Do you need healthcare?
Where to get help
In the event of an accident, serious illness or other serious incident, call the medical emergency number 113.
Many people are concerned about being a nuisance, but it is better to call once too often than once too little.
Contact the out-of-hours medical service (legevakt) when your GP is unavailable and you are cannot wait. The out-of-hours medical service is open 24 hours a day.
If you need help during the daytime, you should contact your GP first.
The telephone number for the out-of-hours medical services across Norway is (+47) 116 117. If you call this number, you will be forwarded to the out-of-hours medical service nearest to where you are.
Your general practitioner/GP (fastlege) will normally be the first person you contact in the event of health problems.
Everyone who is registered in the Norwegian national population register as being resident in a Norwegian municipality is entitled to a GP. With certain exceptions, people with a D-number are not entitled to a GP.
Your children are entitled to have the same GP as you until they reach the age of 16.
You must pay your GP a user fee (egenandel). The amount varies depending on what your GP actually does, but it is often between NOK 150 and 375.
If you wish to find a GP or change the one you have today, you can do this using change your GP service here on Helsenorge.
What can your GP help you with?
You can go to your GP for most physical and mental ailments. Your GP will assess your situation and help you with the problem if necessary. Your GP can, for example, perform simple examinations, prescribe medication and issue a sick leave note (sykemelding) if you are too ill to go to work.
If necessary, your GP will refer you to a specialist. An example of a specialist is a psychologist or a hospital for examinations or treatment.
Many GPs offer services on Helsenorge. Log in to find the contact details of your GP and check which online services your GP offers via Helsenorge.
Everyone who works in the health service in Norway is subject to a duty of confidentiality. This means that information can only be shared between those who are responsible for treating you.
Therefore, you do not need to be afraid to tell healthcare professionals anything. The more information they have about you, the more they will be able to help you.
However, healthcare professionals have the right to breach their duty of confidentiality in situations where life and health may be at risk.
You have a right to be given information about your health, illness and treatment in a language you understand. If you find it difficult to understand and speak Norwegian, you are entitled to an interpreter in your preferred language.
Are you going to a hospital or to see a specialist?
Treatment in a hospital or by a specialist
If you need to undergo an examination or receive treatment that your GP is unable to provide, you will need a referral. A referral is a type of confirmation from your GP that you need to be examined more closely at a hospital or by a specialist.
In addition, psychologists, dentists, optometrists, manual therapists and chiropractors can refer patients for assessment and treatment by specialists in their field. Midwives can refer patients for laboratory tests.
The hospital or specialist receiving the referral must decide within 10 days whether you are entitled to an examination or treatment. You do not need a referral in an emergency.
If you have been told you are entitled to treatment, you must wait until you are called in for an appointment. It can take from a few days to several months before any further examinations or treatment can take place.
If it has been decided that you are entitled to healthcare within the specialist health service (spesialisthelsetjenesten), you have the right to choose where you want the healthcare to be provided.
You can choose between both public and private sector treatment centres that have an agreement with the public sector.
You can also choose different treatment centres for different aspects of your treatment. For example, you can have an assessment carried out by one treatment centre, surgery somewhere else, and rehabilitation in a third location.
Talk to your GP or call Guidance Helsenorge (Veiledning Helsenorge) on telephone 23 32 70 00 if you would like guidance or advice on choosing a treatment centre.
Switching treatment centre
You can switch treatment centres while you are on a waiting list. In such cases, you should contact the centre you are on the waiting list for and ask them to forward the referral to your alternative preferred treatment centre.
You have the right to decide what kind of treatment you receive. This is known as ‘shared decision-making’ (samvalg) and is done together with healthcare professionals.
In the case of shared decision-making, you will be given information about the advantages and disadvantages of different options for your treatment and assessment. You can evaluate these against each other based on what is most important to you. Your healthcare professional will support you in this process.
You can also choose to leave the decision to healthcare professionals or next of kin.
Paying for healthcare
How much does healthcare cost?
As an adult, you have to pay a fee (egenandel) when you receive healthcare from the public health services.
Many therapists, including physiotherapists and psychologists, have agreements with the public sector. This means that you pay a user fee, while the rest of the amount is covered by the public sector. Ask your treatment provider in advance about payment and costs.
