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Your regular GP: changing doctor and your rights

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Draft, translated: translated from the Norwegian original with the help of a language model, and may contain errors. The Norwegian version is the authoritative one. See the Norwegian original →

Everyone resident in Norway has the right to a regular GP. How to change, what the GP guarantee is, and what to do if you disagree with your GP.

Norwegian original last checked against official sources: 22 September 2026. Rules and figures change, so always check the official site before you act.

Everyone who lives in a Norwegian municipality has the right to be on a regular GP's (fastlege) list. Your GP is usually your entry point to the rest of the health service, including referrals on to DPS or hospital.

Changing your regular GP

You can change your regular GP up to two times per calendar year, without giving a reason. In addition, you can change if:

• you move to a new municipality,
• your GP retires or reduces their list.

The easiest way to change is on helsenorge.no, logged in with BankID or MinID. The change normally takes effect from the 1st of the following month. Remember that it is your responsibility to make sure your medical record is transferred from the old to the new GP.

The GP guarantee

The goal in the GP scheme regulations is that you should get an appointment with your GP within five working days for non-urgent needs, and the same day for urgent help. In busy periods, for example during flu season, or in municipalities struggling to recruit GPs, it may nonetheless take longer.

Do you disagree with your GP, or are you not getting the help you need?

• Ask for a new assessment, or ask for a referral onward. If you disagree with your GP's assessment, it can be wise to ask for your case to be reassessed, or ask for a referral to another body.
• Change your regular GP, see above.
• Complain. You can complain to the County Governor (Statsforvalteren) if you believe your GP is not fulfilling their duties. The Patient and User Ombudsman (Pasient- og brukerombudet) gives free advice and guidance on rights and procedure.

If you have already been referred on to the specialist health service and been refused there, separate rules apply about renewed assessment. See Right to healthcare from hospitals and psychiatric services.

Tip: Write down what you want to discuss before the appointment, preferably with concrete examples of how the problems affect your everyday life. This makes it easier for your GP to understand your need, and gives a better basis if you are later referred onward.

Sources

• Helsenorge. About changing your regular GP
• Helsenorge. The right to a doctor
• Regulations on the regular GP scheme in municipalities (fastlegeforskriften), Lovdata (Norwegian)

Kontaktpunkt24 gives general information, not legal advice. If you need help with your own case, contact a lawyer, a legal aid service, or the relevant authority.

This page is translated from Norwegian with the help of a language model, and may contain errors. The Norwegian version is always the authoritative one.