Shingles vaccination is not part of the national vaccination programme, but you can request a prescription and book a vaccination appointment at your local health station.
Shingles (herpes zoster) is a painful, blistering rash caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which remains in the body in a dormant state after a chickenpox infection. The shingles vaccine is not publicly funded.
Vaccination is recommended for:
- people over the age of 50
- individuals whose immune system is weakened due to illness or medication
Talk to a doctor or nurse about your vaccination needs. They will help determine whether the vaccination is recommended for you. You are advised to check the price of the vaccine in advance. Go to the pharmacy’s medication search page (in Finnish)(Link leads to external service)
Obtaining a prescription
A prescription is required for the shingles vaccination, and you can request it from your health station. Please note that clients are treated in order of urgency, and shingles vaccination is not considered an urgent procedure. You can request a prescription by sending a Maisa message to your own care team or by phone.
Send a message to your health station's own care team via the Maisa service. Go to Maisa(Link leads to external service)
Log in using strong identification (online banking credentials, mobile certificate, or certificate card). People over the age of 10 can use Maisa with their own credentials.
Please note: In Maisa, you can act on behalf of your child. You can also act on behalf of an adult relative if they have granted you authorisation. Read more about acting on behalf of a child or relative at health stations
Each health station has its own phone number, which you can find on the station’s page.
Phone service hours:
Monday to Thursday, 8.00–16.00
Friday and the day before public holidays, 8.00–15.00
If the lines are busy, you can leave a callback request. We aim to call you back on the same day. If the request is made in the afternoon, the call may take place the following day. If we cannot reach you the first time, we will try again. Callbacks may also take place on weekends between 8.00 and 16.00.
Please note: You can act on behalf of your child over the phone. You can also act on behalf of an adult relative if you have written authorisation to do so. Read more about acting on behalf of a child or relative at health stations
How to book a vaccination appointment
- Check available times either through the Maisa service or by calling your own health station’s phone service. Go to Maisa(Link leads to external service)
- Remember to bring your Kela card or identification document to your vaccination appointment.
- Please purchase the vaccines in advance and bring them with you to the appointment.
Please note that a penalty fee of is charged to people over 18 for missed appointments and appointments that have not been cancelled in time. Read more about how to cancel an appointment
Please note that vaccination appointment times in Maisa are limited.
Visit www.maisa.fi(Link leads to external service) or open the Maisa app.
- Log in using strong identification (online banking credentials, mobile certificate, or certificate card).
- Open the Menu, then select Appointment Booking > Book an Appointment > Health Station Appointment Booking. Please note: You can only book appointments at your own health station.
- Select Vaccination (not COVID-19).
- Choose a suitable time from the available options.
- Press the Confirm appointment button.
- You can view the details of your upcoming appointments on the Events page in Maisa.
Logging into Maisa requires strong identification (bank credentials, mobile certificate, or electronic ID card). Those aged over 10 can use Maisa with their own credentials.
Please note: In Maisa, you can act on behalf of your child. You can also act on behalf of an adult relative if they have authorised you to do so. Read more about acting on behalf of a child or relative at health stations
Each health station has its own phone number, which you can find on the station’s page. Find your own health station
Phone service opening hours:
- Monday to Thursday, 8.00–16.00
- Fridays and the day before public holidays, 8.00–15.00
If the lines are busy, you can leave a callback request. We aim to return calls on the same day between 8.00 and 16.00. If we do not reach you the first time, we will call again. Callbacks may also take place on weekends between 8.00 and 16.00.
Please note: Over the phone, you can act on behalf of your child. You can also act on behalf of an adult close to you if you have written authorisation to do so. Read more about acting on behalf of a child or relative at health stations
