Power of attorney on Helsenorge: helping someone else with health services in Norway

In Norway, almost everything between you and your GP now runs through one website: appointments, test results, prescriptions. That works fine until you need to do it for somebody else – an ageing parent, a partner who does not speak Norwegian, a teenager who has just turned 16. The mechanism you need is called fullmakt, power of attorney, and it is free, reversible and takes a few minutes to set up. Here is how it works, and what to know if you are new to the Norwegian system.

First, the pieces of the system

Three Norwegian words explain most of this.

• Helsenorge (helsenorge.no) is the national health portal. It is where you see your prescriptions, book GP appointments, view vaccination records and message your doctor. Much of the information is available in English, but the logged-in services are largely in Norwegian.
• BankID is the national electronic ID, issued by your bank. You need it to log in to Helsenorge. If you have a Norwegian personal identity number and a Norwegian bank account, you can normally get one.
• Fastlege is your assigned GP – the entry point to the health system for referrals, prescriptions, sick notes and follow-up.

A power of attorney is a declaration that allows another person to view your health data and use Helsenorge services on your behalf. Crucially, it belongs to the person granting it: they can change or delete it at any time, without giving a reason.

Who can give and receive it

The person granting the power of attorney must be at least 16 years old. The person receiving it must be over 18. It can run for a fixed period or indefinitely – the person granting it decides.

One exclusion worth knowing: if you live at a confidential or protected address (sperret adresse), you can neither represent others nor be represented on Helsenorge.

Choose only the access you need

Helsenorge splits its services into three groups, called service areas. When you create the power of attorney you tick one, two or all three, so you can share exactly as much as the situation calls for.

• Access to data registered about you. Prescriptions, summary care record, vaccinations, test results, who your GP is.
• Access to your medical records. Hospital journal documents, and the ability to request correction of errors.
• Use of your digital health services. The practical one: booking and managing appointments, seeing referrals, messaging health personnel, viewing prescriptions and requesting repeats, and the vaccination card.

If your goal is simply to help someone manage everyday care, the third area usually covers it. Add the medical records area only if you also need to read hospital notes.

If the person you are helping does not use Helsenorge at all

This is common with older relatives who never adopted BankID. A power of attorney can also be granted on paper: Helsenorge provides a form that is filled in and posted, with no login required by the person granting it. So being offline does not exclude someone from the digital system – it just means someone else operates it for them.

There is also a separate arrangement for people who are permanently unable to consent for themselves, where close relatives can obtain a power of attorney with confirmation from the treating doctor. If you are unsure whether that applies in your situation, your GP is the right person to raise it with.

Children follow different rules – and they change with age

For your own children you do not need a power of attorney at all. Parental responsibility gives the access, provided you are registered at the same address as the child in the Norwegian National Population Register. But the access narrows as the child gets older, which catches a lot of parents by surprise:

• Under 12: With parental responsibility, you can see the child's medical records on Helsenorge.
• 12 to 16: There is currently no solution for showing medical records for this age group on Helsenorge. If you need access, you request a copy by sending a form to the relevant hospital.
• From 16: Your access ends. The young person can log in themselves – or grant you a power of attorney, exactly as an adult would.

This is a deliberate design choice rather than a technical gap. The Norwegian Directorate of Health has separate guidance on parental access up to the age of 16, precisely because young people have a right to confidentiality about their own health.

One point specific to international families: if you move abroad and are no longer registered at a Norwegian address, you lose access to your child's records – so request a copy before you go.

Three things it does not cover

A Helsenorge power of attorney applies only to Helsenorge. Other tasks need their own arrangement:

• Contact with Helfo – the agency handling reimbursements and the exemption card (frikort) – requires a separate power of attorney.
• Collecting prescription items at a pharmacy is a different power of attorney. That service is still being tested and can currently only be used at Apotek 1 and Farmasiet. The Norwegian Pharmacy Association also has its own form for this.
• A lasting power of attorney (fremtidsfullmakt) can be used for Helsenorge access, but it must cover "personal matters" and/or "health", and it must be certified by the County Governor (Statsforvalteren).

What it looks like at the GP surgery

Once the power of attorney is active, you switch between profiles in Helsenorge by selecting whose behalf you are acting on. From there you can book appointments, follow up test results and request prescription renewals for the person you are helping. If you are still finding your way around the portal, we have written a beginner's guide to Helsenorge in English.

One thing does not change: the power of attorney gives you access to the services, but the care itself still sits between doctor and patient. If you want to join a consultation, it helps to agree that in advance – at our surgery in Rosenkrantzgata 75 in central Drammen, just mention it when you book.

This is general information about a digital service, not an assessment of your situation. If you are unsure about the health of someone you are helping, talk to your doctor. For life-threatening illness or injury call 113, and outside GP opening hours the out-of-hours service (legevakt) is on 116 117.

Looking for a GP in Drammen?

Hotvet legesenter is at Rosenkrantzgata 75 in central Drammen. Several of our GPs have places available on their patient lists, and our doctors speak English.

See available GP places