Guide: information for older people who want to move to Finland
On this page you will find information about your rights to social security and various services if you move to Finland. The page contains information on the different forms of housing support, as well as information on the right to healthcare services and reimbursement for medicine expenses. The site also provides information on the taxation of pensions and entitlement to pension reductions, as well as guidance on wills, inheritance and survivor’s pensions.
If you move to Finland from another Nordic country, you are entitled to the services mentioned on this page if you are registered as a permanent resident in Finland, i.e. your municipality of residence is in Finland.
Are you entitled to move to Finland?
If you are a citizen of a Nordic country, you are free to move to Finland and do not need a residence permit. If you are a citizen of another country, different rules apply. Find out more on the page Population registration in Finland.
If you need long-term care and want to move to Finland from another Nordic country, the authorities responsible under Article 9 of the Nordic Convention on Social Assistance and Social Services must help you move. It is the responsibility of the local authorities to ensure that your move can go ahead if
- you move of your own free will,
- you have particular ties with the country you are moving to, and
- it is estimated that your living situation will improve in your new country.
If you yourself believe that the move will improve your life, this in itself is a strong reason for the move to go ahead. Contact your municipality of residence for help with your move. If necessary, mention Article 9 of the Nordic Convention on Social Assistance and Social Services. Contact information for Finnish municipalities can be found on the website of the Association of Finnish Municipalities. Read more about Article 9 of the Nordic Convention on Social Assistance and Social Services on the Finlex website.
There are also other practical things you need to consider when moving, such as customs rules, banking and insurance. For more information on moving to Finland, see the page Guide: moving to Finland.
Housing and housing allowance in Finland
Below you will find information on finding a home, housing allowance, home care, informal care, housing services and institutional care in Finland.
For information on types of housing and finding a home in Finland, see the page Housing in Finland.
If you receive a pension or allowance entitling you to housing allowance for pensioners and you live permanently in Finland, you can get housing allowance for pensioners.
Housing allowance for pensioners is affected by factors such as housing costs, family situation, income and assets. The allowance is only granted for housing costs for a dwelling in Finland.
You can find information on housing allowance for pensioners and other housing benefits in Finland on the page Housing benefits in Finland.
Coping at home is supported in the form of home care services, i.e. home help and home nursing. Often, home care and other support in the home consists of services provided by public and private bodies and organisations.
Services include:
- Home services (help with everyday tasks)
- Home medical care (medical care and rehabilitation prescribed at home on a doctor's referral)
- Support services (e.g. catering, cleaning, shopping, safety and transport services)
Quality home care is based on an assessment of the client's functional capacity and a client plan based on that assessment. Read more about the Social Welfare Act on the Finlex website and about home care on the website of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
There is a charge for these services, but you may be entitled to a care allowance for pensioners or other benefits from Kela. Read more on Kela's website and Suomi.fi.
Informal care means organising care and assistance in the home, with a relative or another person close to the person being cared for acting as carer. Support for informal care is a package consisting of caregiver compensation, necessary services for the person being cared for and support for the carer.
Persons whose municipality of residence is in one of Finland's wellbeing services counties are entitled to services that form part of support for informal care. Compensation for family caregivers can be paid to the carer of the person in question, even if they work in another Nordic country.
Support for informal care is claimed from the health and social services centre in the wellbeing services county, where a home visit is made to assess the need for the allowance. Read more about informal care on the websites of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and Carers Finland.
Housing services are for people who, for various reasons, need support and services to organise their housing. The services include supported housing, communal housing, 24-hour housing and support for home modifications.
The fees for long-term housing services provided by the wellbeing services counties are income-related. Rent is also paid for housing.
You can find more information on housing services on the website of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
The wellbeing services county may provide social services to a person in need of treatment, care or rehabilitation in an institutional setting if it is not possible or appropriate to provide the services in the person's own home. Read more about institutional social care services on the website of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
Right to social security and healthcare services in Finland
Below you can find information on social security, pensions, your right to use health services in Finland and moving to Finland with assistive devices and medicines.
Which country’s social security system are you covered by?
If you live in Finland and receive an old-age pension or disability pension exclusively from another Nordic country, you are covered by Finnish social security. If you live in more than one country, you are covered by the social security system of the country with which you are considered to have closer ties.
On the page Which country’s social security system are you covered by?, you can find information on social security rules. You can read more about Finnish social security benefits on the page Finnish social security if you live or work in Finland.
Discounts and pensioners’ passes
Can you take your pension with you to Finland?
The rules of the country paying your pension determine whether your pension can be paid to Finland. Find out more about the different Nordic old-age pensions by clicking on the links below.
Are you entitled to use healthcare services in Finland?
Everyone living in Finland has the right to the healthcare services they need. Read more on the page Right to healthcare services in Finland.
Can you get reimbursed for medicine expenses in Finland?
You can read about medicines, buying medicines with a foreign prescription and your right to reimbursement in Finland on the page Medicines and reimbursement for medicine expenses in Finland.
Are you planning to travel or move to Finland with your medicines?
Between EU and EEA countries you can export and import prescription and OTC medicines for your own personal use up to a maximum of one year's use. However, you may have to prove that the medicine was prescribed for your personal use.
You can read more about taking medicines out of and into Finland on the page Medicines and reimbursement for medicine expenses in Finland.
Can you move to Finland with assistive devices?
Before moving, check the rules on moving abroad with assistive devices in your country of departure. On the pages listed below you can find information on moving with assistive devices in different Nordic countries. For information on moving to Finland with assistive devices, see the page for Finland.
How is your pension taxed?
If you live in Finland and receive a pension from another Nordic country, you must declare your pension income in both countries. You pay tax to the country that pays the pension. You will also pay tax on your pension in your country of residence, but the amount you have already paid to the country paying the pension will be deducted. Read more on the Nordisk eTax website.
Bereavement and inheritance in Finland
Below you will find guidance on wills and inheritance and survivor’s pensions in Finland.
What are the rules on wills and inheritance in Finland?
You can read about notifying a death in Finland and transferring details of a death to another Nordic country, as well as about inheritance, estate inventory and inheritance tax when a family member dies in Finland on the page Death of a family member in Finland.
Are you entitled to a survivor's pension in Finland if your relative dies?
You can read about Finnish survivor’s pensions, i.e. surviving spouse’s pension and orphan’s pension, for those who have lost a family member on the page Benefits in Finland in the event of bereavement.
Discounts and pensioner cards
There are various discounts for pensioners, for example on train and bus travel, and on sports and cultural services. The discount is granted on presentation of an identity document or pension card. Read more on the Suomi.fi website.
Where can you get help?
You can read about services and benefits for older people on the website of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
More information
Please fill in our contact form if you have any questions or if you have encountered an obstacle in another Nordic country.
NB! If you have questions regarding the processing of a specific case or application, or other personal matters, please contact the relevant authority directly.
