Healthcare fee per term
EUR 35.60
Healthcare fee for students in higher education
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If you are completing a higher education degree and are registered as attending, you can use the services of the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS) (yths.fi).
Higher education students must pay a healthcare fee to Kela each term. The healthcare fees are used to finance the services of the FSHS in general, and you will not have to pay separate per-visit charges for the services you use. However, if you have booked an appointment but you do not use it or you cancel or change the booked appointment too late, you will have to pay a charge for the unattended appointment (yths.fi).
The healthcare fee must be paid for each term. Kela does not send a bill for the fee, so students must make sure to pay it on their own initiative.
The Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS) provides student health services for higher education students in Finland. Information about student health services is available on the website of the FSHS (yths.fi).
The primary service point for student health services is usually in the town or city where you study. You can apply to Kela for reimbursement for travel costs for trips that you have made to an FSHS service point. The digital e-services and remote services of the FSHS (yths.fi) are available to all students regardless of where in Finland they use the services.
The FSHS also promotes the health and the ability to study of the students as well as the wellbeing of the whole student community. All students benefit from this work. Read more about the student community work of the FSHS (yths.fi).
Who must pay the healthcare fee for students in higher education?
You must pay the student healthcare fee if
- you have registered as attending at a Finnish university or university of applied sciences and you are completing a degree there
- you study as a civilian student in the National Defence University.
Higher education degrees include first-cycle and second-cycle degrees.
You must pay the fee even if you do not get student financial aid or if you use occupational or other health services instead of the FSHS. The healthcare fee is not the same as a per-visit charge or charge for services used, but is intended to finance the student health services in general.
If you pay the healthcare fee even if you do not have to pay it, we will automatically pay the fee back to you.
You do not have to pay the student healthcare fee if
- you have registered as non-attending for the term
- you have come as an exchange student to Finland and you are not completing a degree in a Finnish higher education institution
- you study in an open university of applied sciences or an open university
- you study in Högskolan på Åland
- you study for a postgraduate degree (for instance a licentiate or a doctor's degree)
- you study to become an officer in the National Defence University
- you complete non-degree oriented studies in a higher education institution (for instance further training or specialisation studies or a separate study module)
- you attend a tailor-made education programme
- you complete a second-cycle degree in the Police University College.
In these cases, you are also not entitled to use the services of the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS).
You also do not have to pay the healthcare fee if you have social security coverage in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the EU. In this case, you can use the services of the FSHS even if you do not pay the healthcare fee.
Amount and payment of the healthcare fee
The 2025 rate of the student healthcare fee is EUR 35.60 per term. The fee is the same for everyone.
No bill is sent for the fee
Remember to pay the healthcare fee to Kela for both the spring term and the autumn term. You are not billed for the fee but are expected to pay it on your own initiative via the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish). We will remind you to pay the fee with a letter in OmaKela or by mail about three weeks before the due date for payment.
The healthcare fee is confirmed separately for each calendar year. You can pay the fee for both the spring term and the autumn term at the beginning of the calendar year. However, you cannot pay the healthcare fee for the following spring term at the beginning of the autumn term, because the amount of the fee for the spring is not yet known at that point. Visit OmaKela to see when the fee can be paid.
You can pay the fee even if you have not yet registered as attending.
Due dates for the student healthcare fee
The due date for the fee for the spring term is 15 March, if you register as attending by 31 January. If you register as attending for the spring term on or after 1 February, the due date is 31 July.
The due date for the fee for the autumn term is 15 November, if you register as attending by 30 September. If you register as attending for the autumn term on or after 1 October, the due date is 31 December.
We will send a letter with instructions for payment about 3 weeks before the due date to students who have not yet paid the fee. If you have opted out of paper mail, you will receive a text message or email when the letter is available to read in OmaKela. However, you can pay the fee well in advance of the due date, for instance right at the start of the term.
