In Finland, maternity and child health clinics support parents throughout pregnancy and care for children up until school age. Clinic services are free of charge if you have a municipality of residence in Finland. You should contact your local clinic as soon as you find out you are pregnant to arrange your first check-up.
What a neuvola is — maternity clinics, child health clinics and family centres
Finland has good health services for pregnant women and young children. The health of mothers and babies is cared for at maternity and child health clinics. When you realise you are pregnant, contact the maternity clinic (äitiysneuvola) or family centre (perhekeskus) in your area.
Child health clinics (lastenneuvola) usually look after the health of children under school age, and a child usually starts school in the year they turn 7. These clinics monitor and support the physical, mental and social growth and development of young children, who regularly visit a doctor or a nurse there.
In Helsinki, the City of Helsinki has some 20 maternity and child health clinics, all of which provide both services, and you can choose another clinic than the one in your residential area. The City of Helsinki states that its clinic staff are public health nurses and doctors. It also states that using its maternity and child health clinics is voluntary and the services are free of charge.
Who can use a neuvola and what it costs
You can use the services of a maternity clinic or family centre if you have a municipality of residence in Finland, and the services of the maternity clinic are free of charge. Public child health clinic services are also free of charge, and with a municipality of residence in Finland you can use the child health clinic in your own area.
Asylum seekers can also use the services of a maternity clinic. You can use a maternity clinic even if you are in Finland without a residence permit, but then you will usually have to pay the costs yourself. Children sometimes have the right to public health services even without a municipality of residence; for example, asylum seekers under 18 are entitled to them.
Public health care in Finland is organised by the wellbeing services counties (hyvinvointialue). Information on local health services is on the website of your wellbeing services county, and our overview covers healthcare in Finland more broadly. There are also private maternity clinics in Finland, and private health care services are subject to a charge.
Booking your first maternity clinic appointment
Book an appointment at the maternity clinic when you realise that you are pregnant. Pregnancy tests are sold at pharmacies and large grocery shops.
In Helsinki, for example, the first appointment is arranged according to specific local practices:
- The first maternity clinic appointment is once the pregnancy has reached weeks 8–10, and you can make the appointment immediately after a positive pregnancy test.
- You book the first appointment in the Maisa service, which suggests appointment times from the start date of your last period, and you fill in the clinic's preliminary information form in Maisa first.
- If you have an underlying medical condition, are not sure of your pregnancy weeks or need an interpreter, you book the first appointment through the clinics' telephone service, Monday to Friday 8.00–14.00, on +358 93 105 5530.
- The first appointment can be a video appointment or a clinic visit, with the same discussion themes.
- At this first appointment, you discuss your health, medical history and pregnancy with the nurse and get a referral for early pregnancy laboratory tests, two ultrasound examinations and a screening for foetal chromosomal abnormalities, which are voluntary.
If you need an interpreter, the maternity clinic nurse can invite one to your appointments; the interpreter must be an adult. The City of Helsinki states that you are entitled to an interpreter at maternity clinic appointments if your native language is not Finnish or Swedish. Both parents of the baby are welcome at the clinic, and you can also invite a support person to your appointments.
Check-ups during pregnancy and preparing for the birth
A Government Decree on maternity and child health clinic services and school and student health care (93/2026) came into force on 1 February 2026 and repealed the previous decree from 2011 (338/2011). Under the decree:
- A pregnant woman has one extensive health check, to which her partner or the future child's guardian is invited with her consent; it includes an assessment of the whole family's wellbeing where needed.
- The other check-ups during pregnancy and after the birth are those assessed as necessary for the health and safety of the family, the foetus and the mother; the decree sets no fixed number.
- A woman expecting her first child and her partner or the future child's guardian get at least one oral health assessment by an oral health professional.
- A woman expecting her first child and her partner or the future child's guardian are offered childbirth and family coaching run by several professions, including peer group activities.
In Helsinki, for example, the City says you will have approximately 12 appointments with a nurse or doctor during your pregnancy. In Helsinki, family coaching prepares you for childbirth, parenthood and childcare and is intended for first-time mothers and parents expecting their first child.
