Moving to Finland with girlfriend.

[laeth]

Howdy

So I've been offered the job! . However; I need to check some things before I progress any further. I'm going to try and find the local police station tomorrow and ask about residency; but quickly - does anyone know if my girlfriend would be covered for local health care? Could she use the doctors and get prescriptions like anyone else?

Thanks in advance.

Anyone?

I'm assuming that her having a EU Health card will be sufficient (based on what I've read).

Also, can anyone confirm what I asked earlier? If she registers her right of residence based on means of support (either with money in her account of via me) - can we change that registration to be based on family ties once we've been cohabiting for 2 years (1 year in the UK and 1 year in Finland) and then receive benefits from the social security system in Finland?

Thanks in advance!

[Pursuivant]

The EHIC card works only for 3 months. And UK is very keen to cut you off once you go tellin' them things.

As for your other dilemma - GET MARRIED - no issue about being "family", off to the registry office, chop chop...

[laeth]

The EHIC card works only for 3 months. And UK is very keen to cut you off once you go tellin' them things.

As for your other dilemma - GET MARRIED - no issue about being "family", off to the registry office, chop chop...

Damn, ok - well that's no good.

We don't want to get married :p. So you don't think they would allow her social benefits after we've lived together for a year in Finland?

[Adrian42]

We don't want to get married :p.

Why not? Considering:

She doesn't speak finish or have any qualifications so I imagine shed stay at home, draw - look after the cats etc.

Realistically, when following you she will be your housewife without any realistic chance of getting any job during the next 2-3 years - and after that it will also be an uphill battle for her with still no qualifications and a not-perfect Finnish plus several years of unemployment in her CV. And she will also be far away from all her friends.

If she is willing to sacrifice that much just for being with you, what is the point in not marrying?

Best for her CV might even be if you two would get kids ASAP, so that she can spend the first years in Finland learning Finnish and spending the first years with the kids (since she will anyway not have a job)...

[laeth]

Adrian42, appreciate all your help - but we don't really want to get married (not something we're interested in) and we definitely don't want to have kids for the sake of a CV.

Anyway, do you think it would be possible to get a temporary residence card through established personal relationship:

http://www.migri.fi/moving_to_finland_t ... lationship

and then a permanent one through cohabitation when we meet the two years? I understand that because we are EU nationals the migri website may not be correct, but it doesn't mention anything about EU/Non-EU there?

[Adrian42]

Anyway, do you think it would be possible to get a temporary residence card through established personal relationship:

http://www.migri.fi/moving_to_finland_t ... lationship

Migri talks about Residence Permits, not Residence Cards - the two are completely unrelated.

[Pursuivant]

OK, its a free world, you don't want and don't want - so you don't want KELA benefits either. Otherwise, if your want of KELA benefits is greater than your unwant, you give the KELA people what they want. Simples?

[laeth]

OK, its a free world, you don't want and don't want - so you don't want KELA benefits either. Otherwise, if your want of KELA benefits is greater than your unwant, you give the KELA people what they want. Simples?

I'd prefer to not get married and use family ties via 2 years of cohabitation after being in Finland for 9 months. No one has really answered to say if that would be possible yet - can you see any reasons why they wouldn't allow that?

[laeth]

OK, its a free world, you don't want and don't want - so you don't want KELA benefits either. Otherwise, if your want of KELA benefits is greater than your unwant, you give the KELA people what they want. Simples?

I'd prefer to not get married and use family ties via 2 years of cohabitation after being in Finland for 9 months. No one has really answered to say if that would be possible yet - can you see any reasons why they wouldn't allow that?

So we're going to go out there and hope she can register her right to reside based on the following:

- Route 1: Family ties to me, through 1 years of cohabitation and proof of an established relationship (photos, statements from friends etc.)
- Route 2: My work and income being a means of support.
- Route 3: Her having 10,000 Euros in her bank account.

Hopefully that should be enough for her to register; obviously some will come with more benefits than others.

If none of those work; then we'll have to take a trip to Sweden every 3 months for a year and then re-apply once we've lived together for two years. She is covered by the EU Insurance Card for 3 months and then we can apply to the UK government and they will provide health cover for up to 2 years.

Everything seem ok to you?

Thanks in advance,

[Pursuivant]

What does the trip to Sweden matter? Its not a "foreign country", its in Schengen, in the EU and in the Nordic area, theres no border controls.

[interleukin]

Everything seem ok to you?

Well it's not like you'd listen to the advice anyone is giving in this thread anyway. Why keep asking people if this and this is going to work out?

