The membership fee

Scouting is one of the most affordable hobbies, and we aim to keep membership fees as low as possible. We want everyone to have the opportunity to participate.

The Scouting membership fee consists of the fees for both The Guides and Scouts of Finland (Suomen Partiolaiset ry) and the local troop. Both fees are charged together in November of the preceding year. In accordance with the regulations of The Guides and Scouts of Finland, membership fees are non-refundable.

You can try out Scouting three times for free before submitting a membership application. Scouting insurance coverage begins once the local troop has approved the membership application. The insurance coverage lapses if the membership fee is not paid by the due date.

For more information about the membership fee and joining, please contact our membership registrar, Lahja Pietilä (lahja.pietila(at)karka.fi). You can also find further information about the membership fee here.

The membership fee of the Guides and Scouts of FInland

In the Helsinki Metropolitan Scouts area, the membership fee for 2026 for members over the age of seven is €66.00. Those who have paid this fee will receive the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Guides and Scouts’ Heppu-magazine at home.

Other members include Scouts aged 4–6 who participate in family scouting together with a guardian or close adult who has paid the membership fee. There is currently no family scouting group operating in our troop.

The membership fee of the scout troop

For Kara-Karhut, the membership fee for 2026 is €40. The fee includes a personal Scout scarf and the necessary badges for the Scout shirt. The total membership fee for 2026 is €106.00.

The membership fee exemption

Exemption from the membership fee may be granted on financial, health-related, or social grounds. The exemption aims to ensure that children and young people from low-income families also have the opportunity to participate in Scouting. Applications for the exemption can be submitted throughout the year, except during July and August. The exemption is granted by The Guides and Scouts of Finland (Suomen Partiolaiset – Finlands Scouter ry).

To apply for an exemption from the membership fee, you need login credentials for the Kuksa membership register (PartioID). Applications for exemption may only be submitted by an adult or the child’s guardian.

Exemption from the membership fee is granted on an annual basis and must be applied for before the fee is paid. The exemption also covers the local troop’s part of the membership fee.

The membership fee should not prevent any child, young person, or adult from pursuing a hobby. Therefore, if the fee causes difficulties, one should feel free to apply for an exemption.

Apply for a membership fee exemption

Other expenses

Each trip and camp has a participation fee to cover associated costs. Typically, a day trip or event costs €5–15, a weekend trip €15–30, and a summer camp €100–300, depending on the camp’s duration and size. Due to their scale, summer camps organized by the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Guides and Scouts and the Guides and Scouts of Finland are more expensive than, for example, local troop camps.

It is also possible to get an exemption from the scout troop’s trip fees. You can apply for this by sending an free-form application to the troop leader no later than one month before the trip.

The Scout insurance

Scout insurance covers everyone who has paid the membership fee as well as those trying out scouting. The scout insurance policy, provided by LähiTapiola, includes coverage for liability, accidents, travel, luggage, and travel liability. You can find more information about the insurance here.

The membership benefits

A Scout is considered eligible for member benefits once they have been added to the Scout register and their membership invoice is not overdue.

Member benefits include:

  • The Scout insurance
  • 10% discount on the hiking and outdoor products of Scandinavian Outdoor
  • 10% discount on the hiking and outdoor products of Partioaitta

Find more information about member benefits in here.

When is the invoicing done?

  • The membership invoicing period changes on August 1st.
  • Membership fees are annual.
  • Membership invoices are primarily issued in November, prior to the new calendar year to which the membership fee applies. This is because the membership fee must be paid and the membership active at the turn of the calendar year.

Please remember to keep your membership details up to date for billing purposes!

New members

  • When a member is added to the register, they receive a membership invoice within one week of being added, provided it falls within the billing period.
  • Memberships starting before August 1st will recive the current/previous year’s membership fee.
  • Those who join after August 1st are invoiced the membership fee for the following year, and the invoice includes the membership fee for the current year (autumn).
  • New member sign-ups are billed between September 1 and June 30.