Question about Kela and resident permit

grmmph · Post by **grmmph** » Thu May 31, 2012 12:43 pm

Moi,

Me and my girlfriend are moving to Tampere in July for my studies (4 years).
I am a Swiss citizen so I have automaticly the right of resident in Finland, while my girlfriend is Israeli. My understanding from Polici website, is that she can apply for a residence card because she is a spouse of a Swiss\EU citizen. (We are planing to marry soon as we get to Finalnd)
My question is how long is it take for the police to approve her request. For my understanding she can not work or apply for Kela untill she gets the permit.

The second question is how can we apply for KELA? are we eglible to apply for KELA card because I am an EU/Swiss member? or maybe beacuse Israel and Finalnd has some social security agreement?
If not, what are our options for private health insurence?

Thanks a lot,
Yonathan.

**Sponsor:**

interleukin · Post by **interleukin** » Thu May 31, 2012 12:54 pm

Hi hi,
normally, a student does not get KELA coverage (see http://kela.fi/in/internet/english.nsf/ ... enDocument for some info). It depends, however, on what kind of student you are. If you are eg. a PhD student getting a salary, you will be considered to be working, and get KELA coverage. This makes a lot of difference.

About how long it takes for the police to approve the RP of your girlfriend... that is impossible to say. It seems the average is half a year or even more. There are a BUNCH of threads about this in the forum, do a quick search to see. And during that time, she has no KELA coverage, and no ID number. So she will be considered pretty much a tourist (allowed to stay, but not part of the system).

About insurance: Again, this has been asked before in the forum. Do a quick search and see what pops up. You could also see if there is a foreign students´ office at the Uni that could give some suggestions for insurance companies.

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 4:21 pm

I'd suggest you get married before you come to Finland, but yes, you can get married having the right paperwork from your original countries ( or countries where you have lived in) proving you are not related, married elsewhere etc. of course these papers have to be apostilled and recent... So my suggestion would be to try and avoid at least half of the paperwork trouble... The thing is when you then are in Finland and they want some paper you do not have and need to go get personally, it kind of glitches the hitching up

grmmph · Post by **grmmph** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 7:07 pm

Hi, thanks for replying.
Unfourtently there is no civil marigde system in Israel, so the option of religious maridge is off the table for us.

Anyway I was looking around the forum to find out how much this private health insurence should cost apporx, and didn't found anything.

onkko · Post by **onkko** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 7:22 pm

grmmph wrote:Unfourtently there is no civil marigde system in Israel, so the option of religious maridge is off the table for us.

Why?

grmmph · Post by **grmmph** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 7:50 pm

Hmm.. we both don't belive in religious marridge. I guess it's a principle.

I was looking more around the forum Archives, and it's seems I don't clearly understand all this health insurence issue.
If I'm a valid resident in Tampere, for exapmle, do I get health services (doctors, Dentists ect.) from Tampere Municipality with out a monthly fee, even thou I do not have a KELA card?

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 8:20 pm

Students have their own system, you mandatorily join the student union and that provides YHTS http://www.yths.fi/en
However that covers only you.

Interesting read that of marriage laws in Israel... I was thinking as a Swiss citizen you could get married there, but if you're a non-resident thats also one element of confusion. OK, but then check from the embassy what papers you'd need to get married in Finland - you'd need to get them translated etc.

grmmph · Post by **grmmph** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 9:28 pm

Intersting and annoying thing.

Well, as you said, that's cover only me. Should my girlfriend need to have private health insurence or she get's health care services from the City of Tampere?

Those paper should be translated to Finnish or English?

Thanks again.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 9:48 pm

YTHS can get you to dentist or see a GP easier than through the general system, but if you get hit by a car the ambulance will take you to public hospital. There is only one actual comprehensive health insurance scheme in the country, and KELA is its gate keeper.

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 11:25 pm

I'd recommend getting a health insurance at least covering the initial year, as KELA coverage is based for working age people on working, getting on KELA is a bit interesting for "other categories".

grmmph · Post by **grmmph** » Sun Jun 03, 2012 10:05 am

So there is no health servises throu the city municipality?
And how much this private insurence should cost?

interleukin · Post by **interleukin** » Sun Jun 03, 2012 10:09 am

So there is no health servises throu the city municipality?

Yes there is, but it is for the permanent residents. That means people who are working, not students. Students are a special case because they are residents, but only temporary ones. A student pays no taxes, taxes are the money that is used to supply the health services.

grmmph · Post by **grmmph** » Sun Jun 03, 2012 7:04 pm

Hey,
My girlfriend is not a student and she is intend to work in finland and get a resident permit, but not a permanent resident. Will she eligble to get the health services from the municipality?

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Sun Jun 03, 2012 11:03 pm

EU-people working, would get social security (including health care) coverage for duration they work if the have worked for at least four months or if their contract is for at least that duration. For non-EU people the limit is two years.

To which group they classify non-EU family members of EU people - I am not sure. It isn't really Finnish but EU rule, so maybe you can google the answer.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Sun Jun 03, 2012 11:05 pm

grmmph wrote:So there is no health servises throu the city municipality?

yes there is - for those who can get a KELA card...

And how much this private insurence should cost?

You search, it will not be by a Finnish insurance company (they are not in the business covering non-KELA insured people)

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