Higher education students can pay the healthcare fee for 2023 to Kela now

Students who are completing a degree and have registered as attending a traditional university or a university of applied sciences must pay a healthcare fee to Kela each term. The 2023 rate of the student healthcare fee is EUR 36.80 per term. Students can pay the fee starting now.

In 2023, the student healthcare fee in higher education is 36.80 euros per term. The fee for the whole calendar year, i.e. the spring and autumn term 2023, can be paid at the same time. Students are not billed for the fee but are expected to pay it on their own initiative.

The due date of payment is determined based on the date on which the student has registered as attending. For the spring term, the healthcare fee must be paid by 31 January at the latest, provided the student has registered as attending by then.

The healthcare fee can be paid via Kela’s e-service OmaKela. Students who cannot pay the fee via the e-service for instance because they do not have Finnish banking credentials, can pay the fee as a bank transfer. Instructions for payment of the healthcare fee are available on Kela’s website.

Students do not have to pay the healthcare fee if they have social security coverage from another EU/EEA country, from Switzerland or from Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Despite not paying the fee, they may use the services of the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS). Students who wish to use the services of the FSHS must be prepared to show a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) as of 1 January 2023. Students covered by social security in Great Britain and Northern Ireland can show a Global Health Insurance (GHIC) card.

If the student does not pay the healthcare fee by the due date, Kela will send the student a reminder. If the healthcare fee is paid after the due date, the student also has to pay a late-payment charge of EUR 5.

Choice to receive information letter only via the e-service

At the beginning of the spring and autumn term, Kela sends students a letter with information about the healthcare fee. Students now have the option of going paperless, i.e. receiving the letter only in the e-service. Update your information in OmaKela to go paperless. For more detailed instructions, please see Kela’s website (in Finnish only).

Additional information for customers

Edited on 5/12/2022. The following information was edited: Students who are completing a degree and have registered as attending a traditional university or a university of applied sciences must pay a healthcare fee to Kela each term.