You do not have to pay anything in order to be admitted to hospital, but if you are a day patient at a hospital (polyclinic), you must pay a user fee.Exemption cards
When you have paid more than NOK 3,040 in user fees during 2023, you will receive an exemption card (frikort). If you have an exemption card, you do not have to pay any more user fees for the rest of the calendar year.
The exemption card can be found under "Excemption card and user fees" ("Frikort og egenandeler") at Helsenorge. You can also take a screenshot of your digital exemption card, or print out the decision letter.If you are unable to pay the user fee, you will still get help.
If you receive treatment from a private health service which does not have an agreement with the public sector, you will have to pay all your expenses yourself.
Check in advance whether the health service you want to use is part of the public service.
Paying for dental care
Adults over the age of 18 must pay for dental treatment themselves. There are some exceptions to this, e.g. for some dental diseases. Ask your dentist if you are entitled to reimbursement for some of your treatment.
If you are aged between 19 and 24 in the year in which you receive the treatment, you may be entitled to cheaper dental treatment from the public dental health service.
You may be entitled to financial support when you travel to or from treatment that is covered by the public sector. As a general rule, you will receive financial support for your patient travel as a fixed amount per kilometre (standard rate), regardless of the mode of transport you use. You can apply for reimbursement after you have completed the trip. You can apply online on Helsenorge or by a paper form.
If, due to your health or traffic reasons, you are unable to organise your trip yourself, you may be entitled to facilitated travel (rekvirert reise). Patient travel (Pasientreiser) will then arrange your travel and choose a mode of transport for you. You must expect some waiting time and you may also be asked to travel with other patients, where possible.
You can contact Pasientreiser on 05515 for help in applying for financial support or if you have any questions about your patient travel.
The National Insurance Scheme (Folketrygden) is an important part of the welfare state in Norway and aims to ensure that citizens are financially secure if they face hardship in any way. It provides financial support in the event of illness, pregnancy and birth, unemployment, old age, disability, death and loss of provider.
In Norway, you will normally automatically become a member of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme when you live here and have tax links to the country. In order to become a member, you must normally plan to stay in Norway for at least 12 months.
You may lose your membership of the National Insurance Scheme if you leave Norway, even for a short period of time. It is important to familiarise yourself with the rules if you plan to stay abroad for any length of time.
Work and illness
In Norway, we have a number of support schemes which will provide you with an income if you are unable to work due to illness or injury.
You can also receive support if you need care, have additional medical expenses or need assistive devices and adaptations.
What you are entitled to depends on your situation. You will find more information about which financial support you may be entitled to based on your situation, on NAV's website: Helse og sykdom (nav.no).
Pregnancy, contraception and abortion
Are you pregnant?
All healthcare is free for pregnant and breastfeeding women. It is also free to give birth to your baby in a hospital.
If you discover you are pregnant, contact your local health centre (helsestasjon) or GP for follow-up during your pregnancy.
During your pregnancy, you will be offered a total of nine consultations. These include prenatal diagnosis with an early ultrasound between weeks 11 and 13 + 6 days, and an ultrasound between weeks 17 and 19.
After you have given birth, you and your baby will be followed up by the local health centre.
Talk to your doctor or midwife about who, where and how you should contact when you go into labour. Always call the maternity ward and tell them when you go into labour. The telephone number for the maternity ward can be found on the hospital's website.
Videos about pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period
Watch informational videos about pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period (postpartum period).
Infant food and breastfeeding
Once your child has arrived, you will inevitably have many questions about what your child should eat. Do you have any questions about breastfeeding, infant formula or solid foods? Click here for videos providing advice and guidance.
Contraception and abortion
Condoms are the only form of contraceptive that provides protection against both sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy. Click here to order free condoms.
Adolescents under 22 years of age are entitled to financial support to cover all or part of the cost of contraception.
When considering which form of contraceptive is right for you, you should think about:
- How does the contraceptive work?
- How reliable is it?
- How much does it cost?
- How long does it work for?
- What side effects does it have?
Pregnant women can decide for themselves whether to have an abortion up to week 12 of their pregnancy. The week you are in is determined from the first day of your last period.
Abortion is free of charge for women who are resident in Norway.
