Special swimming card

The special swimming card is a seasonal product for independent swimming, intended for Helsinki residents who have a significant functional limitation caused by a permanent long-term illness or disability. The functional limitation can be verified with certificates accepted at any given time. Currently, the following certificates are accepted:

parking card for people with reduced mobility or a disabled parking permit
taxi card (Helsinki Transport Service payment card), issued for a transport service under the Act on Disability Services and Assistance
card for the visually disabled
EU Disability Card.

Price and use of the special swimming card

The swimming card is valid at all swimming halls and outdoor swimming pools of the City of Helsinki, Urheiluhallit Oy, Helsingin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu Secondary School and Lauttasaari Secondary School. The special swimming card is also valid at the gyms at Itäkeskus, Jakomäki and Pirkkola Swimming Halls and the Swimming Stadium. The price of the card is €62 + a loadable personal access control and customer card €4. When purchasing the card, you must present the grounds (one of the accepted certificates) for purchasing the card and your ID. The card is valid for one year from the date of purchase. You can use the card once a day. Misuse of the card will result in the cancellation of the card.

Unused cards cannot be redeemed. You can pause the special swimming card once during its validity period for a reason of your choice, for a minimum period of 14 days. The pause period will be credited to the special swimming card after the end of the pause. Once you return from the pause, please contact palautteet.hel.fi without delay, as a pause will not be granted retroactively if the request is made long after the pause has ended.

More information on pausing a customer card

Purchasing a special swimming card

The following locations sell special swimming cards:

When purchasing a special swimming card, you need to bring your ID and one of the following certificates:

parking card for people with reduced mobility or a disabled parking permit
taxi card (Helsinki Transport Service payment card), issued for a transport service under the Act on Disability Services and Assistance
card for the visually disabled
EU Disability Card.

You are no longer required to send an application or medical report to Sports Services in order to obtain a special swimming card. Sports Services no longer process applications for a special swimming card. Instead, you can purchase a special swimming card directly at the cash desk of a swimming hall that sells special swimming cards by presenting one of the certificates mentioned above. If you would like to obtain a certificate for purchasing a special swimming card, please contact the issuing body directly.

Need for an assistant

A valid special swimming card of the City of Helsinki includes the right to be accompanied by an assistant at the swimming halls and outdoor swimming pools of the City of Helsinki, Urheiluhallit Oy, Helsingin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu Secondary School and Lauttasaari Secondary School. Your need for an assistant is verified at the cash desk of the swimming hall or outdoor swimming pool each time you enter the facilities. The swimming hall’s cash desk will grant the assistant access for a single visit.

If the customer is of school age or older, the assistant must be of the same gender as the cardholder, unless the swimming hall has a unisex changing room available (= same changing room for all genders). If the customer does not need the help of an assistant in the changing and shower rooms, the customer does not have to be of the same gender as the assistant.

The following swimming halls have a unisex changing room:

Itäkeskus Swimming Hall (no sauna)
Pirkkola Swimming Hall (only one customer + assistant at a time)
Töölö Swimming Hall (no sauna)
Mäkelänrinne Swimming Hall (no sauna)
Vuosaari Swimming Hall (must be booked separately).

Information on the accessibility of sports facilities is available on the website: palvelukartta.hel.fi. You can also ask the swimming hall directly for accessibility information.

Contact details:

For more information on the special swimming card:

send email to erityisuimakortti@hel.fi
contact the office secretary by phone: +358 9 310 87509, Mon and Thu 14.00–16.00.