Worker, employee, au pair, student or pensioner in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland?

On this page you will find more information about each category. Which occupational category you belong to can have an impact on which health services you can get covered.

Three ladies. One worker, one student and one pensioner.

Workers/employees

​Posted worker

You are considered to be a posted worker when you work temporarily in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland for your employer in Norway and receive your wages from this employer. You remain covered by Norwegian National Insurance Scheme.

Read more on the webpage “Posted workers from countries in the EU/EEA or Switzerland in Norway”.

Worker/employee

You are considered to be an employee when you take up employment in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland. You lose your membership of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme and need to check whether you will be a member of a national insurance scheme in the country where you will be working.

Read more on the webpage “Employee in the EU/EEA area”.

Self-employed person

When you work in your own capacity for yourself in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you lose your membership of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme. You need to check whether you will be a member of a national insurance scheme in the country where you will be working.

Read more on the webpage “Selvstendig næringsdrivende i EU/EØS og Sveits” (only in Norwegian).

Posted self-employed person

You are considered to be a posted self-employed person when you work temporarily in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland on an assignment for yourself. It is a requirement that the work you do corresponds to the work you do in Norway. You remain covered by the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme.

Read more on the webpage “Selvstendig næringsdrivende i EU/EØS og Sveits” (only in Norwegian).

Au pairs

When you work as an au pair in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you are considered to be a worker. You lose your membership of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme and you need to check whether you will be a member of a national insurance scheme in the country where you will be working.

Read more on the webpage “Employee in the EU/EEA area”.

Freelancers

​You are considered to be a freelancer when you perform work or an assignment on your own account in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland, without being in employment or in self-employment. You lose your membership of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme, in the same way as workers who are not posted.

Read more on the webpage “Employee in the EU/EEA area”.

Students

When you are a full-time student at a college or university approved by the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund or NAV Social Insurance and Contributions, you remain covered by the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme while you are studying in the EU/EEA or Switzerland. The teaching and examinations must take place at the foreign educational institution.

Students taking the ex. phil. and ex. fac. study programmes abroad are not considered to be full-time students and therefore do not have healthcare rights as students.

If you undertake work of any kind while studying abroad, you lose your membership of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme. You should then check whether you will be a member of a national insurance scheme in the country where you are studying.

Read more on these webpages:

Pensioners

When you emigrate to another EU/EEA country or Switzerland, your rights as a pensioner depend on whether you are a disability pensioner/old-age pensioner or an AFP pensioner.

Read more on these webpages:

Cross border workers

​A cross-border worker is someone who performs, or has performed, paid work or independent economic activity in an EU/EEA country and lives in another EU/EEA country. There is a requirement to be commuting daily or weekly.

Read more on the webpage “Cross-border workers in EU/EEA countries”.

Content provided by Helfo

Helfo. Worker, employee, au pair, student or pensioner in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland?. [Internet]. Oslo: The Norwegian Directorate of Health; updated Monday, March 11, 2024 [retrieved Sunday, December 15, 2024]. Available from: https://www.helsenorge.no/en/health-rights-living-abroad/worker-employee-aupair-student-or-pensioner-in-eu-eea-switzerland/

Last updated Monday, March 11, 2024