Are you going outside Finland?
On this page:
Leaving Finland can have consequences for your right to get Kela benefits. If you get benefits from Kela or if you have a European Health Insurance Card, you must notify us that you are going abroad.
Notify us that you are going abroad if you get benefits
What factors affect your right to Kela benefits?
The following factors affect your right to benefits from Kela:
- the period of time you are staying outside Finland
- the country of destination
- the reason for going abroad.
If you intend to return to Finland or if you work in Finland, you can get benefits from Kela while living temporarily abroad.
If you move away from Finland permanently, you no longer have the right to Kela benefits.
Did you know?
Your citizenship does not affect your right to Kela benefits. You can be a Finnish citizen or the citizen of any other country.
How long are you staying outside Finland and in which country?
The length of time you stay abroad and the country you go to affect your right to benefits. We always consider each customer’s situation case by case.
The processing of the applications takes longer if we need information from other countries
Please note that the processing of the applications can take longer if we have to request information from the social insurance institutions of other countries.
You can get more information about the payment of benefits to other countries from our website at kela.fi or by calling us.
Temporary stay abroad
During a temporary stay abroad you can usually get benefits from Kela. This means that we can continue to pay you a benefit that has already been granted. In such situations, you can also apply for new benefits from Kela.
However, as regards some benefits, even a short stay abroad can affect your right to them. Such benefits include the following:
If you go to another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom temporarily, you can usually get benefits from Kela.
When you have notified us that you are going abroad, we will determine whether we consider your move to be temporary or permanent.
If we consider the move to be temporary, we will continue to pay benefits to the other country. You can also apply for and be granted new benefits.
When considering a person’s residence, we check for instance the following:
- history of residence in Finland and in other countries
- current residential arrangements
- repeated residence in Finland and in other countries
- your family ties in Finland and elsewhere.
Did you start work?
If you start work in one of these countries, your right to Kela benefits will, as a rule, end. In such cases, your country of employment is responsible for your social security coverage.
If you live in a country other than an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom for no longer than 6 months, you can, as a rule, get Kela benefits as if you were still living in Finland.
This means that benefits already in payment can continue to be paid to you while you are outside Finland. You can also apply for new benefits. However, exceptions to this are the social assistance and the child home care allowance.
If you stay for more than 6 months in a country other than an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, we will consider your move to be permanent and the payment of benefits will end.
Permanently resident abroad
If you move away from Finland permanently, you cannot, as a rule, get Kela benefits. This is not affected by which country you move to.
The payment of benefits ends on the day you leave Finland. However, payment of the national pension (kansaneläke) can continue.
When you have notified us that you are going abroad, we will determine on the basis of your notification whether we consider your move to be temporary or permanent.
If you move to another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom and we consider your move to be permanent, the payment of benefits will end.
When considering a person’s residence, we check for instance the following:
- history of residence in Finland and in other countries
- current residential arrangements
- repeated residence in Finland and in other countries
- your family ties in Finland and elsewhere.
If you live for more than 6 months in a country other than an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, we will, as a rule, consider your move to be permanent and the payment of benefits will end.
Regular stays abroad
If you stay abroad regularly but we consider that you are living in Finland permanently, you can get benefits from Kela.
Regularly staying abroad means that, for example, you are retired and you always spend four months abroad in the winter and come back to Finland in the spring.
You can get benefits from Kela, if we consider that you are living in Finland permanently even if you stay regularly part of your time in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom. If you start work in the country in question, you cannot get Kela benefits.
When considering your residence in Finland we check for instance the following:
- history of residence in Finland and in other countries
- current residential arrangements
- repeated residence in Finland and in other countries
- family ties in Finland and elsewhere
- the country paying a pension (if you are a pension recipient)
- the country levying taxes on a pension (if you are a pension recipient).
If you regularly stay for less than six months at a time in a country other than an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, you can continue to get Kela benefits if you spend most of your time in Finland.
Different reasons for leaving Finland
Read more about how your situation affects your right to benefits when you go abroad as
You may move or go to another country for reasons not covered here. If you have questions, you can contact us.
Notify us if you go abroad
Notify us in the OmaKela e-service (in Finnish and Swedish) if you go abroad, so that we can determine if it is possible to continue to pay benefits to you.
Notify us immediately when you go abroad, if
- you stay abroad for more than 3 months and you get benefits from Kela or you have a European Health Insurance Card
- you get social assistance and you stay abroad for longer than 7 days
- you start any kind of employment relationship in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom
- you stay abroad on a regular basis and spend most of your time abroad (for example 1-6 months at a time), and Kela is paying you benefits.
You do not need to notify us, if you are posted, i.e. sent on an assignment to
- an EU or EEA country
- Switzerland
- the United Kingdom
- the United States
- Canada (including Quebec)
- Chile
- Israel
- Australia.
In such cases, your employer must apply for a certificate A1 or a certificate of posting for you from the Finnish Centre for Pensions (etk.fi). We get information about your posting from the certificate issued by the Finnish Centre for Pensions.
If you are a posted worker in India, China, Japan or South Korea, notify us that you are going abroad.
Notify us that you are going abroad if you get benefits
If you cannot use OmaKela, send your notification to Kela by post. Save the form Moving from Finland or employment abroad Y 38e (PDF) to your device and fill it in after saving it. Print out the form and send it and any supporting documents to the address Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.
Also always inform us if your situation changes.
Learn more about social security agreements
Learn more about social security agreements and the legislation concerning EU countries. If you are going to Australia, Quebec or Israel, contact Kela to find out about your right to medical care.
What else is going on in your life?
Are you staying abroad as a pensioner?
Read more about payment of pensions outside Finland.
Are you going on student exchange?
You can get student financial aid (opintotuki) while abroad.
Are you moving with your family?
Check whether you can get benefits for families with children to another country, such as daily allowances for parents or child care allowances.
Are you going abroad to look for work?
You can get unemployment benefits (työttömyystuki) from Kela if you look for work in another country.