Healthcare in Norway: what does a doctor cost, and where do visitors get help?

Updated 26.09.2026. Facts checked against helsenorge.no, Helfo, the Norwegian Directorate of Health and UDI.

Short answer: Healthcare in Norway is not free for adults, but the user fee is low: a GP appointment costs NOK 179 in the daytime in 2026, and the out-of-hours clinic (legevakt) NOK 301 in the evening and at night. Once you have paid NOK 3,278 in user fees in a year, you get an exemption card. Visitors from the EU/EEA with a European Health Insurance Card pay the same. Emergency: call 113. Legevakt: 116 117.

Key facts

What applies to you?

• You live in Norway and are registered in the National Population Register: you have the right to a GP and pay user fees until you reach the ceiling. See GP and prices.
• Visitor from the EU/EEA, Switzerland or the UK: bring your European Health Insurance Card (or UK GHIC) – then you pay the same as Norwegians. See EU/EEA visitors.
• Visitor from outside the EU/EEA: you get urgent care, but you pay the full cost yourself. Travel insurance is recommended. See visitors from other countries.
• Children and young people under 18: no user fee at the doctor and legevakt, and free dental care in the public dental service.

Is healthcare free in Norway?

Not entirely. The public health service is funded by the state, but adults pay a user fee (egenandel) at the GP, the legevakt, specialists and psychologists, for tests and X-rays, and for medicines on blue prescription. The fees are the same across the country.

Once you have paid NOK 3,278 in approved user fees in 2026, you reach the user-fee ceiling. You then get an exemption card (frikort), and the same services are free for the rest of the year. The card arrives automatically within three weeks; you can see it and your fees on helsenorge.no.

Children and young people under 18 pay no user fee at the doctor and legevakt. From 1 August 2026 this also applies to 16- and 17-year-olds.

How much does a doctor’s visit cost in 2026?

Source: helsenorge.no, user fees for 2026, checked 26.09.2026. The amounts apply to public services and doctors with a municipal agreement. Private clinics set their own prices.

Medicines: on a blue prescription you pay, from 1 January 2026, 60 % of the price, but at most NOK 400 per dispensing (Helfo). Medicines on an ordinary (white) prescription you pay yourself.

Who do I call: 113, 116 117 or my GP?

• 113 – medical emergency: accidents, serious illness and whenever someone needs help immediately. Helsenorge lists, among others: new paralysis of the face or arms, new speech problems, sudden unsteadiness, unconsciousness, chest pain lasting more than five minutes.
• 116 117 – legevakt: when you fall ill in the evening or at the weekend and cannot wait for your GP. For example high fever (especially in children), moderate breathing difficulties, acute illness or sudden deterioration, cuts, suspected fractures, complications in pregnancy or serious mental illness. The number is free and open around the clock.
• Your GP: anything that is not urgent, during the day.

Call the legevakt before you go – they will assess whether you need to come in. Other emergency numbers and more advice are in our guide to emergency numbers and plan B.

What is the legevakt, and where do I find it?

The legevakt (out-of-hours medical service) provides urgent help around the clock in every municipality. Call 116 117 and you are connected to the legevakt where you are. You pay the same user fee as at the GP: NOK 179 in the daytime and NOK 301 in the evening and at night in 2026, unless you have an exemption card.

Legevakt clinics in our directory: Oslo legevakt, Bergen legevakt, Bodø legevakt, Fredrikstad legevakt, Drammen legevakt, Lillehammer legevakt, Haugesund legevakt. More under hospitals and medical centres in your city (see the table below).

Visitors from the EU/EEA, Switzerland or the UK: what does the EHIC cover?

With a valid European Health Insurance Card you get medically necessary care in the public health service during your stay, and you pay the same user fee as residents. The card must be shown physically – a digital card is not accepted – and each family member needs their own. UK health insurance cards, including the GHIC, can be used in Norway.

• No card with you? Ask the social security authorities in your home country for a Provisional Replacement Certificate. Otherwise you can claim a refund at home – keep all original bills and receipts.
• Dentist: you usually pay the full cost yourself.
• Medicines: you can buy prescription medicines at any pharmacy with your card and prescription, but usually at full price.
• Private clinics are not part of the public health service – there you pay yourself, or use your travel insurance if it covers it.

