Treatment abroad

As a member of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme you can receive treatment in another EU/EEA country and apply to Helfo to have the costs covered, provided the treatment corresponds to what you would have received from the public health service in Norway. For some people this is a real way out of a long queue. For many, another hospital in Norway is both faster and simpler. Here we explain how the scheme works, what it does not cover, which risks you should know about, and what we can help with.

When it may be relevant

The scheme suits planned treatment that is the same as you would receive in Norway, where you can get a concrete offer from a provider. Before going further, it makes sense to check the simplest routes first. As a rule you can choose which hospital in Norway treats you, and waiting times vary. If you have been given a deadline that is not met, you are entitled to have Helfo find another place for treatment for you; see our guide to missed deadlines. Read more about the options in How we work.

How the scheme works

You need a referral from a healthcare professional in Norway. You then have to find a provider yourself and obtain an offer. Helfo has no list of approved providers; you must make sure the provider is authorised in the country where the treatment takes place.

Before you travel, you can apply to Helfo for prior authorisation (forhåndstilsagn). It is optional, but we recommend it. Prior authorisation is a legally binding decision that clarifies whether the treatment is covered and the maximum amount you can receive. It is only granted to patients who have been given the right to specialist healthcare, and the application must include a written offer stating the type of treatment and the expected cost.

You pay for the treatment yourself and apply for reimbursement afterwards, within six months of the treatment date. Reimbursement corresponds to what the treatment would have cost in the public health service in Norway. If the treatment costs more, you pay the difference, and extra fees or an upgraded room are not covered. Some hospitals register foreign patients as private patients, which can make treatment more expensive.

Travel and accommodation are covered only to a small extent. You are reimbursed for travel only as if you had travelled to the nearest place of treatment in Norway. The scheme does not apply in Switzerland or the United Kingdom.

Helsenorge has a detailed guide to hospital treatment in EU/EEA countries (in Norwegian) with forms and examples.

Risks you should know about

Treatment abroad should be followed up in Norway like any other treatment, but you then join the ordinary queue. If complications arise, it can be harder for a Norwegian hospital to follow up when the method or equipment used differs from what is used here. The risk of infection with antibiotic-resistant bacteria is higher, and you may be tested before receiving hospital treatment in Norway again.

If you are injured during treatment, the compensation rules of the country of treatment apply, and you must make the claim yourself. The Norwegian System of Patient Injury Compensation only covers treatment abroad when the public health service has arranged the treatment with the provider in advance.

The more extensive the treatment, the more this matters. For complex surgery, such as extensive endometriosis surgery, the risk of complications is higher, and follow-up after you return must be settled before you travel. For such treatment we do not recommend any clinic today.

What we can help with

Treatment abroad is one of the options we look at in personal patient support, not a separate service. If it suits you, we help you understand the conditions, gather the documentation for prior authorisation, ask the provider for an offer that includes what Helfo needs, and keep track of receipts and deadlines afterwards. You are the applicant and send everything yourself. We do not choose a provider for you, and information about a provider is that provider's own.

If you would like to look at your options, you can get started with a short form.

Documentation from the provider

This part is also for providers who receive patients from Norway. Before treatment, the patient needs a written offer stating the type of treatment and the price. After treatment, the patient needs a discharge summary or medical record note, an itemised invoice and proof of payment. Documents should be in Norwegian, Danish, Swedish or English; otherwise the patient must pay for translation.

Do it yourself goes through the scheme step by step, from referral to reimbursement, with checklists. Legal framework collects the act, regulations and circulars with links. More guides are available under Guides.