Residence Permit and Health Care

If you are not an EU/EEA citizen you must obtain a residence permit from the nearest Finnish embassy or consulate in your home country. 

For exchange students, please check https://migri.fi/en/instructions-for-exchange-students

• You can apply electronically online but a visit to the embassy/consulate is needed for the biometrical identification. 
• You must obtain residence permit before you arrive in Finland. 
• You need to have valid health insurance.
• You also need to be able to prove that you have necessary funding (560 €/month). 
  Please notice!! The income thresholds will increase to 800 €/month starting on November 1 2024
• Remember also to check if you need a visa to enter the Schengen area.
• See Finnish Immigration Service's website for detailed instructions.

EU/EEA citizens do not need a residence permit to Finland.

International students staying longer than three months in Finland must obtain a Finnish personal Identity Code. It is needed for e.g. opening a bank account, activating your electronic student card and for university database and statistical purposes. The code consists of your date of birth and five other characters, so it looks something like this: 010195-1234.

• If you need a residence permit you can apply for the code when you apply also for the permit. Even so you need to visit the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV) in order to register as a foreigner in Finland.
• If you don't have the code when you arrive to Turku you need to visit the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV) to get it.
• DVV usually hosts dedicated pop-in service days for students in the beginning of each semester (September and January) where you can register as a foreigner and apply for the code without reserving an appointment. 

When you have the code, remember to scan the residence permit card or decision paper you received from DVV to disco(at)utu.fi. Otherwise your Identity Number won't be in the university database and e.g. electronic student card app will not work.

More detailed instructions are sent to students upon their arrival to Turku.

If you live in Finland, you can be assigned a municipality of residence in Finland on certain conditions. Your municipality of residence and the associated permanent address will also be recorded in the Population Information System. If you do not get a municipality of residence, your address will be entered in the Population Information System as a temporary address. When you have a municipality of residence, you can vote in the municipal elections of your municipality of residence and use the services that municipalities provide only to their residents. Sometimes you also need a municipality of residence to be able to use the services provided by the state authorities or to be granted financial benefits or support. The municipality of residence is always recorded by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

Read more on the DVV's website

All students are recommended to have a valid health insurance during their studies in Turku. Only with proper health insurance can all the costs be covered if you become ill during you stay in Finland.

• Getting a residence permit requires a valid health insurance. Please check the requirements at Finnish Immigration Service's website.
• European health insurance card entitles EU/EEA citizens to the same municipal health care at the same prices as Finnish citizens.
• International office highly recommends that exchange students get a health insurance that covers their stay in Finland.

Student health care (Finnish Student Health Service, FSHS) is available to all attending Bachelor's and Master's Degree students. The compulsory health care fee must be paid directly to Kela once per term (spring term 15 March and autumn term 15 November) either with Finnish online banking credentials or as a bank transfer. Doctoral students are not entitled to use the services of FSHS.

You do not have to pay the healthcare fee if you have social security coverage from another EU/EEA country or from Switzerland or the United Kingdom.

• FSHS offers services of general health, oral health and mental health.
• Services are either free of charge or at low cost.
• FSHS is open on weekdays, during the daytime. 
• The student health care fee does not cover any emergency or hospital treatment or treatment during evenings or weekends when the FSHS health centre is closed.

If an exchange student needs medical care during the exchange the student can use the health care centres in Turku and in Pori. Please notice: Your postal code will tell it to you, which is your health centre. Please check too EU-HealthCare.

EU citizen:

• With the European Health Insurance Card you'll get the same health care as you would get in a health care centre at your home country. Please notice - the card won't cover the medical expencies. A separate insurance is highly recommended.
• For EU-exchange students have to pay 20,60 € for 3 first visits a year in a health care centre. After that it is free of charge.

Non-EU citizen:

• An insurance is obligatory for the non-EU citizen (required by the residence permit).
• For non-EU ex-students the invoice in a health care centre depends on what services they use. Might be around 50 - 150€ of each visit.

Booking the time to a Health Station:

• in Turku
  • Health care in Turku
  • Dental care in Turku
• in Pori

Private clinics:

In Turku:

• Mehiläinen
• Terveystalo
• Aava
• Pihlajalinna

In Pori:

• Mehiläinen
• Terveystalo
• Medipori

During weekends:

If you feel sick during the weekend and cannot wait for Monday you could visit the private clinics (listed above).

If you are feeling really sick and cannot wait please check

• in Turku Joint Emergency Services 
  • TYKS, T-hospital Savitehtaankatu 1

  • Before leaving for the hospital

    Please, always call the help desk, telephone +358 2 313 8800. More information
    https://www.tyks.fi/en/treatments-and-examinations/online-support-emergency-services

    Assess your need for emergency care and how urgent it is.

    Take a list with you on what medication you are currently using.

    Note! Please call the help desk first, especially if you have sudden symptoms of a respiratory infection.  You will get the appropriate advice on how to treat the condition.

    Car parking in the hospital area is subject to a charge.

• in Pori Satakunta Central Hospital

  • Evenings, nights and weekends emergency care is provided by Satakunta Central Hospital 16.00-8.00, tel. +358 2 627 6868. It is advisable to phone before attending, a nurse will assess the need for emergency care and give further instructions.

    Satakunta Central Hospital (Satakunnan keskussairaala) is situated at Sairaalantie 3, 28500 Pori, and the emergency department is located in building K (map).

Please check the previous information concerning the health insurance.

In case of accident at UTU you are not insured by UTU. Please check beforehand from your home university if its insurance will cover you also during your exchange. If not you should have some kind of insurance by yourself. In most cases the health insurance is ok.

Especially the students of Medicine, Dentistry, those doing the lab work at Faculties of Mathematics and Natural Sciences/ Technology/ Medicine or participating the practicals at Faculty of Education please notice this when preparing your exchange.