Where to get help

You should go to your GP first if you have a health issue. Having a GP means that you can see the same doctor every time.

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In case of emergency

  • If you become ill in the evening or at weekends and you cannot get to another doctor, you can contact the out-of-hours medical service (legevakt).

    The out-of-hours medical service is open 24/7.

    The telephone number for the out-of-hours medical service in Norway is (+47) 116 117. If you call this number, you will be put through to the nearest out-of-hours medical service where you are.

    Examples of when you should contact the out-of-hours medical service are:

    • high fever – especially in children
    • moderate breathing difficulties
    • acute illness or severe deterioration
    • serious mental illness
    • suspected complications in pregnancy
    • lacerations and cuts
    • suspected fractures

    The out-of-hours medical service will ask you for your name, address, why you are contacting them, previous illnesses and what medications you are taking. It will be determined whether you can get to the out-of-hours medical service on your own or if you need an ambulance.

    When you arrive at the out-of-hours medical service

    Report to reception and let the staff know that you have arrived. Sometimes you will be given a preliminary examination, where the nurse assesses how acute your problem is.

    Ticket-based queuing systems are often in place in larger clinics, so please take a ticket then sit down and wait. Health personnel will call you when it is your turn or when the number on your queue ticket is shown on a board or announced.

    The length of time you have to wait before you see the doctor depends on how acute your problem is and how many patients there are in the out-of-hours medical service that day.

    Once you are in the doctor’s office, you will be asked what you need help with. The doctor will examine you and you will be treated in the out-of-hours medical service or in hospital.

    After visiting the out-of-hours medical service, you need pay a user fee. These fees follow a scale of set rates. Staff at reception will process your payment or you can pay using a separate payment terminal. Children under the age of 18 do not have to pay for doctor’s appointments.

  • In the event of accidents, serious illness or other serious incidents, where you or others need urgent medical attention, you should contact medical emergency number 113 (ambulance). You must speak English or Norwegian when you call this number.

    It’s normal to be afraid of bothering them, but it’s better to call one too many times, than one too few.

    What to say when you call 113

    • Your name
    • Where you are calling from
    • The phone number you are calling from
    • Describe the situation and symptoms

    Examples of when to call 113 are when you or others have: 

    • New paralysis in the face – unable to smile, laugh or show teeth
    • New paralysis in the arms – unable to lift both arms
    • Newly emerged language issues, can’t think of words or speech is unclear
    • Sudden and unexplained unsteadiness
    • Unconsciousness or impaired consciousness
    • Chest pain for more than five minutes
    • Heart medicine nitroglycerin that produces less effect than usual
    • Unexpected chest discomfort, general unwell feeling and nausea

If it's not urgent

  • You have the right to register with a general practitioner (GP) as an asylum seeker or refugee.

    Your children are entitled to have the same GP as you until they reach the age of 16. If necessary, you and your children will be able to see a doctor, even if you have not yet registered with a GP.

    How to find a GP

    People staying at a reception centre

    You can apply to register with a GP if you are registered as an asylum seeker and already know the municipality in which you will be living. If you are staying at a reception centre for asylum seekers, the staff at the reception centre will help you apply to register with a GP.

    People who are living in private accommodation or who have received a temporary residence permit

    If you are living in private accommodation, you must apply to register with a GP yourself or get someone to help you apply.
    If you would prefer to find a GP yourself, you can look up available GPs in the service for changing GP (in Norwegian only). Search for a GP in the municipality in which you live. Once you have found a GP you would like to sign up with, you will need to complete this form. You will need to submit documentation with your application proving that you are registered as an asylum seeker.

    Send your application to Helfo by post. You will find the address on the form.
    If none of the GPs has a vacancy on their list, or if you have not chosen a specific doctor, Helfo will find one for you in your local area. The municipal authority where you live can also help you find a local GP.

    What happens when you go to your GP surgery?

