To get the best help for your situation, first answer the questions on the Preliminary questions page.
Work in Finland
- Preliminary questions
- Before you come to Finland
- Look for work in Finland
- Find out about your right to work in Finland
- Find out about working as an entrepreneur in Finland
- As an employee in Finland
- Plan your life in Finland
- Learn about Finland and your future place of residence
- Look for a home and temporary accommodation
- Estimate whether you can manage with the offered salary or compensation
- Where do I find day care for a child aged under 6?
- A place in a school for a child aged 6–15
- Where can a child aged over 15 study?
- Work or a study place for the spouse
- As an employee, you are entitled to occupational healthcare in Finland
- You will be entitled to public healthcare if you have a municipality of residence
- Will my family be able to use public healthcare?
- Can a person who is working use public healthcare?
- A posted European worker's right to public healthcare
- People living in Finland temporarily are not always entitled to public healthcare
- I am staying in Finland temporarily, but I have a European Health Insurance Card
- I am staying in Finland temporarily, but I am a citizen of a Nordic country
- Prepare your arrival in Finland
- When you arrive in Finland
- Changes and moving from Finland
- Checklist
Plan your life in Finland
Learn about Finland and your future place of residence
The following websites help you to learn about Finland and the Finnish culture:
- InfoFinlandOpens in a new window.
- ThisisFINLANDOpens in a new window.
- VisitFinlandOpens in a new window.
Also visit the websites of your future municipality of residence.
Look for a home and temporary accommodation
You should already start looking for a home before moving to Finland. However, people often do not manage to find a home until they have already arrived in Finland.Â
You should book temporary accommodation such as a hotel room for the weeks following your arrival in Finland.
Estimate whether you can manage with the offered salary or compensation
The cost of living and taxation are fairly high in Finland. Estimate whether you can manage with the salary or compensation offered for the work in Finland. You can estimate
- the money required for living with the information compiled on the InfoFinland websiteOpens in a new window.
- the amount of tax deducted from your salary with the tax percentage calculator of the Tax Administration.Opens in a new window.
Where do I find day care for a child aged under 6?
If your child needs a place of care during your workday, you can apply for a place in early childhood education and care. Day care is provided both by municipalities and by private service providers. Every child has the right to early childhood education and care in the municipality where the child lives.
In Finland, day care is also called early childhood education and care.
A place in a school for a child aged 6–15
In Finland, children have compulsory education until the age of 18. Compulsory education applies to children who live in Finland permanently and have a municipality of residence.
The municipality of residence provides your child with free municipal pre-primary and basic education.Â
- The child begins pre-primary education, or preschool education, in the year of their sixth birthday.Â
- The child begins basic education, or the actual school education, in the year of their seventh birthday. Basic education lasts nine school years.
Your child can also go to a private school, but these schools may have school fees.
Where can a child aged over 15 study?
Find out what general or vocational upper secondary education is available near your home locality for a young person who has already completed basic education.
Your child may also apply to instruction preparing for programmes leading to an upper secondary qualification. The instruction improves the young person's language skills before the actual studies.
Compulsory education ends when your child reaches the age of 18 or when they complete an upper secondary qualification.
Work or a study place for the spouse
If your spouse comes with you to Finland and starts to look for work, they should register as a jobseeker with the TE Services.Â
Finland also has extensive study opportunities if your spouse wants to complete an education in Finland.
As an employee, you are entitled to occupational healthcare in Finland
Your workplace must organise free-of-charge occupational healthcare for all employees in the company regardless of the length and form of their employment relationship.
Note that occupational healthcare applies only to you as an employee, not to your family, for example.
You will be entitled to public healthcare if you have a municipality of residence
Everyone with a municipality of residence in Finland is entitled to the public healthcare.
Usually, everyone living in Finland for over a year will be given a municipality of residence. For more information on obtaining and registering a municipality of residence, see the page Do this as soon as you arrive in Finland.
Public healthcare is usually subject to a charge, but in most cases cheaper than private health services.
Will my family be able to use public healthcare?
- If your family member moves to Finland from an EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain or Northern Ireland, they have the same right to medical treatment as you do if you work in Finland.
- If your family member moves to Finland from a country other than an EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain or Northern Ireland, their right to medical care depends on whether they have a municipality of residence in Finland. If they have a municipality of residence in Finland, they usually also have the right to medical care.
Check your family members’ right to medical treatment with Kela.Opens in a new window.
Can a person who is working use public healthcare?
Yes. However, in many cases, it may be advisable to use occupational healthcare as the queues may be longer in public healthcare. You usually get help faster through occupational healthcare. In addition, occupational healthcare is free of charge to the employee, whereas public healthcare is subject to a charge.
A posted European worker's right to public healthcare
You can use public healthcare in Finland ifÂ
- you move to live in Finland for over a yearÂ
- you have been posted from an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, the United Kingdom or Northern IrelandÂ
- you have an A1 certificate issued by the authorities of the country of origin and, in certain cases, an E106 or S1 certificate.
Obtain the necessary documents from the country of origin and deliver them to Kela in Finland.
People living in Finland temporarily are not always entitled to public healthcare
If you are residing in Finland temporarily, meaning for less than a year, you are not necessarily entitled to public healthcare in Finland.
Check with Kela what public healthcare you can receive and on what conditions.Opens in a new window.
I am staying in Finland temporarily, but I have a European Health Insurance Card
If you have a European Health Insurance Card, you will always receive the medically necessary medical care in public healthcare. The doctor will assess on a case-by-case basis what is necessary care.
I am staying in Finland temporarily, but I am a citizen of a Nordic country
If you are a citizen of a Nordic country, you will always receive the medically necessary medical care in public healthcare by presenting an official identity card. The doctor will assess on a case-by-case basis what is necessary care.