🏥 NAV, healthcare and tax: what you need to know

National ID number or D number

Almost everything in Norway hangs on an eleven-digit personal number. If you are going to live here for at least six months, you get a fødselsnummer once you are registered in the National Population Register (Folkeregisteret) at Skatteetaten, the tax administration. For shorter stays you get a D-nummer. It works for tax and employment, but many banks, apps and services are built for people with a fødselsnummer.

If you have a D number and plan to stay, report your move to Norway as soon as you meet the requirements. With a fødselsnummer you are assigned a GP automatically, can get BankID and can log in to almost everything. EEA citizens must also register with the police or at a Service Centre for Foreign Workers (SUA) within three months.

Tax card and Skatteetaten

Before your first payday you need a tax card (skattekort). You order it at skatteetaten.no, and your employer fetches it electronically – you do not hand in anything on paper. Without a tax card your employer has to withhold 50 per cent tax. The money is not lost, but you only get it back after the annual tax settlement.

Every spring you receive your tax return (skattemelding). It is pre-filled, but read it carefully: deductions for travel between home and work, interest on loans and commuter costs often have to be added by you. The tax card is calculated from your expected income, so if your pay changes a lot, you can adjust it online at any time of year.

GP, out-of-hours clinic and emergency numbers

Everyone living in Norway has the right to a GP (fastlege), and the GP is the door into the rest of the health service. To see a specialist you usually need a referral. Choose or change GP at helsenorge.no – you can change up to twice a year. Book a fastlege as soon as you get your fødselsnummer, because the popular doctors often have full lists.

When the surgery is closed and it cannot wait until the next day, call the out-of-hours clinic (legevakt) on 116 117. In life-threatening situations call 113 (ambulance). 112 is the police and 110 is the fire service. At the doctor you pay a patient charge (egenandel), but once you reach the annual ceiling you get an exemption card (frikort) automatically and pay nothing for the rest of the year.

NAV and sick leave

NAV is the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration. It handles unemployment benefit, sickness benefit, parental benefit, child benefit and pensions. Most things are done at nav.no after logging in. There is a local NAV office in every municipality, but it usually pays to book an appointment in advance.

If you get ill, you can often use a self-certification (egenmelding) for the first few days – how many depends on your workplace. If it lasts longer, you need a sick note (sykmelding) from a doctor. Your employer pays sick pay for the first 16 days (the employer period), after which NAV takes over. To be entitled to sick pay you normally need to have worked for at least four weeks. Tell your manager the same morning, not just in a message to a colleague.

Parental leave and Helsenorge

Parental benefit (foreldrepenger) is applied for through NAV. The period is split into a mother's quota, a father's quota and a shared period that the parents divide between themselves. You choose between full rate over a shorter time or a lower rate over a longer time. Both the length and the amounts are adjusted regularly, so check nav.no before you plan. Apply in good time, ideally a couple of months before the due date, and talk to your employer early.

Helsenorge.no is the entrance to your health services: you can message your GP, see prescriptions, appointments and vaccinations, and change doctor. The app is worth downloading. Prescriptions are electronic, so at the pharmacy it is enough to give your fødselsnummer.

Useful phrases

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  Jeg vil gjerne bestille time hos fastlegen.I would like to book an appointment with my GP.
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  Jeg er syk og kommer ikke på jobb i dag.I am ill and won't come to work today.
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  Kan jeg levere egenmelding?Can I hand in a self-certification?
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  Jeg trenger en sykmelding.I need a sick note.
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  Har jeg fått skattekort?Have I got a tax card?
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  Det gjør vondt her.It hurts here.
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  Jeg har time klokka ti.I have an appointment at ten.
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  Hva er fødselsnummeret ditt?What is your national ID number?
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  Jeg må ringe legevakten.I need to call the out-of-hours clinic.