You must be a woman who is married, cohabiting in a marriage-like relationship or single. You will only be considered to be single if you do not live with any other adults.
You, and your partner if you have one, must fulfil the conditions for the treatment of childlessness set out in the Biotechnology Act.
The upper age limit stipulated in the Biotechnology Act is 46. You will not normally be entitled to reimbursement for your expenses for infertility treatment provided by the public health service in Norway if you are aged 40 or over. You will therefore also not be entitled to reimbursement for expenses for infertility treatment in another EU/EEA country. This rule does not apply to anyone aged 40 or over who is able to document that they have received an offer of treatment from the public health service in Norway.
Regardless of whether you receive treatment in Norway or abroad, you will only be eligible for reimbursement of your expenses for a total of three cycles ('attempts') per child. Learn more about involuntary childlessness, eligible types of treatment and the definition of 'a cycle'.
In order to be reimbursed for your expenses for treatment, you must be a member of the Norwegian National Insurance scheme. In many cases, the scheme also applies to family members.
If you are considered to be resident in another EU/EEA country,, you will not be entitled to receive support from Helfo for treatment in the country in which you are considered to be resident. Click here for important information about eligibility for this scheme.
If you are planning to receive healthcare in the UK, find out more about the consequences of Brexit here.
Referral and childcare certificate of conduct (police certificate of conduct)
If you intend to travel abroad to receive healthcare, you must first obtain a referral from a healthcare professional in Norway.
You must also obtain a childcare certificate of conduct from the police in Norway, which you should then send to Helfo together with your application for prior notification or reimbursement.
Prior notification
To reduce your financial risk, you have the option of applying to Helfo for prior notification. Find out more about this in the online article: "Hospital treatment and other specialist health services in EU/EEA countries". This also provides information about the risks of opting for treatment outside Norway.
Before commencing treatment, you may need to take fertility drugs. For more information about reimbursement of expenses for medicines, click here.
Example
Tina and Louise live together and would like to have a baby. They have a referral from their doctor, along with a letter from Vestfold Hospital confirming that they are entitled to infertility treatment. The couple have friends who received treatment in Denmark, and they would like to try having treatment there.