It is important that you have insurance. Sometimes things don’t go according to plan, and when this happens, you need a plan B.
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Please note that you do not have insurance through the University of Stavanger.
If you are a student and are going abroad in connection with your studies, make sure you have adequate health, travel, and other additional insurance during your stay abroad.
Check wheter you are a registered member of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme. when you leave, as well as the specific benefits you are entitled to as a member.
If you are a permanent resident of Norway, you are normally a member of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme. You retain your membership if you are going to study for a period of less than 12 months abroad or have financial support from the Norwegian Educational Loan Fund (Lånekassen) for your stay abroad.
Your membership provides you with a basic insurance policy. In many cases, the national insurance benefit system does not provide full coverage. It does not include travel and accident insurance, household contents insurance or repatriation in the event of illness.
To ensure that you are fully covered, we therefore recommend that you also purchase your own private insurance. The insurance must cover the purpose of your stay abroad and the entire period you are abroad.
Please note that your insurance may have limitations in connection with COVID-19.
If you are going to undertake practical training during your stay abroad, you should purchase a separate liability policy that covers any liability in the event you inflict harm on other people when performing practice-related tasks.
Before you leave, you must log in to the Digital service desk and complete the form "Checklist for students on overseas stays".
You can find more information below. Follow the links in the various categories to find all the necessary and up-to-date information about what applies to you and your stay abroad.
If you are a member of the Norwegian National Insurance scheme, a citizen of an EEA country or Switzerland and will be staying in another EEA country, you are entitled to healthcare service coverage.
As proof of the right to health care in countries other than the Nordic nations, you must carry the European Health Insurance Card with you. Read more at helsenorge.no. Familiarise yourself with what the card covers and does not cover during your stay abroad.
If you receive support from the Norwegian Loan Fund to study abroad, you will automatically receive a letter/ document from HELFO confirming your healthcare entitlements outside Norway. The document will be sent to your address registered in the National Population Register. It takes approximately 15 business days from the time the financial aid is granted to the time you receive the confirmation.
If you need healthcare services abroad outside the EEA, you must pay out of pocket for hospitalization, treatment, medicines etc. You must keep the receipts for your expenses and apply to HELFO afterwards to have them refunded. Read more at helsenorge.no.
If you study abroad without the support of the Norwegian National Loan Fund, your membership in the National Insurance scheme will generally be revoked after one year. Nevertheless, if you apply to NAV, you will be entitled to remain a member beyond the one-year period. If you are travelling abroad for study without financial aid from the Norwegian Loan Fund, please contact Helfo Utland to clarify your rights prior to departure.
In some cases, U.S. educational institutions will request a more detailed description of health care coverage rights than what HELFO issues. Norway has an agreement with an American insurance agent who assist students with access to health care and coverage of health expenses. Please note that the current agreement with the insurance agent Optum is terminated on 12 September 2022. After this, Norway no longer has a special arrangement for reimbursement of healthcare expenses in the United States. Please find information on how this affects students going on an exchange from autumn 2022 here: Coverage of healthcare expenses in the USA for students who are entitled to extended subsidisation
The purpose of the occupational injury insurance under Norway’s National Insurance Scheme is to provide special advantages beyond the ordinary benefits. Coverage under the National Insurance Act presupposes membership in the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme.
Under the National Insurance Act, you will be covered against occupational injuries provided that the harm occurs in a "teaching situation". What this means in practice is that the injury you incur must have occurred while you were in a teaching situation, at the teaching site, during teaching time.
Pursuant to section 13-10, third paragraph, of the Norwegian National Insurance Act, occupational injury provisions are also applicable to teaching sites other than where teaching ordinarily takes place. The prerequisite, in such a case, is that the teaching must take place under the direction of the university.
NAV is the authority that determines whether an injury is approved for coverage under the National Insurance Act.
In many cases, the national insurance benefit system does not provide full coverage. It does not include travel and accident insurance, household contents insurance or repatriation in the event of illness.
To ensure that you are fully covered, we therefore recommend that you also purchase your own private insurance. The insurance must cover the purpose of your stay abroad and the entire period you are abroad. Please familiarise yourself with the terms and conditions of your insurance policy.
Most insurance companies offer a so-called "student abroad insurance" which should be sufficient, in addition to the National Insurance scheme, for most cases.
Please contact your insurance company well in advance of departure. It is important to identify your insurance needs. You must make your insurance company especially aware of the specific study situation you will be in during your stay abroad.
Please note that your insurance may have limitations in connection with COVID-19.
If you are going to undertake practical training during your stay abroad, you should purchase a separate liability policy that covers any liability in the event you inflict harm on other people when performing practice-related tasks.
Please contact your insurance company.
Membership in the Norwegian National Insurance scheme is a prerequisite for several entitlements under the National Insurance Act. Foreign students who come to Norway will not automatically become a member of this social benefits scheme. As a general rule, if you study in Norway for less than a year, you will not become a member.
The first thing you need to do is find out whether you are already a member of the National Insurance Scheme.
If you are a member, please contact your local NAV office to check whether they can export your membership to the country you are travelling to in connection with your stay abroad.
If you are not a member, you have no entitlements under the National Insurance Act. You may be able to apply for voluntary membership.
With regard to other insurances in addition to any coverage you may have under the National Insurance Scheme, the above recommendations and guidelines apply as for Norwegian students on overseas stays.
Please note that as a foreign student, and if you wish to purchase insurance, you may face other obstacles than Norwegian students. For example, you may need to take out insurance in your home country.
European Health Insurance Card - order it and take it with you!
Vaccines if applicable
Check that your passport is valid
It is recommended to bring a copy of your passport, visa and other important documentation, as well as confirmation from a doctor if you use prescription medication
