Official Matters

Taxation in Finland
Health Care in Finland
    Insurances
Social Security in Finland
  Kela Card
  European Health Insurance Card
Pension in Finland
Moving away from Finland 

Taxation in Finland

The taxation of workers moving to Finland from abroad varies according to how long they will be staying in Finland. Official Information from the Finnish Tax Administration: Employees arriving in Finland. If you receive a salary from Finland, you are subject to Finnish taxation. The first thing to do when you start working is to take your new employment contract to the Tax Office, and get a tax card (verokortti). Information on Finnish tax card. Local tax office: Tampere. If arriving in Finland from certain countries, researchers and teachers are entitled, through the relevant tax treaties, to have their income exempted from Finnish income tax. Please read more about Researchers and teachers from other countries.

More information on taxation from the Info Bank and the Finnish Tax Administration.

Health Care in Finland

Health care services in Finland are funded mainly with taxes, whereas the right to health care is determined on basis of domicile. Service providers operate both in the public and private sector. Health care services are generally included in the scope of responsibility of the municipalities and they are provided via local health centres. Each municipality has its health centre, although as an exception some minor municipalities can share their resources with a neighbour district. Health centres offer physician, dentist, laboratory and X-ray services. The municipalities own and are in charge of almost all hospitals. Besides, there are a few private and state owned hospitals. The private sector services complement the public ones. Actors of the private sector are, among other, few hospitals, rehabilitation centres and all pharmacies excluding the ones operating within hospitals.

More information on Public Medical Treatment in Finland by Kela and general information on Health Care in Finland by Info Bank.

The occupational health care provided by the University for its employees includes preventive health care as required by law and the services of general practitioners. More general information on Occupational Health Care in Finland.

Insurances

EU/EEA and Swiss Citizens

All employees of UTA are entitled to occupational health care. EU/EEA and Swiss nationals are also entitled to acute health care by European Health Insurance Card. In other than acute cases you either have pay the fees yourself or take a health insurance (e.g. www.marsh.be/sip) to cover them. If you are considered to live in Finland permanently (see next section on social benefits in more detail), you are entitled to the same public health care services as Finnish nationals.

Non-EU/EEA-Citizens

All employees of the UTA are entitled to occupational health care. Occupational health care does not cover e.g. possible hospital expenses, dental or specialist health care. For those expenses, you either have pay the fees yourself or take a health insurance (e.g. www.marsh.be/sip) to cover them. If you are considered to live in Finland permanently (see next section on social benefits in more detail), you are entitled to the same public health care services as Finnish nationals.

Social Security in Finland

The Finnish social security system is administered by the Finnish Social Insurance Institution, KELA. Persons immigrating to Finland can usually get various benefits from KELA if they take up permanent residence. In some cases the right to KELA benefits can also be based on working in Finland even if the person does not take up permanent residence in Finland. More general information on Social Services in Finland by Info Pankki and Social Security Benefits by Kela.

In matters concerning health and social security it is advisable to contact the In To - Finland service, which is designed especially for foreign employees coming to work in Finland.

Kela Card

The right to the Finnish health insurance is certified with a Kela Card. Foreign employees are entitled to get one, as soon as they have worked in Finland for at least four months. You will receive your own Kela Card upon registering in the Finnish social security system.

European Health Insurance Card

It is recommended to acquire a European Health Insurance Card from your home country before arriving in Finland, especially for those who do not have a work contract but are on a grant.

If you want to travel abroad during the term of your employment, e.g. visit your home country or travel as a tourist, you need a European Health Insurance Card in order to receive health care services in casual health issues. We recommend that you acquire a European Health Insurance Card while registering in the social security system.

Pension in Finland

A pension accrues from work performed by a foreigner in Finland under Finnish legislation in the same way as for a Finn. In Finland, pension provision consists of the employment-based earnings-related pension and the residence-based national pension. The earnings-related pension safeguards the stabilised level of consumption achieved during the time of active participation in working life.

More information on pensions from the Finnish Centre for Pensions.

Moving away from Finland

According to Finnish legislation, you must always submit a notification of move if you move permanently into a new home or if your temporary stay at another address is longer than three months. The notification can be made at the earliest one month in advance. However you must take care of that the notification has been received by the local register office within a week of your move at the latest. Also contact the Finnish Tax Administration directly to notify that you are moving away. 

More information on Notification of move.