Health Services

Information about membership in the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme (NAV).

You normally do not get any documentation on your membership in the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme. If you fulfill the requirements you are a member when you are in Norway. For visiting/vacation to other European countries you may be entitled to a European Health Insurance Card.

If you are working in another country or staying outside Norway for longer than three months, you should contact Nav to get information about how this influence your status. You can also read more about this on  information for outbound researchers.  

Anyone residing in Norway, who has been issued a Norwegian national identity number (not a d-number) is entitled to a regular GP. The general practitioner (in Norwegian: "fastlege") works as the main doctor overseeing that person’s health. Please notice that there is NOT a regular system in Norway for being invited for checkups at regular intervals, UNLESS YOU spesifically ask your GP to do this.
Children under the age of 16 are entitled to use the same GP as their parents.

You can choose a GP at a clinic near your home, but sometimes there are no free places so you are assigned to a GP that requires some travel. You are entiteled to change GP a couple times a year if you want. You can read more about the GP system here. There are also a variety of private physicians and clinics that you can use, but you must pay for these yourself.

Everybody can use the emergency clinic. Information about the service in Norwegian with contact details.
The emergency clinic is located at Solheimsgaten 9. Phone: 55 56 87 00

You can also make an appointment to see the student doctors called "Legene på høyden" which primarily serves students. https://studentlege.no/en/time/#1464637138664-587a03bb-da8d 

Another option is to use a private doctor like Dr.Dropin.

University employees, including PhD candidates, pay a part of their taxes to cover the cost of health insurance (just like every other employee in Norway). Additionally, every visit to the doctor or the hospital requires the payment of a small fee, typically around NOK 200, up to a maximum amount (or cap) of just under NOK 2000 per year. The cost of necessary medicines is also included in the capped amount.

If your health expenses exceed the annual capped amount, you will be registred as a holder of a "frikort". This means that all necessary additional health-related expenses will be completely covered by the health system for the rest of that year. 

Norway’s dental health system is a little different than its health care system. Children and young adults to the age of 18, have free "normal" dental care (Orthodontic treatment is not free). Read more about it at helsenorge.no

Adults typically pay for their own dental care, and are usually treated at a private practitioner’s office. In some cases at a at public dental clinic. 

It can also be cheaper to become a patient at the Student Clinic of the university. Information about this option.

You can call the six-digit phone number 116 117 to get to emergency services wherever you are in Norway.