User fees at the family doctor

Your GP (fastlege) must have an agreement with Helfo

In order for you to be entitled to benefits from the National Insurance scheme, your doctor must have an agreement with Helfo regarding direct settlement. You need to clarify this before the examination and treatment starts.

The doctor is obliged to inform you before the treatment starts if he or she does not have a direct settlement with Helfo, so you will know whether or not you have to pay the entire bill yourself.

This obligation follows from section 6 of the Health Personnel Act.” 

Children and other groups don’t pay user fees

Most patients must pay a user fee when they visit a doctor's office.

Some groups are exempt from paying user fees for examination and treatment by a doctor. For example this applies to:

• children under the age 16
• children and adolescents under the age of 18 who receive psychotherapeutic treatment
• patients who have received a decision concerning an occupational injury from NAV
• soldiers serving compulsory military service (førstegangstjeneste)
• pregnant women attending antenatal checkups
• initial medical examination for individuals seeking emergency care after being subjected to violence in close relationships and/or sexual abuse
• patients suffering from an infectious disease which constitutes a risk to public safety.

If you are receiving treatment from a family doctor/general practitioner or a follow-up due to the long-term effects after COVID-19, you will be charged a user fee. This user fee counts towards your exemption card for health services (frikort). 

Normal uses fees at GPs

Only approved user fees count towards an exemption card for health services. The maximum user fee for 2024 is NOK 3165.

Doctor's offices must put up a notice stating the main user fees and other charges.

Here is a summary of the main user fees that count towards an exemption card:

Charges for the influenza vaccine are not  approved as a user fee, and does not count towards the user fee limits for the exemption card.

You must pay patient fees (pasientbetaling) at the GP yourself

You must pay any expenses that are not approved user fees. These expenses do not count towards your exemption card for health services.

This could be fees for bandages and equipment which is necessary for your treatment. Your family doctor/general practitioner (fastlege) may only require you to pay the user fee stipulated in the Regulations concerning subsidies to cover expenses for examination and treatment by a doctor. (Only in Norwegian.)

Coverage of expenses in the event of occupational injury

Helfo can cover expenses for medical care, outpatient clinics, X-rays, dental care and physiotherapy in the event of an occupational injury or illness. The condition for this is that Nav approves your occupational injury or illness.

Payment for medical specialists

A family doctor may sometimes refer you to a medical specialist, such as a doctor at a hospital. You can read more about user fees at hospitals and outpatient clinics here (in Norwegian).

The same rules normally apply to user fees and contributions for medical specialists as for family doctors. If you are referred to a specialist at a private practice, it is a condition that the specialist has an operating subsidy agreement with a regional health trust authority. Below are links to the websites of each health region, with an overview of medical specialists who have an agreement with Helfo. The following pages are only available in Norwegian:

• Helse Sør-Øst
• Helse Vest
• Helse Midt-Norge
• Helse Nord

The groups that are exempt from user fees are the same for medical specialists as for doctors if the specialist has an operating subsidy agreement.

You will have to pay the full cost of your treatment yourself if you visit a medical specialist who does not receive an operating subsidy. This applies even if you have a referral from a family doctor.