How to pay the healthcare fee for students in higher education
- Pay the healthcare fee well in advance of the due date. You are not billed for the fee but are expected to pay it on your own initiative via the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish). The due date for the fee for the spring term is 15 March, and the due date for the fee for the autumn term is 15 November.
- You can pay the fee by going to Korkeakouluopiskelijan terveydenhoitomaksu (Healthcare fee for students in higher education) on the frontpage in OmaKela.
- You can access your online bank to pay the fee directly via OmaKela.
- If you did not pay your healthcare fee by the due date, we will send you a payment reminder. We will add a fixed late-payment charge of EUR 5 to healthcare fees that are paid after the due date. Follow the instructions for payment in the payment reminder.
- If you do not pay the fee even after being reminded to pay it, we can deduct the fee and the late-payment charge from your study grant without separately asking for your consent. If we cannot deduct the fee from your study grant, the fee will be collected through enforcement action.
You do not have to pay the healthcare fee if you have social security coverage in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the EU. Read more about these situations.
If you are unsure whether you have to pay the healthcare fee, read more about the liability to pay the healthcare fee for students in higher education.
If you cannot use the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish) for instance because you do not have Finnish online banking credentials, you can pay the fee as a bank transfer.
- Use the following payment details:
- bank account number (IBAN): FI06 5000 0120 4657 77
- recipient: Kela
- amount: EUR 35.60 (per term)
- BIC code: OKOYFIHH
- If you pay the fee from a foreign bank account, you may need the name and address of the bank: OP Corporate Bank plc, Gebhardinaukio 1, 00510 Helsinki, Finland
- Write the following in the message field:
- your given name and family name
- your Finnish personal identity code or your date of birth
- full or abbreviated name of the educational institution (e.g. TAMK)
- the term for which the fee is paid (for instance autumn term 2025)
- text “OTH”.
If there is not enough space in the message field for all these details, state at least your given name and family name as well as your Finnish personal identity code or date of birth.
Where can you check if you have already paid the healthcare fee?
You can view the payment details of the healthcare fees that you have paid in the OmaKela e-service. From the frontpage in OmaKela you can go directly to Korkeakouluopiskelijan terveydenhoitomaksu (Healthcare fee for students in higher education). You can check the payment of the fee in OmaKela in a couple of days after you have paid the fee.
Any payments you have made during a given year will be shown with that year’s information. Additionally, the payment details will show if the fee has been paid for the autumn or the spring term.
If you have forgotten to pay the healthcare fee
If you have not paid the healthcare fee by the due date, the fee is outstanding and is referred to collection. We will send you a reminder to pay the fee, and we will also charge a fixed late-payment charge of EUR 5.
Pay the healthcare fee according to the instructions in the payment reminder. Under Perinnät (Recovery) on the frontpage in OmaKela you can check if your healthcare fee has been referred to collection. Read more about collection of the healthcare fee.
Do not pay the healthcare fee with the payment form in OmaKela after the due date. Wait until you get a payment reminder. You can view the details in the payment reminder also under Perinnät (Recovery) in OmaKela.
If you have received a letter reminding you to pay the healthcare fee but you have social security coverage in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the EU, contact Kela’s Overpayment Recovery Centre.
If you still do not pay the healthcare fee after having received a reminder, Kela can withhold the fee and the late-payment charge from your study grant payments without first consulting you. If we cannot deduct the fee from your study grant, the fee will be collected through enforcement action. You can also request that the fee be withheld from some other benefit that Kela is paying to you.
If you paid the healthcare fee or received a payment reminder, but you do not have to pay the fee
If you have paid the healthcare fee even if you did not have to pay it, we will automatically pay the fee back to you. It may take some time before the fee is paid back to you. We will contact you if we need further information in order to pay the fee back to you.
If you have registered as non-attending after the healthcare fee was referred to collection, contact Kela’s Overpayment Recovery Centre.
