Healthcare in Norway – how to get a fastlege, what you pay in 2026 and when to call 113
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
Healthcare in Norway is not free, but it is cheap and capped: once you have paid NOK 3,278 in user fees in 2026, you pay no more for the rest of the year. Here is how to get a fastlege (regular GP), which number to call when, and what changed for teenagers on 1 August 2026.
Healthcare in Norway became cheaper for families on 1 August 2026. From that date, 16- and 17-year-olds no longer pay user fees, so everyone under 18 is exempt from co-payments under the exemption-card scheme. Adults pay an egenandel (user fee) – NOK 179 for a daytime GP consultation in 2026 – until their approved fees reach NOK 3,278 in the year. Then a frikort (exemption card) covers the rest of the year. It is a different frikort from the tax card in part 7.
According to IMDi's New in Norway guide, healthcare usually costs little, and everyone living in Norway is entitled to emergency healthcare, whatever their residence status. Helsenorge, the public health service's official portal, is where you book appointments, renew prescriptions and read your patient records.
How does healthcare in Norway work for newcomers?
Health cover is linked to membership of folketrygden (the National Insurance Scheme), administered by NAV (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration). If your stay lasts, or is meant to last, at least 12 months, you normally become a member from the day you arrive. Anyone who works in Norway is a member, however long they stay.
Coming from outside the EU/EEA to work? You are enrolled and covered for necessary health-service expenses at the fixed user fees – but family members who come with you must apply to NAV for their own membership. Norway also coordinates social security with the EEA countries, under a separate Nordic convention and through agreements with countries including the US, Canada, Australia, India, the UK, Turkey and Israel.
| Your situation | Your health rights |
|---|---|
| Registered as resident in a municipality | The right to a fastlege |
| Working in Norway, from outside the EU/EEA | National Insurance member; your family must apply to NAV separately |
| Only a D-number | Normally no fastlege – exceptions for asylum seekers, NATO personnel and foreign representatives |
| Under 12 months, not working, strong ties to Norway | You may qualify for voluntary membership |
| Anyone living in Norway | Emergency healthcare, whatever your residence status |
Source: Helsenorge, NAV and IMDi, read 23 September 2026.
Helsenorge has separate guidance for EU/EEA employees and students, employees from outside the EU/EEA, asylum seekers and refugees, people without legal residence and pensioners moving to Norway, so read the page for your group.
How do I get a fastlege in Norway?
Everyone registered in folkeregisteret (the National Population Register) as resident in a Norwegian municipality has the right to a fastlege. That is one reason the fødselsnummer (national identity number) matters: with only a D-number you are generally not entitled to one – part 3 explains the difference. You can change GP up to twice per calendar year.
Children under 16 automatically get the same GP as their mother when the parents share parental responsibility and an address; you can switch the child to the father's GP instead. If you move to another municipality and back within three years, you may get your old GP back if you register the return move within six months.
To use your GP's digital services on Helsenorge – booking, e-consultation, prescription renewal – first consent to Full Access in your Helsenorge settings. An e-consultation is for matters that are not urgent: you usually get a reply within five working days and pay the normal user fee.
Questions about GP registration go to Guidance Helsenorge on +47 23 32 70 00, Monday to Friday 08:00–15:30. If a complaint about your GP cannot be solved locally, you can send it to the fylkeslege (County Medical Officer), with a copy to the kommuneoverlege (chief municipal doctor).
Which number do I call in an emergency in Norway?
Save these before you need them. Outside your GP's opening hours, the legevakt (out-of-hours medical service) handles acute illness and injuries that cannot wait.
| Number | When to call |
|---|---|
| 113 | Medical emergency – an accident, serious illness or danger to life |
| 116 117 | Legevakt when your GP is closed; open 24 hours and forwarded to the nearest service |
| 112 | Police emergency, free of charge |
| 110 | Fire |
| 116 111 | Emergency hotline for children and young people |
| 02800 | Police, non-emergency (+47 02800 from abroad) |
Source: Helsenorge, Politiet (the Norwegian Police) and DSB (the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection), read 23 September 2026.
What does it cost to see a doctor in Norway in 2026?
These are Helsenorge's 2026 user fees for public health services. A GP who specialises in general medicine charges slightly more.
| Service | Daytime | Evening |
|---|---|---|
| GP consultation | NOK 179 | NOK 301 |
| GP consultation, specialist in general medicine | NOK 235 | NOK 357 |
| Home visit by a GP | NOK 240 | NOK 384 |
| Home visit, specialist in general medicine | NOK 281 | NOK 425 |
| Consultation with, or visit from, a specialist | NOK 443 | – |
| Laboratory test | NOK 64 | – |
| X-ray | NOK 287 | – |
Source: Helsenorge, read 23 September 2026.
Approved user fees count towards the exemption card. Pharmacies, GPs and other providers must report your approved fees to Helfo (the Norwegian Health Economics Administration) within 14 days, and once you reach NOK 3,278 in 2026 the card is issued automatically within three weeks. Paid above the limit? A refund can take up to five working days to reach your bank account; to change the account, write to Helfo, PO Box 2415, 3104 Tønsberg.
People on minstepensjon (the minimum state pension) pay no user fees for medicines, food products and medical supplies on blue prescription.
Is dental care free in Norway?
For children, yes: they get free public dental treatment, except braces. Adults generally pay for their own dental care, with a number of exceptions. Young people aged 19 to 28 who use the Public Dental Health Service pay 25 per cent of the cost, with the public sector covering the remaining 75 per cent. People who have lived at an institution or received home nursing for more than three months are treated free.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Check your National Insurance membership and your Helsenorge group | Before you arrive |
| 2 | From outside the EU/EEA: family members apply to NAV for their own membership | When they move |
| 3 | Get a fastlege | Once you are registered as resident |
| 4 | Consent to Full Access on Helsenorge | Before you book or message your GP online |
| 5 | Save 113, 116 117, 112 and 110 in your phone | Today |
| 6 | Keep track of your user fees – the exemption card comes automatically at NOK 3,278 | Through 2026 |
Source: Helsenorge and NAV, read 23 September 2026.
Official sources
The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.
- Helsenorge · helsenorge.no
- Helsenorge · helsenorge.no
- Helsenorge · helsenorge.no
- Helsenorge · helsenorge.no
- Helsenorge · helsenorge.no
- Helsenorge · helsenorge.no
- NAV · nav.no
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.