    At many GP surgeries, you must let the staff in reception know that you have arrived. You will sometimes also have to take a numbered queue ticket. Waiting times can vary, and sometimes you may have to wait a long time before you can see the doctor.

    When it is your turn, the doctor will call you in by name, or the number on your queue ticket will be shown on a board or announced.

    Once you are in the doctor’s office, you will be asked what you need help with. Depending on the reason for your visit, the doctor may examine you.
    You will have to pay a user fee after the doctor’s appointment. The amount you have to pay varies, depending on what the doctor does, but it will normally be between NOK 150 and NOK 350. You will be asked to pay at reception or using a separate payment machine. Children under the age of 16 do not have to pay for doctor’s appointments.

    What happens next?

    If your GP is unable to solve your problem right away, there are three options:

    • You will be given another doctor’s appointment with the same GP
    • You will be sent for further assessment at a hospital or by a specialist
    • You will be asked to take medication

    What is a referral for further assessment?

    If you need further assessment or treatment, you will need a “referral”. A referral is confirmation from your GP that you need to undergo further assessment at a hospital or by a specialist.

    The hospital or specialist that receives the referral must decide within 10 days whether you qualify for assessment or treatment. You do not need a referral in an emergency.

    Psychologists, manual therapists and chiropractors can also refer patients to specialists within their field for further assessment and/or treatment.

    After the doctor has sent the referral to a hospital or specialist, you must wait until you receive a new appointment from them. It can take anywhere from a few days to several months before you can undergo further assessment or treatment.

Medicines

    • Most medications can only be purchased if you have a prescription from a doctor.
    • You cannot use a foreign prescription in Norway.
    • You can buy some medications at a pharmacy without a prescription from a doctor.
    • A few medications can also be purchased at supermarkets.
    • In Norway, there is limited use of natural and plant-based preparations. If necessary, ask your pharmacist if they can help you find such preparations in Norway.
    • Contact the GP you have been assigned.
    • If you have not been assigned a GP, you can contact a doctor in your municipality.
    • You can also contact the out-of-hours medical service in the municipality if your issue is urgent.
    • If you are already taking medication, your doctor can help you find the same or equivalent medication in Norway.
    • It’s a good idea to bring the packaging or medication you already have to your doctor in Norway. This will make it easier for the doctor to find out what the corresponding medications in Norway are.
    • The doctor usually creates an electronic prescription for you, which is stored in an electronic system. Your doctor can also print the prescription on paper.
    • Your doctor will decide whether you are entitled to benefits for the medication you need.
    • The pharmacy has access to the electronic system where your doctor's prescription is located.
    • If you have a paper prescription, you must show it at the pharmacy.
    • You must show identity documents and have a Norwegian D number in order to get medication at a pharmacy.
    • You have to pay for the medication at the pharmacy. If you are entitled to benefits from the state (blue prescription), you will pay 39 per cent of what the medicine costs, up to a maximum of NOK 520.
    • If you do not have enough money to pay for health services or medication, you must contact the social services (NAV). The municipality where you live, or the staff at a reception centre, can help you get in touch with the right authorities.
    • If you pay more than NOK 2,921 in user fees for medication and other health services, you will automatically receive an "exemption card" from the state. When you present an exemption card, you won’t have to pay user fees for the rest of the calendar year.

Dentists

  • If you are staying in an arrival centre, a transit centre, an ordinary reception centre or an integration reception centre and need dental care, you will be given help to contact the dental health service.

    For children and young people aged up to 18 years and some other groups, dental treatment is offered free of charge (excluding dental braces). The public dental health service provides an overview of which groups are entitled to essential dental health care.

    If you are staying at an arrival centre or transit centre, the cost of emergency dental treatment is covered. You must pay for non-acute dental treatment yourself.

    If you are staying in an ordinary reception centre or integration reception centre, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) basic service covers payment for dental treatment. You can apply for additional funds to pay for dental treatment (additional benefit). Reception centre staff will be able to provide further assistance.

