Patient travel

You can have your patient travel covered when you travel to or from publicly approved treatment. As a rule, you will be covered for your patient travel expenses with a fixed amount per kilometer, regardless of the means of transport you use. In principle, travel to the nearest place where the treatment can be provided is covered.

Patient trips are owned by the 4 regional health undertakings: Helse Nord, Helse Midt-Norge, Helse West and Helse South-East.

The processing time at Pasionreiser varies depending on the application and region. You can follow the case processing times here.

You can have your journey covered if:

You have traveled for treatment that is covered by the public sector.
The journey is longer than 10 kilometers each way. You can have expenses covered for journeys that are shorter than 10 kilometres, if your practitioner documents that it was necessary to use a private car or taxi for health reasons.
The journey crosses several tariff zones for public transport. If the journey only takes place within one tariff zone, it will not, as a general rule, be covered through the patient travel scheme. This is independent of the means of transport. The exception to this rule is if your therapist documents that it was necessary to use a private car or taxi for health reasons.
If you can't get treatment by using public transport, you can have expenses covered within one rate zone. Remember to explain this when you apply.

Within the region

For treatment in hospital, and with specialists who have agreements with hospitals, travel within your health region is covered.

If you have received treatment outside your health region, and have made use of the right to freely choose treatment, you can have the journey covered with an increased deductible.

If you have to travel out of your health region because it is the nearest place where the treatment can be given, the referring practitioner must document this.

Within the municipality

For travel to and from other health services, such as a GP, travel within the municipality is covered. If you are to have the right to have such trips covered outside your own municipality or a cooperating municipality, the treatment provider must document that the treatment location is the closest place where the treatment can be provided.

You will find a more detailed overview of what is and is not covered further down the page.

Outlay or advance booking of travel

For most types of travel, you have to pay travel expenses yourself before applying for a refund, while other trips can be covered in advance. Flights and requested taxi journeys must be booked in advance with Pasionreiser.

Good to know

The application must be submitted no later than six months after the processing date
Remember a doctor's note if the child cannot take public transport
You may be entitled to reimbursement for expenses for food and accommodation when you have been traveling to or from treatment
Usually the travel is covered for one companion, but when a child is hospitalized, both parents can have the travel covered, regardless of whether they accompany the child
The need for a companion does not need to be documented for children under the age of 18
Amounts of less than NOK 100 will not be paid out
Remember receipts for outlays for transport if you do not pre-order
Children do not pay a deductible
Patient travel telephone: 05515 / 91505515

General practitioner and general practitioner

Travel is covered to the general practitioner and GP, if you travel:

within the home municipality
to the doctor who is geographically closest to your place of residence
to a municipality that has a GP partnership with your home municipality

Dentist

All dental treatment with Helfo reimbursement gives the right to cover via Patient Travel.

Audio pedagogue/speech therapist/chiropractor/orthoptist

Travel expenses are covered within your home municipality when the practitioner receives benefits under the National Insurance Act.

Treatment trips abroad

For treatment trips abroad under the auspices of Oslo University Hospital, Patient Travel can cover the part of the trip that is made in Norway.

Physiotherapist / manual therapist

Travel expenses for the physiotherapist are covered if the physiotherapist has an operating grant or is employed by the municipality. If the treatment requires approved additional training, such as manual therapy, travel expenses to the nearest physiotherapist who has the relevant additional training are covered.

National treatment centers

If you are going to travel to a national treatment centre, the entire journey is covered regardless of where you live. To book travel by plane, you must call Pasiontreiser to book in advance.

Psychologist

Travel to an approved psychological specialist with an operating grant from the regional health authority is covered. You must be referred for treatment.

Rehabilitation or training centre

The same rules as for trips to hospital apply.

Travel to EEA countries

When traveling to receive health services in an EEA country, you can have travel expenses covered equivalent to what you would have received by traveling to the nearest place where the treatment can be provided in Norway. The Norwegian Social Security Act gives you the opportunity to choose and receive the same treatment in an EEA country as you are entitled to in Norway. It is Helfo that decides whether the health service you have received falls under this scheme or not. If Helfo has approved the treatment, Patient Travel covers the travel expenses according to the rules in the Patient Travel Regulations.

Hospital

Travel expenses are covered to hospitals that are owned by or have an agreement with a regional healthcare organisation. When treatment at a private hospital is covered by the regional health authority, the journey may be covered. Keep receipts. Applications must be submitted in arrears.

Immediate help

Travel for immediate assistance is covered to the nearest place where immediate assistance can be provided.

Testing of aids

Travel is covered when fitting a hearing aid in a hospital, or at private specialists who have an agreement with a regional health authority.

This is not covered by Patient Travel:

Travel to the pharmacy or bandage specialist
Bereavement interviews/grief interviews
Foot care, foot therapist and skin care
Nav office
Dental treatments without Helfo reimbursement
Vaccination (for people in risk groups and the chronically ill, a vaccine may be necessary for health reasons. As long as the practitioner documents that the vaccine is necessary for health reasons, travel expenses can be covered by Patient Travel).
Aids centre, orthopedic workshop or similar for testing different types of aids (covered by NAV).
If the journey only takes place within one tariff zone

Relatives

The main rule is that relatives are not entitled to reimbursement of travel expenses, but there are some exceptions. In these cases, relatives will have their travel expenses covered:

When children under the age of 14 travel to visit a guardian with a life-threatening illness, and the guardian is unable to return home from the place of treatment. The attending physician must confirm that the illness is life-threatening and that the treatment lasts for at least two weeks.
When close relatives travel to a psychiatric outpatient clinic for children and young people (BUP) or family welfare office. They must be convened by the subject manager.
When close relatives travel to competence centers for people with rare and little-known diagnoses and disabilities.
When close relatives travel to courses or training under the auspices of a health institution. In order for relatives to have their travel to a course or training under the auspices of the health institution covered, they must be invited or referred, the course or training has a medical or treatment-related content and course participation must be necessary for future follow-up of the patient.
When children under the age of 18, who are relatives of parents or siblings, travel to health personnel who are to look after the child's needs for information and necessary follow-up. This applies to:
- mental illness
– drug addiction
– serious somatic illness/injury
- deaths

The right does not apply when children travel to visit or spend time with parents or siblings.

Application

If you are going to use the service on behalf of children for whom you have parental responsibility, select the child's profile in the Patient Travel service after you have logged in.

Applications are submitted digitally via Healthcare or on paper.

Complain

You have the right to complain if you disagree with a decision related to your patient journey. The appeal must be sent within 4 weeks of receiving the decision. You can send a digital complaint if you have received a digital decision on your application.