People permanently domiciled in Finland can reside abroad for up to a year and still come within the scope of the Finnish social security system. They may also reside abroad for over a year and come within the Finnish system if they have a Finnish employer, are studying or working as a researcher, are in receipt of a grant, work for a Finnish diplomatic mission or are involved in development work
People who leave Finland permanently no longer belong to the Finnish social security system but to that of the country to which they have moved.
People who come to Finland to live permanently are covered by the residence-based social security system as soon as they have moved to the country. They are considered to be residents when they have a home in Finland and reside in the country for the majority of the time. In addition, they require a permit entitling residence for at least a year, if a permit is demanded in line with legislation concerning foreign nationals.
Social security agreements
EU legislation regulates the coordination of social security concerning the movement of people within the EU/ETA area.
Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 of the
European Parliament and of the Council on the coordination of
social security systems
Regulation (EC) No 987/2009 of the
European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No
883/2004 on the coordination of social security
systems
Finland has bilateral social security agreements with Austria, Canada & Quebec, Chile, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Latvia, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland, the US, and the UK.
There is a Nordic Social Security Agreement between the Nordic countries, which supplements EU legislation.
Finland has bilateral health care agreements with Australia and Hungary.
For more information:
Moving to or from Finland (Kela)
Work abroad (Työeläke.fi)
Foreigner working in Finland
(Työeläke.fi)
