If you are a patient who is entitled to essential healthcare within the specialised health service in Norway, you may be eligible to receive planned treatment abroad. This page provides an overview of the schemes that are available.
Illustration: Morten Rakke / Helfo
Are you seeking treatment abroad that is not provided in Norway, or the treatment that is provided in Norway is less effective than the treatment available abroad?
If you wish to receive treatment which is not offered in Norway, or the treatment available abroad has been proven to be more effective abroad, you will find more information and guidance on how to apply here (in Norwegian):
Read more about treatment abroad if the healthcare you need is not available in Norway or if healthcare abroad has been shown to be more effective than the corresponding healthcare that is available from the public healthcare service in Norway.
Illustration: Morten Rakke / Helfo
Do you wish to receive treatment in another EU/EEA country which is equivalent to treatment you could have received in Norway?
You can now claim reimbursement for your expenses on healthcare within the specialised health service in other countries within the EU/EEA if the treatment is equivalent to the healthcare you would have received in Norway. You can then be reimbursed for expenses for medical investigations and/or treatment at a hospital or outpatient clinic.
Your entitlement to reimbursement applies both if you travel abroad for the purpose of receiving healthcare and if you are staying in another EU/EEA country when the need for healthcare arises. Note, however, that this scheme is not applicable to Switzerland.
Read more about conditions for reimbursement of expenses for specialised health services in another EU/EEA country.
Illustration: Morten Rakke / Helfo
Do you wish to receive treatment abroad because you have not received healthcare in Norway within a medically justifiable period of time?
If you have a medical certificate confirming that your state of health is such that the waiting time in Norway is not medically justifiable, you can apply to Helfo for prior authorisation to have your treatment in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland.
If you are not offered treatment within a medically justifiable period of time in Norway, you can apply to Helfo for prior authorisation to have your treatment in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland.
Illustration: Morten Rakke / Helfo