Sick leave
When you need sick leave, how to get it, and what you must do yourself.
Sick leave – contact us as early as possible
If you are too ill to work, the doctor must assess you while you are ill – not a week or a month afterwards. Here is what you need to know.
First: is self-certification enough?
If you have worked for your employer for at least two months, you can usually self-certify (egenmelding) for at least three calendar days, four times a year. Many workplaces allow more days. Check what applies to you.
Contact us the same day
If you need sick leave, send an e-consultation or call +47 64 80 29 29 as soon as you know. As a rule, we cannot issue sick leave back in time, because the doctor must be able to document that you were ill. If your GP is away, e-consultation is closed: use E-contact or call instead.
Expect to come in
The doctor must assess how ill you are and what you can manage, and this often has to happen at an appointment. If the doctor knows your situation well, an e-consultation may sometimes be enough.
Extension – before it runs out
If you are on sick leave, contact us before it runs out, especially if you have been off for a long time. We prefer not to backdate, and if too much time has passed, you cannot get sick leave for that period.
Not always all or nothing
The doctor assesses what you can actually do. Working a little is often better than not at all, and sick leave can be partial (graded), down to 20%. Feel free to say what you think you can manage.
After the appointment: what you do yourself
The sick note arrives digitally in «Ditt sykefravær» on nav.no. From there you send it to your employer, and that is also where you apply for sickness benefit. You must tell your employer yourself.
Absence from school
Upper secondary students who need a medical certificate for absence must also contact us while they are ill. The certificate costs 300 kr and is not covered by the exemption card – see Prices.
On long-term sick leave?
- 4 weeksFollow-up plan with your employer
- 7 weeksDialogue meeting with your employer
- 8 weeksActivity requirement from Nav
- 26 weeksDialogue meeting with Nav
- 52 weeksMaximum time on sickness benefit
More about the rules: nav.no/sykmeldt ↗