Social security during stays abroad

Membership in the National Insurance Scheme

General issues

• Persons resident in Norway who are abroad temporarily retain membership in the National Insurance Scheme as long as they are not performing paid work abroad. Being abroad 'temporarily' means stays of up to 12 months, provided that the intention is to subsequently be in Norway for at least 12 months.
• For work-related stays of more than 12 months for which your salaried is paid from Norway, you must apply for membership in the National Insurance Scheme during stays abroad (nav.no) (Norwegian). Your employer, represented by the Payroll Office must certify part 15 of the application. Apply well in advance - the processing time is up to 12 weeks!
• We recommend that you apply to maintain your membership in the National Insurance Scheme even when your stay abroad will extend beyond 12 months. You will then get a written confirmation that you remain a member of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme.
• If the tax office has granted you a tax exemption for salary earned abroad, you must always apply to maintain your membership in the National Insurance Scheme, regardless of the duration of your stay abroad.
• If you have decided to extend your stay abroad beyond one year, you must be aware that your National Insurance entitlements are terminated as of the date this decision is made. The same applies when you accept paid work abroad. Contact NAV International at +47-21 07 37 00 for a further clarification.
• You are required to notify your local NAV office (nav.no) (Norwegian) if you return to Norway sooner than you indicated in your application to retain membership while abroad.
• Read more about Working abroad (nav.no) and Staying abroad (nav.no), Entitlements to health care when staying abroad (helsenorge.no) (Norwegian) and Social security (euraxess.no).

Control questions you should ask yourself

• How long will I be abroad?
• Do I already know that I will need treatment, for instance for chronic conditions?
• Have I spoken with my local NAV office (nav.no) (Norwegian)?
• What does the National Insurance Scheme in the country I am going to cover, and do I want additional insurance?
• Do I need to submit an application for membership in the National Insurance Scheme during stay outside Norway (nav.no)?
• If you are travelling to another EEA country or Switzerland: Do I have a valid European Health Insurance Card (ec.europa.eu)?
• Do I have any other confirmation that I remain a member of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme?
• Have I notified the National Insurance Scheme that I have returned from abroad?

Family members

• Family members who accompany your from Norway are automatically members of the National Insurance Scheme during stays that last for less than 12 months, provided that they do not work while abroad.
• For longer stays, dependants may be covered by the employee's decision about membership. The spouse must have been a member of the National Insurance Scheme for at least three full years in the past five years immediately prior to the date the application is made.
• It is possible to accumulate points for care work for unpaid care for children below the age of seven. You can get further information and an application form from NAV International at +47-21 07 37 00. Those who retain entitlements to child benefits will automatically accumulate points for care work.

Working within the EEA/Switzerland

• During temporary stays, you should bring your European Health Insurance Card (ec.europa.eu). The card documents that you are entitled to coverage for expenses for necessary medical treatment when you are temporarily in another EEA country (helsenorge.no) (Norwegian) or Switzerland. You are entitled to treatment in the same manner as citizens of the country in question. Order the card online (nav.no). It will be sent to you by mail within about a week.
• The health insurance card provides coverage according to the rules applicable in the country you are in. For example, in France, people must generally pay 20 per cent of the cost of hospitalisation themselves. Any repatriation to Norway is never covered. In other words, you may want to buy additional private travel insurance.
• For those travelling to Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, we recommend that you always apply for membership in the National Insurance Scheme during stays abroad (nav.no) (Norwegian). In these countries, the public health system is assessed in such a way that you can be reimbursed pursuant to the National Insurance Act, which requires that you can document your membership.
• With the exception of short business trips, we generally recommend applying to maintain membership in the National Insurance Scheme during work-related stays in EEA countries or Switzerland - including for stays of up to 12 months. To confirm your membership, send the A1 application ¨C NAV 02-08.07 (nav.no) to NAV. The confirmation must be submitted to the national insurance authorities in the country in which you are working. You will then be exempted from paying national insurance contributions in this country.

Working outside the EEA/Switzerland

• Those who work abroad temporarily (up to 12 months) and are paid by UiO/a Norwegian employer, are required to retain membership in the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme. The membership includes all chapters of the National Insurance Act. This provides an automatic entitlement to extended benefits for health services.
• When working abroad for more than 12 months while being paid by a Norwegian employer, you must apply for membership in the National Insurance Scheme during stays abroad (nav.no) (Norwegian).
• We recommend that you also apply to retain your membership for stays of up to 12 months, to ensure that your membership has been registered by the NAV National Office for Social Insurance Abroad.
• If you have been granted a tax exemption for your stay, you must always apply to retain your membership.
• Your entitlements will depend on whether there is a social security agreement (nav.no) with your host country.

Working in the USA and Canada

• When you submit your application for membership in the National Insurance Scheme during stay outside Norway (nav.no).
• For employees who have been dispatched from Norway to the USA, the Social Security Agreement between Norway and the U.S.A (nav.no) (Norwegian) ensures that employees continue to be fully covered by the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme, including being entitled to sick pay and coverage from the National Insurance Scheme for expenses related to support from health services. Pension points continue to accrue in the National Insurance Scheme, and the membership fee is also paid to the National Insurance Scheme.
• You should nevertheless consider buying private insurance! The National Insurance Scheme does not cover any repatriation to Norway, or dental services. Furthermore, the costs of some medical examinations (such as x-rays) are not covered. Remember that all health services are very expensive in the USA.
• The employer must pay the employer¡¯s national insurance contribution if your salary is paid from Norway.
• The same rules apply to Canada; see the Agreement on Social Security Between Canada and the Kingdom of Norway (nav.no) (Norwegian).

Reimbursement from the National Insurance Scheme

• If you incur costs for the use of health services, use the Claim for reimbursement of expenses for illness or birth outside of Norway (altinn.no) (Norwegian) form to be reimbursed.
  Note: All receipts for the expenses must be enclosed.
• The claim must be received by HELFO, Postboks 2415, 3104 T?nsberg within 6 months of the invoice being issued. After this date, the claim will be time-barred.
• Read more about your entitlements to health care during stays abroad (helsenorge.no) (Norwegian).

Benefit schemes for parents

Parental benefits

• If you retain membership in the National Insurance Scheme while abroad, you are entitled to parental benefit (nav.no).
• Read more about parental leave.

Child benefits

• Whether child benefits are paid during a stay abroad depends on a number of factors and should always be confirmed with your local NAV office (nav.no) (Norwegian) or NAV International at +47-21 07 37 00.
• NAV's website provides an overview of child benefit entitlement when staying abroad (nav.no) (Norwegian).
• Remember to notify your local NAV office (nav.no) (Norwegian) in writing when you return to Norway!

Cash-for-care benefit (kontantst?tte)

• Whether cash-for-care benefits are paid during stays abroad depends on a number of factors, and you should always discuss this with your local NAV office (nav.no) (Norwegian) or NAV International at +47-21 07 37 00.
• NAV's website provides an overview of cash-for-care benefits while staying abroad (nav.no).
• Remember to notify your local NAV office (nav.no) (Norwegian) in writing when you return to Norway!