Abortion methods
There are two possible methods for terminating a pregnancy: surgical or medical abortion.
Do you need advice and guidance?
Deciding whether to go through with or terminate a pregnancy can be a difficult decision. If you need someone to talk to, you can call Amathea, which is a free guidance service supported by the state.
Children and adolescents
Healthcare for children and adolescents
Children under the age of 16 do not have to pay for healthcare provided by the public sector.
Children and adolescents under the age of 18 are entitled to free dental care at public dental clinics. Excepted from this are dental braces (orthodontics).
Certain other people can also get dental treatment for free or cheaper, including young people over the age of 18.
Maternal and child health centres (0-5 years)
Health centres for children aged 0–5 years are a free service that is provided for children and parents in the municipality in which they live. At a health centre, you can get help and advice from a public health nurse, doctor or physiotherapist.
You will be offered 14 consultations from the time your child is born until they start school. At a health centre, your child will be examined and offered the Childhood Immunisation Programme, and information will be provided on a range of relevant topics.
You can contact or go to a health centre even if you do not have an appointment. You should be able to find the contact details for your local health centre on the municipality’s website.
The school health service
The school health service (skolehelsetjenesten) is a free health service for all pupils at primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school.
The school health service offers regular health consultations, medical examinations and vaccination. You can also contact them outside of regular consultations if needed.
Youth health centres
Youth health centres (Helsestasjon for ungdom, HFU) are a free service for anyone between the ages of 12 and 20. Many health centres offer services right up to the age of 25.
At an HFU, you can get help and advice from a public health nurse, doctor and possibly a midwife or psychologist.
At an HFU, you can talk about topics such as somatic, sexual and mental health. You can get yourself checked for sexually transmitted infections and get contraception.
To find your nearest health centre, visit your municipality's website for more information.
"Confidentiality" means that healthcare professionals cannot share information about you with anyone else.
In most cases, when you are under the age of 12, the public health nurse must tell your parents that you have been to the school health services and what you have talked about.
When you are between the ages of 12 and 16, you can ask for your parents not to be told everything you talked about. However, if it is something very serious, your healthcare provider may still tell your parents.
Once you have turned 16, you decide whether your parents should know what you talk to healthcare professionals about. Information about you will not be shared with your parents unless you have consented to it. Giving such permission is called "giving consent" ("å gi samtykke").
Healthcare professionals sometimes need to give your parents information even when you are over the age of 16. This applies in situations where the information is necessary to enable your parents to fulfil their parental responsibility.
Healthcare professionals must sometimes disclose information about you, for example to the child welfare service or the police. This might be the case in situations where you are at risk of harming yourself or others, or if it is clear that you are struggling at home.
Young people aged 13 or over can log in to the Helsenorge app using MinID. In this app, you will find your nearest youth health centre and the name of your GP. In some municipalities, young people aged 13 or over can book an appointment with a public health nurse at school. Public health nurses can also provide practical information about the school health service, along with general health information.
Once you have turned 12, your parents will have less access to health information about you on Helsenorge.
From the age of 16, you can log in to Helsenorge and communicate securely with a public health nurse online. To do this, you must log in using BankID, Buypass or Commfides. Your parents will then no longer have access to your information on Helsenorge. You can now use Helsenorge on your own, or give your parents power of attorney so that they can continue to use Helsenorge together with you.
Mental health
Mental health
Everyone has a physical and mental health. Physical and mental health are closely linked and mutually affect each other.
Physical health concerns the condition that your body is in. Mental health has to do with your thoughts and feelings, and how you feel about yourself when you meet other people and in everyday life.
Good mental health can be understood as thriving in everyday life, feeling a sense of belonging and meaning in life, and coping with common challenges that arise.
It’s normal to find life hard
How you feel mentally can change both from day to day and over time. Most people will find that their mental health fluctuates throughout their lives. The fact that you find yourself facing mental health challenges from time to time does not necessarily mean that you are in poor mental health or that you have a mental disorder.
Examples of common challenges in everyday life are:
- have racing thoughts/constant worries
- feeling depressed or sad
- feeling stressed and anxious
- feeling lonely
- sleeping badly
When life gets tough, it can help to talk to someone about how you are feeling. Talking about your problems is often the first step to getting better. It can often be enough to simply talk to someone you know, such as a family member or a friend, or someone else you trust, such as a colleague or a teacher.