Source: helsenorge.no, checked 26.09.2026.

Visitors from outside the EU/EEA: what do you pay?

Everyone staying in Norway has the right to urgent medical care from the municipality and hospitals. However, you are not entitled to reimbursement from the National Insurance Scheme, so you pay the full cost of treatment yourself. Urgent care cannot be refused because you are unable to pay.

Exception – Australia: under an agreement between the countries, residents of Australia can be reimbursed for urgent necessary treatment on presenting an Australian passport or Medicare card.

Helsenorge recommends travel insurance. If you apply for a visa, UDI requires travel insurance covering at least EUR 30,000, necessary medical treatment and emergency hospital care, and repatriation due to illness, injury or death. It must be valid throughout the Schengen area for your whole stay.

Sources: helsenorge.no and udi.no, checked 26.09.2026.

Living in Norway and travelling abroad? How to get the European Health Insurance Card

Order the card free of charge on helsenorge.no with BankID, or call Guidance helsenorge.no on +47 23 32 70 00. It normally takes up to 10 working days to arrive in your mailbox, and it is valid for three years. The card covers medically necessary care in the public health service in the EU/EEA, Switzerland and the UK, at the same user fees as local residents. It does not cover trips made to receive treatment.

Source: helsenorge.no, checked 26.09.2026.

Regular GP (fastlege): who is entitled, and how do I change?

Everyone registered as living in Norway in the National Population Register has the right to a regular GP. With only a D-number you are generally not entitled to one (exceptions include asylum seekers and their families).

Changing your GP: log in to helsenorge.no with BankID and choose a new doctor yourself, or call Guidance helsenorge.no on +47 23 32 70 00.

No regular GP? If you have lost your GP and are on a list without a permanent doctor, you are still affiliated with a surgery. Outside opening hours, call the legevakt on 116 117.

Booking an appointment: all GPs must offer appointment booking, prescription renewal and contact with the practice on Helsenorge. Some practices also use their own solutions, for example the Min lege app. An e-consultation is a written message to your GP about something that is not urgent. You usually get an answer within five working days, and the normal patient fee applies (helsenorge.no, updated 14.08.2026).

Source: helsenorge.no, checked 26.09.2026 and 27.09.2026.

Helsenorge: logging in, exemption card and EHIC

helsenorge.no is Norway’s public health website. You log in with BankID, and in the app you can also use MinID (see the video). There you can, among other things, change your GP, order a European Health Insurance Card and see your exemption card and user fees.

Video: logging in to the Helsenorge app with MinID (Helsenorge, 1:45, in Norwegian)

Private health insurance: do you need it?

Private health insurance, often called treatment insurance (behandlingsforsikring), gives faster access to medical treatment and covers operations and other treatment your doctor refers you to. It comes on top of the public health service. At the end of 2024, 840,000 people in Norway had such insurance, 740,000 of them through their employer (Finance Norway).

What it covers and costs varies between companies – read the terms. Insurance companies in our directory: Oslo.

Travel insurance: private doctors, medical certificates and families

Private doctors: the European Health Insurance Card covers only public healthcare – not private doctors and clinics, and not the trip home (European Commission). Travel insurance may cover a private doctor, but not always: If, for example, does not cover stays and treatment at private clinics in the Nordic countries (if.no, checked 27.09.2026). Call your insurer before you see a private doctor, and keep receipts, the medical certificate and prescriptions.

Medical certificate (legeerklæring): a written statement from a doctor about your state of health (Store medisinske leksikon, updated 09.09.2025). Ask for it during your visit. Your insurer needs it together with the receipts (if.no).

Families and children: each family member needs their own European Health Insurance Card, children too (Citizens Information, Ireland, updated 16.07.2026). The card is not an alternative to travel insurance (European Commission), so check that your policy covers the whole family.

Extreme sports: if you plan to climb, dive or ski off-piste, check that your insurance covers it. More: extreme sports in Norway: insurance and evacuation.

