Who is eligible for this right?
This right applies in principle to you if you are a member of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme and have citizenship from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland.
Additionally, it may apply to:
- stateless persons
- persons with refugee status
- UK nationals who have been residing in Norway since before December 31, 2020, or have an S1 certificate from Norway.
Conditions
Your state of health must be of such a nature that it is not medically justifiable for you to wait any longer for the appropriate health care in Norway. The Norwegian specialist health service must initially document this. Helfo will perform a medical assessment of what is justifiable based on your documentation.
Please note that:
- only treatment which is available in Norway under the national public health service can be approved;
- you will need to find a treatment centre which is affiliated to the public health service in the country providing the treatment yourself;
Authorisation
If your prior authorisation is granted, you will not need to pay for the cost of the treatment yourself. You will have to pay any user fees yourself. You should check whether the country providing the treatment charges user fees for the treatment you will receive.
If you have already had the treatment, you can apply for retrospective authorisation. However, Helfo recommends that you apply in advance as this will reduce your financial risk.
Your rights in case of exceeded waiting time
If you have been given a deadline for treatment by the specialised health service and you are not offered treatment within the deadline, you can contact Helfo.
Illustration: Morten Rakke / Helfo
Submit your application to Helfo
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 paid later, we calculate the deadline from the payment date.
Attach the following documentation:
- documentation of your state of health (e.g. medical record/discharge summary)
- documentation that you have been waiting or expect to have to wait longer than is medically justifiable
- documentation of how far you have progressed in your treatment pathway in Norway
- information about the treatment you have received abroad, including an estimate of the cost
- information showing that the treatment centre is part of the public health service in the country providing the treatment
Paper form
If you are unable to use our digital form, you can send us a paper form instead.
To apply for prior authorisation, use this form:
To apply for authorisation / reimbursement after you have received treatment, use this form:
Send the application together with the necessary documentation to Helfo, Postboks 2415, 3104 Tønsberg.
Processing time and response to your application
Helfo’s processing time for these applications is within 4 weeks. Claims where the deadline for medical treatment has already expired will be processed within 1 week.
Helfo will send the decision regarding your case to your inbox on Helsenorge (or to your digital mailbox if you use Digipost or e-Boks).
If you do not use digital solutions, we will send the letter to your registered address in the National Population Register.
Submitting additional documentation
You must include all necessary information when you submit your application. This helps Helfo to process your case as quickly as possible.)
- Has Helfo requested additional information, or you realize that important documentation has not previously been submitted? You may upload receipts, power of attorney (fullmakt), or others relevant documents using the link provided below.
- Please note that it is essential to enter the case number of your existing case in Altinn. This will enable us to process your case more efficiently. An example of a case number is “26/0000”.