Student from EU or ETA countries: provide EHIC Card
Degree students registered as attending students in Finnish higher education institutions are in certain cases exempt from paying the healthcare fee for students in higher education. This is the case if the student’s healthcare costs are covered by an EU or EEA country other than Finland, Switzerland, Britain or Northern Ireland. Students exempt from paying the fee need to carry a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), or a Global Health Insurance Card for students from the UK and Northern Ireland (GHIC).
Students must obtain a valid EHIC card before arriving to Finland and will have to provide it every time they use FSHS services. Students will have to provide their card information to the FSHS before each appointment, whether remote or in person.
How to provide proof of EHIC card using FSHS services
As your EHIC card contains personal data, you must provide a copy of it using the secure, encrypted email connection provided.
- To access FSHS services, you must provide an image of your valid EHIC card via a secure email service found at its own website. Please copy the service URL onto your clipboard, you will require it later to provide the document. The email service will require you to register as a user when you open the URL.
- Attach a high-quality image of your EHIC card to the email and type in opiskelijarajalaki(at)yths.fi as the recipient of the message. Please note that if you enter the recipient address incorrectly, you’ll receive an error message. As a secure email service doesn’t display the address of the sender, please include your own email address in the message body of the secure email. This way we can contact you if we require further information about your EHIC card.
- If you send us a photo of your card or an appropriate certificate only after your appointment, you’ll also have to attach a certificate indicating that your card was valid at the time of the appointment. You can get this certificate from the country covering your healthcare costs, i.e. your home country.
- Students living in one of the Nordic countries may also use their passport or identity card as proof of state-provided health insurance. In these cases, an address in their country of residence will also be required.
- Please note that cards or other certifications from a private health insurance provider cannot be accepted by FSHS.
The email service is intended solely for EU health insurance documents. For any other matters, we kindly ask you to contact us by calling the FSHS service number or via the Self service.
If a student fails to bring their card or a provisional replacement certificate to an appointment
- The student will have to submit documentation of the card or the certificate to the FSHS afterwards. They will also have to submit proof that their card was valid at the time of the appointment.
- Students living in one of the Nordic countries may temporarily use their passport or identity card as proof of state-provided health insurance. They will also have to provide their address in their country of residence.
The EHIC card must also be presented to Kela
Students who have social security coverage from another EU or EEA country, from Switzerland or from Great Britain and Northern Ireland don’t have to pay the annual student healthcare fee collected from Finnish students. These students must provide a copy of a valid European Health Insurance Card to Kela to prove their exemption from the fee. Students who have social security coverage in Great Britain or Northern Ireland can send a copy of either a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC). For more detailed instructions, see Kela’s website.
Read more about the student healthcare fee collected by Kela
More information:
European Health Insurance Card | Our Services | Kela
FAQs|Health cover for temporary stays in another EU country – Your Europe (europa.eu)