Pharmacies: prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines and medicines from abroad

• Prescription: prescription medicines are sold at pharmacies. EU/EEA visitors show their health insurance card and prescription but usually pay full price (helsenorge.no).
• Foreign prescription: prescriptions issued by telephone, fax or email are not valid (Norwegian Medical Products Agency, DMP).
• Without a prescription: some over-the-counter medicines are also sold in grocery stores, kiosks and petrol stations (DMP).
• Bringing medicines into Norway: from an EEA country up to one year’s use of each medicine, from other countries up to three months’ use. Special rules apply to narcotic medicines, usually up to 30 days’ use. Bring a prescription, a medical certificate or the pharmacy label (DMP).

Pharmacies in our directory: Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, Tromsø, Kristiansand.

Dentists: how much does it cost, and who gets it free?

• Adults usually pay the full price themselves. Prices vary between clinics – ask for an estimate before treatment.
• Children and young people under 18 get free dental care in the public dental service (helsenorge.no).
• Young adults aged 19–28 are entitled to necessary dental care from the public dental service and pay at most 25 % of the rates. This became law on 1 July 2025 (Norwegian Directorate of Health).

Toothache in the evening or at the weekend? In Oslo, see emergency dentists in Oslo with opening hours and prices. Emergency dentists in our directory: Emergency dentist, Oslo municipality, Emergency dentist Stavanger, Private emergency dentist Bergen, Emergency dentist Innlandet, Hamar. Dentists in your city are in the table below.

Find pharmacies, medical centres, hospitals and dentists in your city

Photos: doctor, pharmacy and ambulance

People also ask

• Is healthcare free in Norway?
• Is healthcare free in Norway for foreigners?
• What is the user-fee ceiling in 2026?
• How much does a doctor visit cost in Norway?
• How much does the legevakt cost in the evening?
• How much does a blood test cost?
• How much do medicines on blue prescription cost?
• When should I call 113?
• What is 116 117?
• Where is the legevakt in Oslo, Bergen or Bodø?
• Do I need to call before going to the legevakt?
• Does the EHIC cover Norway?
• Can I use a UK GHIC in Norway?
• Is healthcare free in Norway for tourists?
• Do I need travel insurance for Norway?
• What are the travel insurance requirements for a Norway visa?
• How do I order a European Health Insurance Card in Norway?
• Who has the right to a GP in Norway?
• How do I change my GP (fastlege)?
• How do I log in to Helsenorge?
• Do I need private health insurance in Norway?
• Can I buy medicine without a prescription in shops?
• How much medicine can I bring into Norway?
• Is dental care free in Norway?
• How much does a dentist cost for under-28s?
• Where can I find an emergency dentist?
• How do I book an appointment with my GP?
• Can I see a private doctor with travel insurance?
• How do I get a medical certificate for my insurance?
• Do children need their own European Health Insurance Card?

Sources

All links checked 26.09.2026.

• Helsenorge: user fees for health services 2026 (Norwegian)
• Helsenorge: user fees at the family doctor and legevakt
• Helsenorge: out-of-hours medical service and 116 117
• Helsenorge: where to get help (113, 116 117, GP)
• Helsenorge: tourists from the EU/EEA or Switzerland
• Helsenorge: tourists from outside the EU/EEA
• Helsenorge: European Health Insurance Card
• Helsenorge: the right to a doctor
• Helfo: blue prescription user fee from 1 January 2026 (Norwegian)
• Directorate of Health: dental care for young adults 19–28 (Norwegian)
• UDI: travel insurance for visitor’s visa
• DMP: medicines sold outside pharmacies (Norwegian)
• DMP: bringing medicines into Norway
• Finance Norway: health insurance statistics (Norwegian)
• If: illness while travelling (Norwegian)
• Store medisinske leksikon: legeerklæring (updated 09.09.2025, Norwegian)
• Citizens Information (Ireland): European Health Insurance Card (updated 16.07.2026)

Readers’ experiences

Have you seen a doctor, visited a legevakt or a pharmacy in Norway? Tell us how it went – waiting time, price, language – in the comments at the bottom of the page. We use your questions when we update this guide.