Before you start

A municipality of residence (kotikunta) decision from DVV
Kela coverage, applied for separately
Bank credentials or a mobile certificate, for the health services portal
European Health Insurance Card or private cover for the gap before registration

Step-by-step

1
Get the kotikunta decision, not just the identity code
Entitlement to Helsinki's public health services follows from having a municipality of residence. An identity code alone does not give it. Request the kotikunta explicitly when registering with DVV, and check which decision you received.
In personWho: YouFirst weeks
2
Apply to Kela separately
Kela coverage is a separate application and a separate assessment from the DVV registration. It determines reimbursement of prescription medicines, part of private doctor and dental costs, sickness allowance and parental benefits. The Kela card follows approval.
OnlineWho: You
3
Find your health station
The City of Helsinki assigns health stations by area, and this is your entry point for non-urgent care and referrals. Because Helsinki runs its own services, instructions written for a wellbeing services county elsewhere in Finland will not match what you see.
OnlineWho: You
4
Use 116 117 before an emergency department
The national medical helpline is open around the clock everywhere in mainland Finland and will tell you whether you need to be seen, where and when. Emergency departments here expect you to have called. 112 remains the number for anything life-threatening.
OnlineWho: You
5
Use occupational health, which is often better than the public route
Finnish employers are legally required to arrange occupational healthcare, and many go well beyond the minimum by contracting general medical care with a private provider. For an employed newcomer this is frequently the fastest way to see a doctor, and it is separate from and additional to the public system.
Via employerWho: Your employer
6
Understand what dental care costs
Public dental care is available through the city at subsidised fees but with waits. Private dental care is reimbursed in part by Kela once you are covered. Neither is free for adults, and this is the main gap in an otherwise comprehensive system.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Kotikunta confirmation from DVV
Kela card
Personal identity code
Vaccination records and current prescriptions
EHIC or private cover for the pre-registration gap

Things most newcomers don’t know

Helsinki kept its own health services when the rest of Finland handed them to regional counties.

The 2023 reform transferred social and health care from municipalities to twenty-one wellbeing services counties — with Helsinki as the single exception, retaining responsibility itself. The practical effect is that service names, health station allocation and referral routes in Helsinki are the city's own, and advice from a friend in Tampere or Turku about how to reach a service is describing a different organisation. Look for City of Helsinki instructions specifically.

Source: City of Helsinki

Occupational healthcare is the fastest route to a doctor and newcomers underuse it badly.

Every Finnish employer must arrange occupational health services, and a large proportion contract general medical care as well as the statutory minimum. That typically means same-week or same-day appointments with a private provider at no cost to you, while the public health station has a wait. People arriving from countries with no equivalent do not think to ask what their employer's occupational health contract covers, and it is often the single most valuable non-salary benefit they have.

Source: Kela / Työterveyslaitos

Kela coverage and a municipality of residence are different things and you can have one without the other.

DVV decides your municipality of residence, which gives access to the city's public health services. Kela decides social insurance coverage, which reimburses prescriptions, private care and benefits. They are separate applications with separate criteria, and a short-term worker can end up with an identity code, no kotikunta and no Kela cover while being fully employed and taxed. Check both, in writing, rather than assuming one implies the other.

Source: Kela / DVV

116 117 is national and works in Helsinki, but 112 is what an actual emergency needs.

The medical helpline is open around the clock across mainland Finland and is answered by healthcare professionals who assess whether you need to be seen and direct you to the right place. It exists specifically to keep non-emergencies out of emergency departments, and calling first genuinely changes how quickly you are dealt with. For chest pain, breathing difficulty, unconsciousness or symptoms of stroke, call 112 and do not spend time on the helpline.

Source: Emergency Response Centre Agency / 116117.fi

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming an identity code gives healthcare entitlement — it is the kotikunta that does.
Not applying to Kela, which is a separate process from the DVV registration.
Following healthcare instructions written for a wellbeing services county rather than for Helsinki.
Ignoring the employer's occupational healthcare and queueing at a public health station instead.
Assuming adult dental care is free, which it is not in either the public or the private route.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.