Psychological help in the EU/EEA
You may be entitled to a refund of your expenses for psychological treatment received in another EU/EEA country. Follow all the steps in this guide to understand your rights and what you need to do. The claim form is included in Step 6.
Illustration: Morten Rakke / Helfo
Your rights
You can receive psychological help in another EU/EEA country and get part of the cost refunded, equivalent to what you would get in Norway.
If you want to travel to another EU/EEA country to receive psychological treatment, you may have up to three initial assessments or consultations without a referral. For further treatment, you must first get a referral from a doctor, psychologist, or the head of the child welfare administration in Norway. The treatment and its scope must be equivalent to what would have been covered by the Public Health Service in Norway.
If you need treatment while you are abroad, you can get a referral from a doctor or a psychologist there.
The psychologist you wish to receive treatment from must be an approved specialist in clinical psychology. If the speciality in question is unavailable in the country you are going to, exceptions can be made. It must then be documented that the therapist/treatment provider has specialist qualifications equivalent to those required in Norway. Treatment by a psychotherapist is not covered.
As a general rule, you must be a member of the National Insurance Scheme to be eligible for reimbursement. If Helfo considers you to be residing in another EU/EEA country, you cannot receive reimbursement from Helfo for medical assistance received there. Click here for important information about eligibility for this scheme.
If you are staying temporarily in another EU/EEA country and a situation arises that means that you need necessary healthcare, you can use the European Health Insurance Card. This may also apply to psychological treatment.
Example
Clara is Norwegian and lives in Norway but was born and raised in France. She suffers from anxiety and depression and wants to receive psychological treatment in her native tongue. She would, therefore, like to go to France for treatment. Clara learns about a skilled psychologist in the town where her sister lives and looks into whether she can receive treatment from this psychologist. She checks whether the psychologist has the right specialisation. Clara has a referral from her doctor in Norway.
What can you get covered?
You will only be reimbursed for psychological treatment that would also be covered in Norway.
The amount you get reimbursed is limited to what the psychological help would have cost for the Public Health Service in Norway. The costs are calculated based on Norwegian public rates:
- If you have paid more than the calculated cost in Norway, the reimbursement amount will be lower than what you have paid for the healthcare.
- If you have paid less than the calculated cost in Norway, the reimbursement amount will correspond to your actual expenses.
Example
Clara is going to have psychotherapy treatment. This is a treatment she could also get in Norway and can therefore be covered. Clara will only be reimbursed for part of her expenses.
You have to find a therapist yourself
You must find a psychology specialist you wish to receive treatment from.
The therapist must be authorised to practice in the country in question and hold valid public authorisation. It is your responsibility to ensure that the therapist meets these requirements.
When you apply to Helfo for a refund, you may be asked to document that the psychologist meets these requirements.
Example
Clara has made sure that the psycholgist she is going to see has valid public authorisation and the right specialist qualifications. She knows that she may be asked to document this.
Don't forget the documentation!
You must remember to obtain the correct documentation yourself.
When applying to Helfo for reimbursement, you will need:
- documentation of your diagnosis, the examinations that have been carried out, and the treatment you have received – the psychologist's name must be stated in the documentation
- proof that the psychologist holds valid authorisation
- itemized invoice
- original receipts for all expenses, or other documentation showing that and when the expenses were paid
For Helfo to consider the claim and reach a decision, the documentation must be comprehensible. This means that all documentation must initially be in Norwegian, Danish, Swedish or English. You should, therefore, try to get the documentation issued in one of these languages. If the documents are in another language, Helfo can, if necessary, ask you to have them translated. You must pay for the translation yourself. If you send in a translated document, you must also send in the original.
Example
Clara makes sure to get the necessary documentation from the psychologist.
Limited reimbursement of travel expenses
You will not be reimbursed for more than you would have received if the treatment had been performed in Norway.
You may be granted reimbursement of your travel expenses corresponding to what you would have received in Norway.
In Norway, the main rule is that your travel expenses are reimbursed at a standard rate per kilometre regardless of which means of transport you use. You must travel to the geographically closest location the healthcare can be provided. In order to be reimbursable, your journey from home must be longer than ten kilometres each way and cost more than the local minimum fare by scheduled public transport.
Claims for travel expense reimbursements must be sent to Helfo on this claim form:
(The form is in Norwegian, but click here for an English guide with instructions for filling out the form “Reiseregningsskjema".)
Send in the claim form and necessary documentation. If your application for reimbursement from Helfo is granted, Helfo will forward your travel expenses claim to the Norwegian regional health authorities' patient-travel service (Pasientreiser).
Example
Clara lives in Skjeberg. The nearest treatment centre in Norway would be Sarpsborg. Even though Clara is going abroad, her travel expenses are only covered at a standard rate per kilometre on the Skjeberg-Sarpsborg-Skjeberg route. She makes sure to keep relevant travel documents.
Submit your application
When you have received the treatment, you can apply to Helfo for a refund. Applications must be submitted within six months.
Log in to Helfo's digital form and apply for reimbursement
You must send the application form and documentation to Helfo within 6 months of each treatment date. If you have not settled on the spot but received an invoice afterwards, we calculate the deadline from the invoice date instead of the treatment date. In this context, an invoice is the first payment request issued by your treatment provider.
For details regarding documentation requirements, see under "Don't forget the documentation".
Paper form
If you are unable to use our digital form, you can instead complete the following form and send it together with documentation to Helfo, Postboks 2415, 3104 Tønsberg:
Example
Clara submits the digital form together with all relevant documentation within six months.
Guidance Helsenorge
If you have any questions, please call Guidance Helsenorge: +47 23 32 70 00
Exemption card
Most types of healthcare entitle the recipient to an exemption card when their total out-of-pocket payments reach a certain amount.
This also applies if the healthcare is received i n an EU/EEA country.
A user fee is calculated during the processing of your reimbursement claim for treatment abroad. This user fee is reported to the user fee register, and the user fee forms the basis for an exemption card for healthcare services. If you already have an exemption card, the user fee will be paid out together with the reimbursement.
Once you have been issued an exemption card by Helfo, you will no longer have to pay user fees for the majority of health services . The exemption card applies in Norway. In other EU/EEA countries, you must pay out of pocket .