How to apply for patient injury compensation

If you have sustained an injury caused by negligence in the healthcare service, you can apply for compensation by filing a claim with the Norwegian System of Patient Injury Compensation (NPE).

To qualify for patient injury compensation, three criteria must be met: 

  • The patient injury must be due to medical negligence. 
  • The injury must have resulted in a financial loss of at least NOK 10,000, or a permanent and significant injury leading to a medical disability of at least 15 per cent. 
  • The injury must not be too old. You must apply for patient injury compensation no later than three years after you should reasonably have understood that the medical treatment or the lack of medical treatment caused the injury.

You can find more information on the Norwegian System of Patient Injury Compensation website, including the qualifying criteria for patient injury compensation (in Norwegian) or if you can apply for compensation for the injury (in Norwegian). 

Find the right form

Go to npe.no to find the correct application form.

Choose between the form for patient injury compensation (injury following a failure in healthcare) and the form for medicinal product injury (injuries caused by the use of medicines).

Completing the form

Complete all sections of the form carefully. Fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory and must be filled in. Try to be brief and precise. 

You will need to provide information about the following: 

  • The person who is injured. If you are applying on behalf of someone else, you must attach proof that you have power of attorney and a copy of your ID. If the patient has died, the person applying for compensation must enclose a copy of the certificate of probate. 
  • When and at which health care institution / treatment provider the injury occurred. 
  • What the injured person was being treated for when the injury occurred, what kind of injury the person sustained and how you believe it occurred. 
  • What consequences the injury has had for the injured person. You must indicate whether the injury has resulted in financial loss over NOK 10,000, permanent injury equivalent to a medical disability of at least 15 percent, other expenses or has had an impact on your job situation. 
  • You will also have the opportunity to attach any documents that you believe may be relevant to the NPE’s investigation. 

Submit your claim application

If you complete the form electronically, you will be able to sign it using your electronic ID and submit it when you have reached the last page of the form. 

Submissions by post should be sent to: 
 
The Norwegian System of Patient Injury Compensation, 
PO Box 232 Skøyen, 
0213 Oslo, 
Norway 

Waiting times

In most cases, you may have to wait for several months before you receive a reply. 

More information about average case processing times at NPE is available here. 
The case processing time may vary depending on the circumstances of the case and the number of applications the NPE has received. 

NPE will gather further information if necessary, to ensure the case is thoroughly assessed before a decision is made.

Appeal against decisions

If you wish to appeal a decision, you must submit your appeal to NPE within three weeks from the date of the decision. 

If NPE finds no reason to reverse its decision, it will forward your appeal to the National Office for Health Service Appeals which is the secretariat for the Patients' Injury Compensation Board (in Norwegian). 

The Patient Injury Board is an independent board that reviews decisions made by the Norwegian System of Patient Injury Compensation. Board members have legal and medical expertise. One member is a user representative. It is the board that makes the decision in appeal cases, but the secretariat has delegated authority to make decisions in certain patient injury cases. 

If your appeal is successful, it is NPE that pays any compensation or additional compensation.

Watch the explainer video: Appealing against patient injury compensation decisions (in Norwegian). 

Legal appeal

Decisions by the Patients’ Injury Compensation Board are final. This means that you cannot appeal the decision. You may bring your case before the courts for judicial review (in Norwegian). The deadline for bringing legal action is six months from the date you receive the decision. This deadline is set by law and cannot be changed. If you do not bring legal action before the deadline, the decision has the same effect as a legally binding court ruling.

In patient injury cases, it is the case itself that is tried in court, not the decision of the Patient Injury Board.

Reopening a closed case

If you wish to reopen a closed case, new and significant information that was not previously known must be provided. The information must be sufficient to potentially result in a different outcome. It is not sufficient that you disagree with the decision, or that a medical expert has a different assessment of the case. You must clarify what the new information is regarding the case, as well as your case number. 

If you have appealed the NPE’s decision, and your case is being considered or has been considered by the Patients’ Injury Compensation Board, NPE cannot reopen your case. In this situation you must contact the National Office for Health Service Appeals. 

You cannot have your case reopened if you have filed a writ of summons. 

 

Content provided and quality-assured by Statsforvalteren, Nasjonalt klageorgan for helsetenesta, Norsk pasientskadeerstatning (NPE)

Statsforvalteren, Nasjonalt klageorgan for helsetenesta, Norsk pasientskadeerstatning (NPE). How to apply for patient injury compensation. [Internet]. Oslo: The Norwegian Directorate of Health; updated Friday, June 5, 2026 [retrieved Thursday, June 18, 2026]. Available from: https://www.helsenorge.no/en/klage-og-erstatning/slik-soker-du-erstatning-for-en-pasientskade/

Last updated 5. June 2026

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