Nursing homes in Norway are a municipal service: you apply to your municipality, your needs are assessed individually, and a place is offered to those who need round-the-clock care. The price depends on your income. Here is SamfunnPrep's overview of the care ladder, the application, 2026 rates, and rules for family from abroad.
How nursing homes work in Norway: the care ladder
The municipality has a duty to provide necessary health and care services to everyone living in the municipality. This is stated in the Health and Care Services Act (hol) § 3-1. Help is provided step by step, from some assistance at home to a permanent place in a nursing home – this is often called the care ladder.
You almost always start at the bottom of the ladder. Many manage well at home for a long time with home nursing care and free aids from NAV. If you care for an elderly parent yourself, they may have a right to care assistance.
| Level | What it is | What you pay (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Home services | Home nursing and practical assistance at your home | Home nursing is free; practical assistance has co-payment based on income |
| Day centre | Activity and supervision during the day | Maximum 115 kr per day or night stay (food and transport may be additional) |
| Care housing | Adapted housing, often with staffing 24 hours a day | Rent and services separate; you can apply for housing assistance (bostøtte) from Husbanken |
| Nursing home, short-term stay | Temporary place, for example after hospital | Maximum 205 kr per 24 hours |
| Nursing home, long-term stay | Permanent place with round-the-clock care | Co-payment (vederlag): 75/85 percent of your income |
How do you apply for a place?
You send a written application to the allocation office (tildelingskontoret) in your municipality (some municipalities call it the administration office). The municipality assesses your needs together with you and issues a written decision.
Since 1 July 2017, the Patient and Service User Rights Act (pbrl) § 2-1 e gives you the right to a nursing home place when it is the only service that ensures you receive proper health care. The municipality cannot then place you on a waiting list. In addition, each municipality has its own regulations with allocation criteria – you can find these on Lovdata or the municipality's website.
If you are refused, you can appeal within four weeks. The appeal goes first to the municipality. If the refusal stands, the case is sent to the county governor (statsforvalteren), the state appeals body in the county. The Patient and Service User Ombudsman helps you free of charge with applications and appeals.
What does a nursing home place cost?
A long-term place has no fixed price – you pay a share of your income, called co-payment (vederlag). From 1 January 2026, the municipality can charge up to 75 percent of income up to the basic amount in the National Insurance Scheme (G, 136,549 kr as of 1 May 2026) and up to 85 percent of income above G.
Here is an example calculation with 300,000 kr in pension per year (2026 rates):
- 75 percent of income up to G, after deduction of the free amount of 10,950 kr: approximately 94,200 kr
- 85 percent of income above G: approximately 138,900 kr
- Co-payment (vederlag): approximately 233,100 kr per year, or about 19,400 kr per month
- You keep about 5,600 kr per month – and as a general rule the first month is free (except when moving directly from a short-term stay or another institution)
The co-payment can never be higher than what the place actually costs the municipality, often around one million kroner per year. If you have a spouse living at home, the municipality should make a deduction so they do not lose everything. Short-term stays cost a maximum of 205 kr per 24 hours (2026). The calculation is based on your pension – read more about occupational pensions and early retirement (AFP).
In care housing, the co-payment model does not apply. You pay rent, can apply for housing assistance (bostøtte) from Husbanken, and pay only for the services you use. Home nursing is also free in care housing.
How many places are there – and how long are the queues?
Norway had 39,727 institutional places (SSB, Statistics Norway, as of 31.12.2025). The standard in Norwegian nursing homes is high: 99.0 percent of rooms are single rooms, and 94.3 percent have their own bathroom.
30,641 people lived in long-term care and 10,288 in short-term stays. By comparison, 168,587 people received health services at home – most elderly people thus live at home for as long as possible.
How long are the queues? There is no national answer. The Norwegian Directorate of Health stopped counting waiting lists nationally on 15 August 2022, and waiting times vary from municipality to municipality. But remember: if you meet the criterion in pbrl § 2-1 e, you have the right to a place without a waiting list.
Can elderly people from other European countries use Norwegian nursing homes?
No. Elderly people from other EU countries do not move to Norway to live in nursing homes, and there is no scheme for this. We get this question often at SamfunnPrep, and the answer is straightforward.
Nursing home places are allocated after individual needs assessment to people living in the municipality (hol § 3-1). It is not a market you can buy into from abroad. EU/EEA citizens who live legally in Norway, however, have exactly the same rights as Norwegians (EEA is the EU countries plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein). Under the National Insurance Act (folketrygdloven) § 2-1, you are a member of the National Insurance Scheme when you live legally in Norway and the stay is intended to last, or has lasted, at least twelve months. For tourists, the European health insurance card covers only emergency health care – not elderly care.
Historically, the flow went the other way: Norwegian municipalities and foundations ran their own nursing homes and rehabilitation centres in Spain. That era is over. The Betanien home in Alfaz del Pi closed in October 2018, and Bærum municipality's centre CAN in Altea was wound up on 1 July 2025.
Can you bring your parents to Norway?
For most people, unfortunately the answer is no. The rule on family immigration for "mother or father over 60 years old" is in practice almost closed.
The conditions are strict, and all must be met: the parent must be over 60 years old, without a spouse or cohabitant, and without other children or grandchildren in their home country. One remaining child or grandchild in the home country results in a refusal. You who live in Norway must also earn at least 436,957 kr per year (2026 rate).
If you are an EU/EEA citizen working in Norway, there is a separate route: a parent you support financially can come under EEA rules – without the requirements above. Read more on the topic page about family immigration.
Jobs in elderly care
Elderly care is one of Norway's largest employers of immigrants. In 2024, 21.9 percent of employees in municipal health and care services had an immigrant background, and among health workers the share was 27.2 percent (Norwegian Directorate of Health). Municipalities constantly need more staff, and for many newcomers elderly care is the first way into Norwegian working life.
The welfare state is curriculum
How the welfare state and elderly care work is curriculum for the citizenship test. Want to test yourself? Practice free on SamfunnPrep – you get questions about health, welfare, and rights in Norway.
