Student, remember to pay the student healthcare fee to Kela
term.
Students who have registered for higher education degrees must pay a fee, except for certain exceptions. To get more details, kindly refer to Kela's website.
The healthcare fee must be paid on your own initiative
In 2023, the student healthcare fee in higher education is 36.80 euros per term. The fee is paid to Kela once per term, i.e. twice a year. You are not billed for the fee but are expected to pay it on your own initiative.
The due date for paying the student healthcare fee is determined based on the date on which you register as attending:
- The due date for the autumn term is 30 September 2023, assuming that you register as attending by that date. If you register as attending for the autumn term on or after 1 October, the due date is 31 December.
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For the spring term, the due date is 31 January provided that you have registered as attending by then. If you register as attending for the spring term on or after 1 February, the due date is 31 July.
You can pay the fee in OmaKela, see how to pay.
Note that you cannot pay the fees for autumn term 2023 and spring term 2024 at the same time, because the 2024 rate has not yet been confirmed. See the consequences for not paying the healthcare fee.
What to do if you are a foreign student in Finland
If you are enrolled in a degree programme at a Finnish higher education institution and have registered as attending, you must pay the healthcare fee. You must pay the fee even if you are studying remotely and are not based in Finland. However, you do not have to pay the fee if you have social security coverage in another EU/EEA country, in Switzerland or in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, but you must still contact Kela. Despite not paying the fee, you can use the FSHS’s services.
If you are a foreign exchange student, you are not completing a degree in a Finnish higher education institution. You do not have to pay the fee, and cannot use the FSHS’s services.