    If you have been issued with a final rejection of your application for asylum and are staying in a reception centre, you can apply for funding to pay for emergency dental treatment (additional benefit).

    If you are unsure what type of reception centre you are staying at or what rights you have, please ask the reception centre staff.

  • If you are staying in private accommodation, you must seek and pay for the dental treatment yourself. Then you will not be able to apply for funding from the UDI to pay for dental treatment (additional benefit).

  • At most dental clinics, you should let the staff in reception know that you have arrived. Reception staff speak Norwegian or English. Ticket-based queuing systems are sometimes in place, so please take a ticket then sit down and wait. Waiting times can vary, and sometimes you may have to wait a long time. When it is your turn, you will be called or the number on your queue ticket will be shown on a board or announced.

    Dental treatment is normally paid for at the end of the appointment. Some dental clinics may offer be able to issue invoice and with longer payment terms. If you need an invoice or longer payment terms, ask the dental clinic about this before you receive treatment.

If you are pregnant

  • For pregnant women and women giving birth, all healthcare is free of charge. Childbirth in hospitals is also free.

    Pregnant women are entitled to healthcare before, during and after birth. You have the right to follow-up by a doctor or midwife, and the right to give birth in hospital.

    Contact your local health centre or GP to receive follow-up and support during your pregnancy. You will be offered nine consultations with your midwife or GP, including an ultrasound in week 18.

    If you are over the age of 35, you will also be offered free foetal diagnostics with early ultrasound, amniotic fluid test or placenta test. After the birth, you and your child will receive a follow-up at the local healthcare centre.

    Talk to your doctor or midwife about who to contact and where and how to contact them when the birth starts. Always call the maternity ward and notify them when the birth is underway. The telephone number for the maternity ward can be found on the hospital's website.

  • You can decide whether you want to have an abortion until week 12 of your pregnancy. Condoms are free of charge and will be visible at the arrival centre and in reception centres. Women between the ages of 16 and 22 get them cheaper or free.

Mental health

  • If you are struggling with bad thoughts, you can get mental health care. Experiencing and fleeing war can lead to mental and physical problems. If you have difficulty sleeping or ailments that affect your quality of life, you should consider getting help for this.

    You can also get help if you have been the victim of torture, violence or abuse, and need someone to talk to about it. You can also get help if you have an alcohol or substance abuse problem.

    Contact your GP if you need mental health care or help with your substance use. Your GP can refer you to get the help you need.

     

Payment for healthcare for adults

  • As an adult, you must pay an amount according to set rates (user fee) when you visit the out-of-hours medical service, a GP or the specialist healthcare service.

    The amounts vary but are often between NOK 150 and 350. There is nothing to pay if you are admitted to hospital. You will still receive help if you are unable to pay the user fee.

    In some cases, you will also be entitled to remain in Norway until you have finished your treatment.

    Exemption card for public health services

    Asylum seekers who have been assigned a D-number are also entitled to an exemption card for public health services after reaching the user fee threshold of NOK 3,040. With an exemption card, you do not have to pay any more user fees in the calendar year.

    If you need to present your exemption card, you can show the paper exemption card you received in the post from the Norwegian Health Economics Administration (Helfo). You can also find a digital version at Helsenorge.

    Asylum seekers without a D-number must remember to save the receipts for any user fees paid

    If you need to pay user fees before being assigned a D-number, you need to save all receipts from pharmacies, doctor’s appointments and other healthcare that count towards the exemption card accrual. These are not automatically recorded until you are assigned a D-number.

    • The receipts must include
    • your name
    • your date of birth and gender
    • the name of the treatment provider
    • the date of the treatment
    • user fee amount approved

    When you have been assigned a D-number/national identity number, you will need to submit the specified receipts and any valid documentation to the Norwegian Health Economics Administration (Helfo) for the user fees to be recorded.