You should seek help if your thoughts, feelings or actions make it difficult over a long period of time to be with friends and family, or to do things you normally do in everyday life, and when you notice you are unable to do anything about the situation yourself.
We sometimes react physically to how we feel mentally, so you should also seek help if you experience headaches, stomach pains, or sleep badly over a long period of time or more often than usual.
Do you need mental healthcare?
You can get help from your GP or a public health nurse, health centre or out-of-hours medical service. If necessary, your GP will for example refer you to a psychologist.
Many municipalities offer low-threshold services, such as rapid mental healthcare (rask psykisk helsehjelp). Check your municipality's website for information on services that are available near you.
Need someone to talk to?
If you need someone to talk to right now, there are many people who can help you.
If you want to share difficult thoughts and feelings, or get advice and support, you can call:
- Mental Helse’s helpline: 116 123
- Kirkens SOS: 22 40 00 40
- Emergency hotline for children and young people: 116 111
- Kors på halsen (Red Cross)
You can also chat on sidetmedord.no or soschat.no.
These phone lines and chat services are open 24 hours a day, and you can remain completely anonymous.
If you need urgent help, call the out-of-hours medical service on 116 117 or the emergency number 113.
What can you do if you have suicidal thoughts?
Many people find themselves thinking about suicide at some time during their life. The reasons for this are often complex. Thoughts of suicide may arise in connection with a crisis or despair over a divorce or break-up, conflict, illness or challenges at work, or as a result of mental health problems like depression.
It can be difficult to talk to other people about suicidal thoughts. People who are having suicidal thoughts may feel trapped by their circumstances, and that there is no way out of their situation.
If you feel that life is no longer bearable, give someone a chance to understand how you are feeling. Talk to someone you trust, such as a family member, close friend, your GP, public health nurse, teacher, imam, or priest. If you want to talk to someone anonymously, you can contact a helpline or chat service. By talking to someone, you can get help to find a way out of your situation. It's the first step to working out what you are finding difficult.
Call 113 if your thoughts become too intrusive and you feel there is a risk that you will harm yourself or take your own life. When you call, you will get urgent help, and the people you talk to will make sure you get further help.
What should you do if you think someone is having suicidal thoughts?
If you know someone who you think may be having suicidal thoughts, it is important to ‘dare to care’ and take the initiative to talk about it.
It can be difficult to raise the subject of suicidal thoughts. Many people are afraid that asking about suicidal thoughts might actually increase the risk of suicide. But this is not true. There is no evidence to suggest that having conversations about suicidal thoughts are unsafe, or that they reinforce thoughts of suicide.
If someone tells you they are having suicidal thoughts, take them seriously. Listening is the most important thing you can do. Let the person share their thoughts with you without interrupting too much.
People with suicidal thoughts tend to feel lonely and give off a sense of hopelessness about their situation. This is why you must take care not to be judgmental, but instead be patient, caring and supportive.
Being in the middle of a crisis can be all-consuming. It can be a great help to the person who is having suicidal thoughts if you get in touch and, for example, offer to go with them to see their GP or the out-of-hours medical service or other health service. Contact the out-of-hours medical service or GP for advice and guidance if you are unsure.
Call 113 if you are concerned that there is an acute risk of someone taking their own life.
Are you next of kin?
When a family member has a serious or long-term illness, it can make all the difference to you what kind of help they receive. However, it is also important how you feel as next of kin. It is important that you seek advice and support before the problems become too big.
Next of kin
If you have to perform particularly demanding care tasks as next of kin, you may be entitled to respite care or other support.
You can get the following support from your municipality:
- training and guidance
- respite care
- financial support for care work (omsorgsstønad)
In particular, you will be entitled to respite care if you:
- are a parent of a child with special needs
- are a spouse or partner of someone with major care needs
Examples of situations in which you may be entitled to support:
- you spend many hours each month doing care work
- the care work is particularly physically or mentally demanding
- the care work means you have to stay awake or often get up at night
If you need support, you can apply to your municipality for it. Both care recipients and providers can apply for support. You can find information on how to apply on the municipality's website or by contacting the municipality.
