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Purchase of food products for medical purposes in the EU/EEA
You might be entitled to reimbursement of your expenses for purchases of food products for medical purposes in another EU/EEA country. Go through all the steps in this guide to understand your rights and what you need to do. You will find the claim form in step 4.
Illustration: Morten Rakke / Helfo
1
Your rights
You might be entitled to reimbursement of your expenses for food products for medical purposes purchased in another EU/EEA country. You will only be reimbursed for expenses for food products included in the product and price list.
To use this scheme, you must be a member of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme. In many cases, the scheme also applies to family members. You are not entitled to a subsidy from Norway for treatment in an EU/EEA country you are considered to be ordinarily resident in. Click here for important information about eligibility for this scheme.
Here, you will find food products which are included in the product and price lists issued by Helfo.
To receive reimbursement, you must have been issued with a blue prescription which includes food products for medical purposes. This means that you must have a decision from Helfo concerning an individual subsidy for food products for medical purposes. It is your doctor who must apply to Helfo for an individual subsidy for you.
Example
Janne and her five-month-old son Marcus are staying abroad for four months. Marcus is allergic to milk protein and can only have breast milk substitute. He has a decision from Helfo, and Janne buys breast milk substitute at the pharmacy.
2
What can you be covered for?
You will be reimbursed according to what you would have received in Norway.
You will be reimbursed for food products for medical purposes included in Helfo's product and price lists. These price lists state the maximum price which will be reimbursed. You will not be reimbursed more than what you have paid for the food products for medical purposes.
Example
The maximum price that can be reimbursed is stated in the product and price list. Janne receives the same reimbursement that she would have received in Norway.
3
Don’t forget the documentation!
Remember to obtain the necessary documentation.
To apply to Helfo for reimbursement, you will need:
- a copy of the prescription (or other confirmation from your doctor) showing that you met the conditions for reimbursement in Norway at the time of the purchase
- valid decision from Helfo concerning an individual subsidy for food products for medical purposes
- documentation of the types of food products purchased
- original itemised receipts for all expenses
You must be able to document both that the food product was dispensed by a pharmacy which has a permit in an EU/EEA country to sell food products for medical purposes, and that the food product was dispensed for personal use.
Example
Janne makes sure she retains the prescription and the original receipts stating the food products that she has purchased.
4
Submitting your claim to Helfo digitally
Once you have purchased the food products, you can apply to Helfo for reimbursement. Applications must be submitted within six months from the date of each purchase.
For details about the applicable documentation requirements, see "Don't forget the documentation". The appropriate forms and documentation must be sent to Helfo within six months from the date of each purchase.
Paper form
If you are unable to use our digital form, you can complete the following form instead:
and send this form together with the necessary documentation to Helfo, Postboks 2415, 3104 Tønsberg.
Example
During her stay abroad, Janne purchased food products for medical purposes on several occasions. She decides to submit a single combined application for reimbursement from Helfo after she and her son have returned home to Norway. She submits a digital form together with the prescription and the original receipts as attachments. Janne makes sure she submits the application within six months of the first purchase of food products.
5
Exemption card
Several types of healthcare provide entitlement to an exemption card for healthcare expenses once you have paid user fees up to a certain amount (the user-fee limit).
This also applies if the healthcare is received in another EU/EEA country.
The user fee payable will be calculated during processing of your claim for reimbursement for treatment abroad. This user fee will be entered in the user-fee registry and will form the basis for a healthcare exemption card. If you already hold an exemption card, the user fee will be paid to you together with the reimbursement.
Once you have been issued with an exemption card by Helfo, you will no longer have to pay user fees for healthcare covered by the exemption card scheme. The exemption card is valid in Norway. In other EU/EEA countries you must pay for treatment out of pocket.
Content provided by Helfo
Last updated Tuesday, January 4, 2022