User fees and patient fees at hospitals and outpatient clinics

Outpatient clinics usually treats patients who are not hospitalized at a public hospital. When you are being consulted or treated at an outpatient clinic, you need to pay a user fee which counts towards your exemption card for health services.

Smilende sykepleier følger pasient nedover sykehuskorridor.

In some cases, the outpatient clinic can charge you a so-called patient fee which do NOT count towards your exemption card for health services (frikort for helsetjenester).

If you are hospitalized in a public hospital, you should not be charged a user fee or patient fee.

User fees at outpatient clinics (poliklinikk)

Limit for exemption card for health services

You will receive your exemption card within three weeks after you have paid the maximum limit of NOK 3,165 in approved user fees.

If you are treated at an outpatient clinic without being hospitalized, you will normally have to pay a user fee for

  • consultation, treatment, or control
  • X-ray and ultrasound examinations 
  • nuclear medicine image examinations

 
User fee rates for outpatient clinics Rate 

Investigations, treatments, checkups by specialist at an outpatient clinic. (The rates applies to telephone and video consultations) 

NOK 403 
X-ray, ultrasound or nuclear medicine examination NOK 287 

Check the exemption card and user fees

Log in to find your exemption card, see registered user fees and change your account number.

Patient fees (pasientbetaling) at hospitals/outpatient clinics

You must pay entirely or partly for some of the treatments, even if you have exemption card for health services or are exempt from paying user fees. 

These expenses are called patient fees, and do not count towards your exemption card for health services.

Fees if you don’t show up for an appointment

If you don’t show up for your scheduled appointment without giving the hospital notice more than 24 hours earlier, you must pay a fee of NOK 1,612 kroner.

If your appointment is for outpatient treatment within psychiatry or substance abuse treatment, you should not be charged more than NOK 403 for not attending your appointment.

The hospital cannot charge you for not showing up for video or telephone consultation.

Please remember to give the hospital notice as soon as possible if you are not able to attend to scheduled appointment. 

Exemption card for health services

If you have received an exemption card for public health services, you do not have to pay user fees for the rest of the calendar year.

Exemption card for public health services includes approved user fees for treatment provided by public doctors (fastlege) psychologists and outpatient clinics. This also includes radiological examination and treatment, laboratory tests and medicines and medical supplies on Blue prescription, plus patient travel. 

Some patient groups are exempt from paying the user fee. You can find more information about this in the article “Exemption card for public health services”.

Delayed treatment 

You will not have to pay the user fee if your outpatient treatment is delayed by more than one hour after the agreed time and you were not notified of the delay.

Treatment at private hospitals

The state will not normally cover expenses for treatment at private treatment centres.

However, you can claim coverage for your expenses at all private treatment centres which have an agreement with a regional health authority. In this case, the same rules apply for expense coverage as for public treatment centres. At many private habilitation and rehabilitation institutions, you must pay a user fee.

At "Velg behandlingssted" (only in Norwegian) (only in Norwegian), you will find an overview of all the treatment centres you can choose between.

Content provided by Helfo

Helfo. User fees and patient fees at hospitals and outpatient clinics. [Internet]. Oslo: The Norwegian Directorate of Health; updated Monday, July 1, 2024 [retrieved Monday, October 14, 2024]. Available from: https://www.helsenorge.no/en/payment-for-health-services/user-fees-at-hospitals-and-outpatient-clinics/

Last updated Monday, July 1, 2024