On Helsenorge, you can use the services on behalf of others, for example to help them keep track of their health information.
You can represent:
- anyone who has given you power of attorney (fullmakt) via Helsenorge or via a paper form
- your children under the age of 16, for whom you have parental responsibility
- persons with lack of consent who you have authority to act on behalf of
Regardless of who you represent on Helsenorge, you will only ever have the same access as the person you represent. You can also not be given power of attorney for services they do not have, or have not consented to themselves.
You must be over 16 years of age to give other people power of attorney to use services on Helsenorge on your behalf. You must also be over 18 years of age to be granted power of attorney.
Both the person giving power of attorney and the person receiving it can terminate it at any time.
If something happens suddenly, it is reassuring to know that the people you want will have access to information about you.
Under your contact details on Helsenorge, you can log in and register your next of kin and provide information on how they can be contacted.
How the health service works in Norway
How the health service in Norway is built up
The primary health service (primærhelsetjenesten) is the service you should contact first if you are ill or need other healthcare services. This will normally be your GP, the out-of-hours medical service or a health centre.
It is your municipality that is responsible for providing these health services to you. The primary health service is therefore often also referred to as the municipal health and care service.
The municipal health and care service comprises:
- general practitioners (GP)
- health centres
- out-of-hours medical service
- nursing homes
- domiciliary nursing service
- substance abuse service
- physiotherapy service
- occupational therapists
- speech therapists
- chiropractors
- healthy life centres
- dental service
If you need further assessment or treatment, your GP or municipal health service will refer you to the specialist health service (spesialisthelsetjenesten). You may for example be referred to a hospital or a medical specialist with their own practice, such as a gynaecologist or ophthalmologist.
The specialist health service is divided into four regions in Norway:
- Helse Midt (Central Norway Regional Health Authority)
- Helse Nord (Northern Norway Regional Health Authority)
- Helse Sør-Øst (South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority)
- Helse Vest (Western Norway Regional Health Authority)
The specialist health service comprises:
- hospitals
- outpatient clinics and treatment centres, where you receive treatment without being admitted as an in-patient
- medical specialists, also known as ‘contract specialists’ (avtalespesialister) with further education in a specific medical field
- laboratory and X-ray centres
- recovery and rehabilitation institutions
- psychiatric hospitals
- substance abuse treatment centres
You have the right to complain if you are not satisfied with the treatment or services you have received, or if something you have applied for has been rejected. Next of kin can also complain.
Complaints about treatment or medical/administrative decisions
You can complain if you have been treated badly or unfairly by, for example, a doctor, hospital, public health nurse or someone else.
You can also complain if you disagree with a decision, e.g. if you have been refused treatment or referral.
You should send your complaint to the GP's office, hospital or treatment centre you want to complain about. If you are unable to agree on a solution, your appeal will automatically be forwarded to the County Governor.
Complaints about malpractice and injuries
If something has happened that you believe is wrong with the treatment or care you have received, you can ask the County Governor to open a case to investigate the matter.
This might for example be the case if you believe that you:
- have received the wrong treatment
- have been given the wrong medicine or dose, or experienced serious side effects from a medicine
- have been discharged prematurely
- are not satisfied with the care you have received
You can apply for compensation if you have sustained an injury caused by a failure on the part of the health service. You can apply for compensation if the injury is significant and permanent, or has led to significant financial loss. You should then apply to Norsk pasientskadeerstatning (NPE).
Complaints about treatment abroad
You can only complain if you have received treatment abroad through an agreement between the Norwegian health service and the relevant treatment provider. An example is where you have received treatment abroad because of a waiting list guarantee or a lack of expertise in Norway.
You cannot complain or apply for compensation in Norway if you have been treated abroad on your own initiative.
Complaints about dental treatment
You can complain about dental treatment if you think the treatment you received was poor. Ask your dental surgery where you should send your complaint.
Next of kin
As next of kin, you can complain if your rights are not respected. You can also complain on behalf of friends or family who are unable to complain themselves. You will normally need power of attorney from them if you want to complain on behalf of someone else.
Need help with your complaint?
You can contact the Health and Social Services Ombudsman if you are considering making a complaint. They will explain your rights and advise you on what you should do. They can also help you to write your complaint.