Interpreter in the health services in Norway
As a patient with a limited knowledge of Norwegian, you are entitled to an interpreter in your preferred language
Illustration: Johnér Bildbyrå AB
Adults’ rights to health services
Persons over the age of 18 who do not have legal residence are entitled to receive immediate assistance and healthcare which is absolutely necessary and cannot wait. You will have to pay for the healthcare, but you shall not have to make advance payment.
Healthcare rights for persons without legal residence
Pregnant women’s rights to health services
Pregnant women have full rights to health care during pregnancy, childbirth, and post-natal period. Pregnant women also have right to abortions.
Children's rights to health services
All children up to the age of 18 have the same rights to health and care services as other children in Norway. Children without legal residence do not have the right to be registered with a general practitioner.
Right to care regarding infection control
Certain diseases are highly contagious and have serious consequences both for society and for those who become infected. On Lovdata.no there is list of infectious diseases which could endanger public health (lovdata.no, in Norwegian)
If you are at risk of being infected with such an illness, you have the right to medical care to prevent infection. This means that you are entitled to:
- vaccination
- information
- other necessary preventive help.
If you have contracted such an illness, you have the right to treatment.
Medical care to prevent infection is free for everyone staying in Norway.
Final rejection of the asylum application
Even if you have received a final rejection on your application for asylum, you still have the right to:
- be examined at a hospital
- receive immediate medical assistance
- receive other essential and urgent healthcare
If you are mentally unstable, you may be entitled to mental healthcare (psychiatry).
Children without legal residency in Norway have the right to receive healthcare at a doctor and at a hospital, but they are not entitled to an assigned GP.
If your application for asylum has been denied, you will need to pay for healthcare from a doctor and for treatment at a hospital, but you will not have to pay in advance of receiving the healthcare. If you are unable to pay, the health service must cover your expenses.
As a pregnant woman with a final rejection on your application for asylum, you have the right to:
- healthcare before, during and after delivery
- give birth in a hospital
- have an abortion
This applies as long as you are in Norway. If you can afford to, you must cover the cost of delivery yourself. If you are unable to pay, the health service will cover your expenses.