. In addition, the site provides information on local healthcare practices and officials.
FINNISH ELECTRONIC PRESCRIPTIONS ABROAD
At the moment, Finnish electronic prescriptions allow you to purchase medications at pharmacies in Estonia, Croatia, Portugal, Spain and Poland. In Estonia and Croatia, all pharmacies provide the service while in Poland nearly all of them and in Portugal only some pharmacies offer the service. The possibility of using Finnish electronic prescriptions is gradually being introduced in other countries as well.
Please consider the following before taking a Finnish prescription to a pharmacy abroad
- Take your passport or photo ID card with you to the pharmacy.
- Check kanta.fi to see if the medicine you wish to buy can be purchased abroad.
- The use of Finnish electronic prescriptions in Europe is gradually expanding, so before travelling, check whether the service is in use at your destination.
- A prescription cannot be filled abroad if you have set up a denial of consent to data sharing. Remember to remove the denial of consent to data sharing regarding your prescriptions in MyKanta before purchasing the medicine. Read more here.
- You can only purchase medicines using your own prescription. It is not possible to purchase medicines on behalf of another adult or a child.
- To receive Kela’s reimbursement for medicine you have purchased abroad, please submit your application electronically using OmaKela (kela.fi) after your trip.
REMOTE WORK AND WORK ABROAD
Working overseas may have an effect on which country’s social security covers you. When you move abroad to work in an EU member state or in a country that has a social security agreement with Finland, your employer must apply for an A1 certificate on your behalf from the Finnish Center for Pensions. If you are an entrepreneur, you must apply for the certificate yourself. You must apply for the A1 certificate even for short overseas stays, such as work or training trips or short periods of remote work. If the certificate is not applied or the Finnish Center for Pensions cannot issue it, the employee is covered by the working country’s social security and the employer must pay any statutory social security fees there. Any entrepreneur without an A1 certificate must insure themselves in the working country. Read more here.
CHECK THESE OUT TOO
Travel recommendations
Read the Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ travel tips and guidance on travelling.
Travel insurance
It is recommended to take comprehensive travel insurance, also when travelling in Europe.
Travel documents
Check that your travel document/s is/are valid for a sufficient period of time. You can check the passport and visa regulations at the mission of the destination country.