Diabetes ja pidempiaikainen oleskelu ulkomailla

To facilitate your long-term stay abroad, it is important to contact the Kela International Affairs Centre well in advance of the trip for more detailed information about social security and other practical matters. In addition, it is recommended to discuss e.g. prescriptions and the availability of medical equipment with your care provider.

Within Europe, your doctor is able to write a European prescription valid in the EU countries. However, such a prescription does not guarantee special reimbursement, and the availability of medications may vary from country to country. For example, you may need to change your antihypertensive medicine to a locally available product. Prepare for the possibility that you may have to see a local doctor.

Please note that normal travel insurance usually covers short-term stays. If your stay abroad is longer, check you are covered by insurance.

When an employment relationship starts abroad, the employee will be covered by the health insurance of the country of employment, so you should check the coverage of your insurance in advance. There may be differences in reimbursements for medicines, reimbursements for the costs of health care visits, and free medical supplies. For more information about social security in the host country, contact the Kela International Affairs Centre. You should always contact them before moving abroad, even if the stay lasts only a few months. For more information about Kela's services, see the Related section. Furthermore, we recommended having a discussion advance with your current provider in order to ensure prescriptions and availability of medical equipment.

A Finnish citizen who lives and is insured in Finland, or for whose care Finland is responsible, is entitled to a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) issued by Kela free of charge.

The card holder should receive medically necessary care when travelling or staying temporarily in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain, or Northern Ireland. Such care includes, for example, treatment in the event of an acute illness or accident. Care may also be accessed in the event of necessary treatments related to pregnancy, childbirth or a chronic illness, the treatment of which cannot wait for the patient to return home. Such care will be provided in accordance with the practice of the country of stay and the responsible physician will decide what kind of care you will receive. For more information about the European Health Insurance Card, see the Related section.