    Valid documentation includes a copy of a valid asylum seeker certificate or a copy of a document showing that an appeal relating to a rejected asylum application is being processed. Please submit your receipts and documentation to

    Helfo

    Postboks 2415

    NO-3104 Tønsberg

  • As an adult, you will normally have to pay for dental treatment. If you are staying at an arrival centre or transit centre, you can be reimbursed for the cost of emergency dental treatment.

  • If you are travelling to or from public healthcare treatment, you may have the right to have your travel costs refunded (in Norwegian).

Healthcare for children

  • All children under the age of 18 are fully entitled to healthcare.

    Children under the age of 16 do not have to pay for doctors, psychologists, physiotherapists, hospitals or X-rays.

    Healthcare centres and school health services are free of charge. All children are entitled to examination and vaccination at healthcare centres and school health services.

  • The infant healthcare programme for children aged 0-5 years is a free service for children and parents which is available in the municipality you live in. The healthcare centres offer help and advice from public health nurses, doctors and physiotherapists. Those who work here are covered by a duty of confidentiality.

    Healthcare centres are an easily accessible low-threshold service for children and parents. This means you can contact or visit healthcare centres outside of fixed appointments.

    Information about your healthcare centre's opening hours and options for drop-in visits can be found on your municipality’s website. You can ask for an interpreter if you need one.

  • The school health service is a free service for all pupils at primary and lower and upper secondary schools.

    You can get help from a public health nurse through the school health service. Sometimes you can also get help from a school doctor, physiotherapist or psychologist. Those who work here are covered by a duty of confidentiality.

    You do not need to book an appointment to talk to a public health nurse or other healthcare professional in the school health service. You just need to show up (drop-in).

    You or your child can ask questions and talk to the public health nurse about anything that’s on your mind. It often helps to talk to a trustworthy professional.

  • For children, all dental treatment, except braces, is free up to and including the year they turn 18. The public dental health service can say which dentists treat children for free.

  • All children and adolescents have the right to receive free vaccines. The vaccines protect against 12 different diseases, all of which can be life-threatening or cause serious consequential injuries. 

    The very youngest children are offered vaccinations as soon as possible. Older children will be offered them over the first few months after arrival in Norway. You can choose whether to get your child vaccinated.

    It is the healthcare centre for children 0-5 years old and the school health service in the municipality in which you live that will inform you about and offer vaccines to children. If you have any questions about vaccinating your child, you can talk to the healthcare centre about this.

How the Norwegian healthcare service is structured

  • You should contact the primary healthcare service first if you are ill or need other healthcare. Most often, this will be your GP or other parts of the municipal healthcare service, such as the out-of-hours medical service or a healthcare centre.

    The primary healthcare service consists of:

    • GPs
    • Healthcare centres
    • Out-of-hours medical service
    • Nursing homes
    • Home nursing
    • Substance abuse programmes 
    • Physiotherapists
    • Occupational therapists
    • Speech therapists
    • Chiropractors
    • Wellness centres
    • Dental health

    The municipality and county authorities are responsible for providing these health services to their residents. The primary healthcare service is therefore also often referred to as the ‘municipal healthcare service’.

  • If you need further examinations or treatment, your GP or municipal health services will refer you to the specialist healthcare service. For example, you may be referred to a hospital or medical specialist with their own practice, such as a gynaecologist or an ear-nose-throat doctor.

    The specialist healthcare service consists of:

    • Hospitals
    • Outpatient clinics and treatment centres, where you receive treatment without being admitted
    • Medical specialists who have further education in a specific medical area 
    • Laboratories and X-ray centres
    • Rest and rehabilitation institutions
    • Mental hospitals
    • Substance abuse treatment centres

    The specialist healthcare service is divided into four regions in Norway:

    • Central Norway Regional Health Authority
    • Northern Norway Regional Health Authority
    • Southern and Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority
    • Western Norway Regional Health Authority

    The health trusts and hospitals in these regions are responsible for ensuring that residents have access to the specialist healthcare service.

Content provided by The Norwegian Directorate of Health, Norsk Helsenett, Helfo

Last updated Monday, October 17, 2022