In Finland you cannot get enough vitamin D from food and sunlight in winter, so you should take vitamin D supplements when you are pregnant; the clinic can advise. Women in Finland usually give birth in a hospital. Ask the maternity clinic which hospital you need to go to; with a municipality of residence, childbirth will not cost much. If you are afraid of childbirth, mention it at the maternity clinic; help can be given, for example, at a fear of childbirth outpatient clinic (synnytyspelkopoliklinikka).
The pregnancy certificate, Kela's maternity grant and telling your employer
You get a pregnancy certificate from the maternity clinic when your pregnancy has lasted at least 154 days, which is about five months. You need the pregnancy certificate if you apply for pregnancy leave from your employer, and for Kela benefits including the maternity grant and pregnancy allowance.
For Kela's maternity grant, you need a certificate of pregnancy from a doctor or a maternity clinic showing a medical examination before the end of the 4th month of pregnancy and that the pregnancy has lasted 154 days. Apply for the maternity grant no later than two months before the expected date of birth.
You can choose between a maternity package of baby clothes, care products and materials or a cash benefit. For a due date on 1 April 2026 or later, the cash benefit is EUR 210. If you choose the package and the due date is on 1 April 2026 or later, Kela adds EUR 40 to make up the difference, until the new edition of the package becomes available. The maternity grant is free from tax. You can get the maternity grant if you are permanently resident in Finland or work here, but you cannot get it if you came to Finland to study.
If you have a job, give your employer written notification at least two months before your pregnancy leave begins.
Child health clinic check-ups from birth to school age
Under Government Decree 93/2026, the schedule of check-ups runs from shortly after birth until your child reaches primary school age:
- Home visits: After a first child is born, the family gets a home visit that includes a health check within 1–14 days of the birth, or within 1–7 days in urgent situations. For a second or later child, the same health check is done either at home or at the clinic.
- Nurse appointments: A public health nurse checks the child at 2 months, 3 months, 5 months and 6 months, and at 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 years.
- Doctor and nurse appointments: A doctor together with the nurse checks the child at 4–6 weeks and at 8 months.
- Extensive health checks: An extensive health check by a doctor and a nurse is done at 4 months, 18 months and 4 years. The child's guardians are invited to these checks, which include an assessment of the whole family's wellbeing where needed, and may include the early childhood education staff's assessment of the child.
- Oral health: The nurse assesses a 6-month-old's oral health, and an oral health professional checks the child's teeth at 1, 3 and 5 years.
The clinic nurse monitors the child's development, vaccinates them, gives information about healthy nutrition, and visits the child's home soon after birth. Children are given a personal child health clinic card, which the nurse fills in with their health information and vaccinations; take it to every visit, and it can also be electronic.
When you move to Finland or to another municipality, contact the child health clinic of your new municipality of residence so your child is invited on time.
Vaccinations and vitamin D
In Finland all children and young people can receive free vaccinations against more than ten diseases, for example polio, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, measles and mumps. Children are vaccinated at the child health clinic or at school. Vaccinations are voluntary, and the majority of children in Finland get the vaccinations in the programmes.
Tell the nurse which vaccinations your child had before coming to Finland. If you have not had all the vaccinations in the Finnish programme, you can get them free of charge if you move to live permanently in Finland; minors and pregnant people who have applied for asylum or temporary protection can also get them free.
Give children aged 17 or younger daily vitamin D supplements all year round, as drops or tablets, and ask the maternity and child health clinic for the right dose.
When your child is ill, and the family planning clinic
The City of Helsinki asks families to visit the maternity and child health clinic only in good health; an ill child is treated at the local health station. If a child is ill and needs a doctor or a nurse, contact your local health and social services centre (sosiaali- ja terveyskeskus), usually open Monday to Friday 8 am to 4 pm, or a private clinic; in the evenings and at weekends urgent cases go to the emergency clinic (päivystys).
If you suspect a child has swallowed poison, the Poison Information Centre answers 24 hours a day on 0800 147 111. If a child's life is in danger or they have an accident, call the emergency number 112.
Services for sexual health and contraception are at a health and social services centre or a family-planning clinic (ehkäisyneuvola), which may also be called perhesuunnitteluneuvonta. In some areas, contraceptives are free for young people.