If you have received a letter reminding you to pay the healthcare fee but you have social security coverage in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the EU, contact Kela’s Overpayment Recovery Centre.
The healthcare fee in different situations
The healthcare fee is payable per student, so it is enough that you pay the fee once per term. Thus you do not have to pay the fee several times even if you study in several institutions of higher education at the same time.
If you have social security coverage in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain or Northern Ireland, you do not have to pay the healthcare fee. However, you can use the services of the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS) if you are completing a degree in Finland. When you visit FSHS, be prepared to show your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or your Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC). If you do not have a European Health Insurance Card, you can apply to your own country’s social insurance authority for one.
You also do not have to pay the healthcare fee if you have social security coverage from the EU. In such a case, send documentation about this to Kela’s Overpayment Recovery Centre.
If you come to Finland as a student from another EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain or Northern Ireland, do as follows:
- Take a picture of your valid EHIC or GHIC card.
- Send the picture to Kela well in advance of the due date for payment of the fee. You can send the picture in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish) under Lähetä liite (Send supporting documents). Select Opiskelu (Studying) – Muu liite (Other supporting document) – Korkeakouluopiskelijan terveydenhoitomaksu (Healthcare fee for students in higher education).
- Attach your supporting document and press Lähetä (Send).
Read the instructions for how EU citizens can log in to and handle matters in the e-service.
If you cannot use the OmaKela e-service, you can also send the picture to the e-mail address ulkomaanperinta@kela.fi. Send the message via secure e-mail. You can also take a copy of your card and send the copy to the address Kela, Perintäkeskus, PL 31, 00056 KELA.
If you are enrolled in a degree programme in 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 in remote format and are not based in Finland. Read the instructions for paying the fee.
You must pay the fee even if you have taken out private health insurance for your residence permit for instance from Swisscare. If you have a private health insurance taken out for the purposes of obtaining a residence permit, that does not mean that you have social security coverage in the EU.
If you come to Finland as an exchange student, i.e. you are not completing a degree in a Finnish institution of higher education, you do not have to pay the healthcare fee. You are then also not entitled to use the services of the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS). Typically, students who are EU nationals can visit the municipal health centre, while students from outside the EU should have private medical insurance that allows them to see a private healthcare provider.
You do not have to pay the healthcare fee if you are studying for a degree in a foreign higher education institution. You are also not entitled to use the services of the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS).
If you are enrolled in a degree programme in a Finnish higher education institution and have registered as attending, you must pay the healthcare fee. You must pay the fee even if you study for instance in remote format from abroad and you do not use the student health services.
If you go abroad as an exchange student and you have registered as attending at a Finnish institution of higher education, you must pay the healthcare fee. Check with your school whether you must register as attending at the Finnish institution of higher education while you are on student exchange.
You cannot use the services of the FSHS while you are abroad. However, you can use the services when you are visiting Finland.
If you have social security coverage in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the EU, you do not have to pay the healthcare fee.
If you are completing an international double degree, you are enrolled in a degree programme in a Finnish higher education institution and have registered as attending, you must pay the healthcare fee.
If you have social security coverage in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the EU, you do not have to pay the healthcare fee.
If you have registered as attending but you discontinue your studies or give up your right to pursue studies during the term, you must pay the healthcare fee. You can use the services of the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS) until the end of the term.
If you discontinue your studies or give up your right to pursue studies before the start of the term, you are not liable to pay the healthcare fee.
If you graduate in the middle of the academic term, you can use the services offered by the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS) until the end of the term. You must pay the healthcare fee for the whole term, so you cannot pay the fee only in part.
You do not have to pay the healthcare fee after you have graduated. Pay the healthcare fee up until the academic term in which you are issued your degree certificate. If you for instance graduate in the autumn term, you do not have to pay the healthcare fee for the spring term. You are then not entitled to use the services of the FSHS in the spring term. The FSHS will check whether you have the right to use the student health services.
