If you are moving to Finland for non-military service from an EU or EEU country or Switzerland, you are eligible for Finnish social assistance for the duration of the service. If you are moving to Finland for non-military service from outside the EU area, you will be eligible for Finnish social assistance during the service if you intend to stay in Finland permanently after your non-military service.

Social assistance for conscripts is available to you even if you are not eligible for basic Finnish social security. If you need help paying for an apartment before the start of your non-military service, you can apply for basic income support, but you must prove your economic need for it, your own wealth, and income from your country of origin.

If you are coming from abroad for your conscription, you will need a bank id in a Finnish bank to receive any social assistance from Kela.

Kela can also provide housing allowance to conscripts from abroad for their or their relatives permanent residences costs, in which case a separate statement of housing costs will be required.

Kela can also provide housing allowance to conscripts housing costs for residences rented for the duration of their conscription if they have no other residence in Finland. In which case they allowance is similar to the cost of renting a studio apartment in the same municipality, other living costs (water and electricity) Kela will reimburse as with Finnish citizens.

You should start looking for a place to stay early on so that the lease is ready and you can move in at the right time. Applying for conscripts social assistance can be done a month ahead of the start of your conscription, the conscripts social assistance will be paid starting from the day that your conscription begins.

Kela will reimburse the housing costs from a rented apartment during the training period. While in your service position, the reimbursement will come from your place of service if they cannot provide you with an apartment.

Helpful links

Right to use public healt care

Basic social assistance for conscripts   |   Basic social assistance in international situations

Housing assistance for conscripts (scroll down for foreign residents)

Social security coverage in other situations   |   Special assistance