Students from the EU/EEA or Switzerland studying in Norway

Are you from Switzerland or a non-Nordic EU/EEA country and coming to Norway to study? Then, you should check if you are entitled to a European health insurance card before travelling from your home country.

Man sitting at table writing in a book

You will not, in principle, be considered a resident in Norway. ​You should check with the national insurance authorities in your country of residence whether your entitlement to subsidised health care applies abroad.

Use the European Health Insurance card as documentation

If you are entitled to a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from your country of residence, you should bring the card with you. During your study stay, you should use the card as documentation of your entitlement to be covered for necessary health care at treatment centres that are part of the public health care service.

As a student in Norway, you generally have the same health rights associated with the European Health Insurance Card as others who temporarily stay here, such as tourists. Read more on the page “Tourists from the EU/EEA, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom on holiday in Norway”.

Private insurance

You should take out private health insurance. It can, for example, cover the costs of medical transport back to your home country if you fall ill or are not entitled to the European Health Insurance Card.

You who are considered to reside in Norway 

If you are considered to reside in Norway, you are entitled to have your healthcare expenses covered on the same basis as residents here. In that case, you do not need to show the European Health Insurance Card.

If you start working alongside your studies 

You must check with Nav how taking a job while studying in Norway will affect your rights. Read more on nav.no about being a foreign student in Norway.

 

Example

Carlos from Spain is going to study in Norway for one term. He takes his European Health Insurance Card from Spain with him and has also chosen to take out a private insurance. Skiing in Hemsedal, Carlos is knocked over on the ski slope. He falls badly and is sent to hospital. He shows his European Health Insurance Card and receives treatment at the hospital free of charge. It turns out that Carlos has broken his pelvis, so he wants to return to Spain as quickly as possible. Fortunately, his private health insurance will cover the cost of the transport.

Content provided by Helfo

Helfo. Students from the EU/EEA or Switzerland studying in Norway. [Internet]. Oslo: The Norwegian Directorate of Health; updated Tuesday, March 25, 2025 [retrieved Saturday, March 29, 2025]. Available from: https://www.helsenorge.no/en/foreigners-in-norway/students-from-the-eu-eea-or-switzerland/

Last updated Tuesday, March 25, 2025