Completing the studies in the autumn term, degree certificate in the spring term
Aino completes her studies in the autumn term, but she graduates and receives her degree certificate in the spring term. She pays the healthcare fee for the spring term and can use the services of the FSHS to the end of the term.
If you have a decision on vocational rehabilitation from Kela for your studies, you must first pay the healthcare fee yourself. You can then claim reimbursement for the healthcare fee as a rehabilitation expense.
Kela will reimburse you for the healthcare fee as a necessary rehabilitation expense related to your studies. Claim reimbursement by sending a message in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish). If you cannot use OmaKela, you can claim reimbursement by calling Kela’s customer service number.
If you consider that you are not liable to pay the healthcare fee
If you consider that you are not liable to pay the healthcare fee, you can ask Kela for a payment outstanding notice. You can request a payment outstanding notice for instance if you do not agree that you are liable to pay the fee; i.e., that you are a degree student and registered as attending for the term in question.
Please note that even if you decide to ask for a payment outstanding notice, you must still pay the healthcare fee by the due date. We will pay the fee back to you if you are not liable to pay it.
You can appeal against the payment outstanding notice, if you disagree about your liability to pay the fee.
- Request a payment outstanding notice by sending a message in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish). If you cannot use OmaKela, you can send the request by mail to Kela’s Overpayment Recovery Centre at the address Kela, Perintäkeskus, PL 31, 00056 KELA or make the request by calling Kela’s Overpayment Recovery Centre.
- The message can be written free of form. State your name and contact details in the message and tell us
- which academic term your request concerns
- in which educational institution you study
- which degree you are completing
- when you have registered as attending or non-attending for the term that the request concerns.
Also state in the request if you have social security coverage in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the EU. In that case, send a copy of your valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC).
- Pay the healthcare fee by the due date even if you are requesting a payment outstanding notice. We will pay the fee back to you if you are not liable to pay the fee for the term in question.
If you disagree with the payment outstanding notice, you can appeal against it by filing a rectification request.
You can appeal against the payment outstanding notice by filing a rectification request with Kela. File the rectification request within 37 days of the date of mailing of the payment outstanding notice. The day the notice was sent is shown on the notice.
How to appeal against the payment outstanding notice
- Appeal against the payment outstanding notice in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish) under Muutoksenhaku (Appeal). If you cannot use OmaKela, send the rectification request by mail to the address Kela, Perintäkeskus, PL 31, 00056 KELA. You can also submit the rectification request to any Kela customer service point.
- State your name, personal identity code, address and telephone number in the rectification request. Also provide the following information:
- the decision you are appealing
- how you want the decision to be changed
- why you want the decision to be changed.
Someone else can file the rectification request on your behalf if you have issued a power of attorney concerning this. The power of attorney must be enclosed with the rectification request.
You will receive a decision on the rectification request from Kela’s Overpayment Recovery Centre.
If you think the decision by Kela’s Overpayment Recovery Centre on your rectification request is wrong, you can appeal the decision to the Administrative Court in your region. File the appeal in writing within 37 days of the date of mailing of the decision from the Overpayment Recovery Centre on your rectification request. The day the decision was sent is shown on the decision.
How to draw up an appeal
- Send the appeal document and the supporting documents to the Administrative Court for the region where your municipality of residence is located (tuomioistuimet.fi). If you do not have a municipality of residence in Finland, you should send the documents to the Helsinki Administrative Court.
- When the Administrative Court has decided the case, you will receive a decision. If you think the decision is wrong, you can request a leave to appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court.
You can also use the e-service of the Administrative Courts and the special courts. Go to the e-service (oikeus.fi).
You may appeal decisions of the Administrative Court to the Supreme Administrative Court if the Court gives you leave to appeal. Instructions on how to request leave to appeal are provided by the regional Administrative Court that made the decision and by the Supreme Administrative Court (kho.fi).