[sinikala]

OK, its a free world, you don't want and don't want - so you don't want KELA benefits either. Otherwise, if your want of KELA benefits is greater than your unwant, you give the KELA people what they want. Simples?

I'd prefer to not get married and use family ties via 2 years of cohabitation after being in Finland for 9 months. No one has really answered to say if that would be possible yet - can you see any reasons why they wouldn't allow that?

So we're going to go out there and hope she can register her right to reside based on the following

<snip>

She is covered by the EU Insurance Card for 3 months and then we can apply to the UK government and they will provide health cover for up to 2 years.

She´s not registering a "right to reside" - she´s registering her "residence" = "Cooey, it´s me, I´m here".

Residence alone will not entitle her to Kela coverage, but it will be a move abroad. And my reading is that as the EHIC is residence based, she will no longer be covered by the NHS.

see http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcare ... -ehic.aspx

The NHS is a residence-based healthcare system. Therefore, once you have moved permanently away from the UK you are no longer entitled to medical treatment under normal NHS rules.

However, if you're receiving a UK state pension or long-term incapacity benefit, you may be entitled to healthcare paid for by the UK. You will need to apply for form S1 (or an E121 if you are moving to Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland), which you need to present to the health authorities in your new country of residence. You will then be treated on the same basis as a resident of that country.
To apply for your S1 or E121 contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or The Pension Service.

You cannot apply online for your UK-issued European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) if you live abroad. You must apply by post using form EHICE, which should be sent to you automatically with your S1 or E121. If you haven’t received an EHICE application, please contact the relevant organization.

•UK state pensioners contact The Pension Service on 00 44 191 218 7777
•UK long-term incapacity benefit recipients contact the DWP on 00 44 191 218 1999
Read more information about moving abroad.

and see http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcare ... broad.aspx

Living abroad: entitlement to healthcare paid by the UK

The NHS is a residence-based healthcare system. Therefore, once you have moved permanently away from the UK you are no longer entitled to medical treatment under normal NHS rules.

You must notify your former GP so that you and your family can be removed from the NHS register.

You will also no longer be entitled to use your UK-issued European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to access healthcare abroad.

... you can´t have your cake and eat it.

[laeth]

Everything seem ok to you?

Well it's not like you'd listen to the advice anyone is giving in this thread anyway. Why keep asking people if this and this is going to work out?

Er, excuse me? I have been listening to what people have been saying and I've been very much appreciative so I don't know where this has come from? Actually - everything I put in that post was based on what everyone else has told me.

@sinikala I've already looked in this and I think it's fine; I called the NHS up today:

If you move to an EEA country to live but not work and don't receive a UK benefit, you may be eligible for up to two-and-a-half years of state healthcare, paid for by the UK.
You will need to apply for form S1 (or form E106 if you are moving to Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland) with the Overseas Healthcare Team (Newcastle). You also need to prove that you have worked in the UK and paid National Insurance contributions up to three years before your departure.
For further advice, contact the Overseas Healthcare Team (Newcastle):
Overseas Healthcare Team
Room MO601, Durham House
Washington
Tyne & Wear
NE38 7SF
Phone 0191 218 1999 (Monday to Friday 8am-5pm).
The S1 (or E106) will entitle you to treatment on the same basis as a resident of the country you are moving to. This may mean that you have to make a patient contribution toward the cost of your care.
When the cover on the S1 (or E106) expires, you cannot get any further medical cover from the UK until you receive a UK state pension. It is up to the country’s authorities to decided whether you are eligible to join their healthcare scheme.
You will also be entitled to a UK-issued EHIC, allowing you to visit other EEA countries besides the one you are a resident with.

From here: http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcare ... broad.aspx

Pretty sure it is "registering her right to reside" as well... they use the term "Registering a right of residence" on the website, which means the same thing.

[laeth]

What does the trip to Sweden matter? Its not a "foreign country", its in Schengen, in the EU and in the Nordic area, theres no border controls.

People have mentioned you just need to leave the country after three months and then re-enter again in order be able to stay for an additional three months. Estonia would probably be closer, but whatever - you get my point .

[laeth]

So I called up the immigration Police in Helsinki and asked them about my girlfriend registering her residence in Finland; they basically said that it should be fine (they listed what I needed to bring and didn't mention anything about proof of cohabitation) and when I asked if I needed proof of Cohabitation, they said it helps but it's not essential.

I'll see what happens when we go over and update the thread .

Thanks for everyone's help so far, much appreciated.