Persons without a valid residence permit no longer qualify for residence-based Kela benefits as of 1 April 2026

Edited on 2/4/2026: information added about what residence-based benefits are.

The Aliens Act has been amended to provide more specific definitions of what constitutes legal and illegal residence in Finland. As of 1 April 2026, citizens of countries that are not an EU or EEA country or Switzerland who live or work in Finland will only be able to get residence-based benefits from Kela if they are residing in Finland legally and have a valid residence permit. In other words, persons who reside in Finland illegally do not qualify for residence-based benefits.

Residence-based benefits mean Kela benefits that Kela can pay to a person who lives permanently in Finland if they also meet the other criteria for the specific benefit. Examples of residence-based benefits include general housing allowance, reimbursements for medicine costs, national pension and child benefit.

As of 1 April 2026, you cannot qualify for residence-based benefits if

• your application for a residence permit is denied
• your residence permit expires and you failed to apply for an extended permit
• your residence permit is revoked.

The right to residence-based Kela benefits ends when the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) issues a negative decision on your residence permit even if you then go on to appeal the decision. Before this amendment was made to the Aliens Act, Kela could continue to pay benefits during the appeals process up until Migri’s decision became final and legally binding.

Even after the amendment, you may still be able to get Kela-paid benefits while Migri processes your application for an extended permit if you submitted your application before your previous permit expired. In that case, you will qualify for benefits up until Migri issues a decision on your extended permit.

Transition period for negative decisions issued before 1 April 2026

You may continue to qualify for residence-based Kela benefits after 1 April 2026 if Migri issued a negative decision on your residence permit or application for asylum before 1 April 2026 and the appeals process is still ongoing.

If Migri issued its negative decision on or after 1 April 2026, you do not qualify for residence-based Kela benefits during the appeals process.

Continued right to emergency support to secure a minimum standard of living

Even if you get a negative decision on your residence permit, you still have the right to emergency support to secure a minimum standard of living if your situation is urgent. In practice, this means that you can get a voucher from Kela for necessities such as food and necessary prescription medicines.