Apply for authorisation as a medical practitioner (lege) – educated outside the EU/EEA
Before you apply
For those educated outside the EU/EEA, additional requirements must be met before authorisation can be granted. It is important that you are familiar with the requirements, and the fees that comes with it, before you apply for authorisation.
Information on documentation and verification
To evaluate your education, you must send us your diploma and transcript/course overview showing the total number of hours in theory, practice, and self-study. This will give us a complete overview of the content and workload of your education.
You must submit:
- Diploma
- Transcript of records
- Course overview with content description if this information is not included in the transcript
- Documentation of mandatory practical training completed after obtaining your degree
The content description must include:
- Number of teaching hours in theory and practice
- Number of hours of clinical practice
- Total workload of the study program
You must also document mandatory practical training completed after obtaining your degree if this is required for professional practice in the country where you studied.
In some cases, you will also need to provide:
- Curriculum showing the content and duration of the study program.
- It must be issued by the educational institution, apply to the period you studied, and include contact information for the institution.
- Professional license (license to practice)
- Employment certificate with details about the type of position and tasks performed. The certificate must include the employer’s letterhead and stamp, be signed by a manager with name and position, and include contact information for the workplace.
General requirements for submitting documents in Altinn
You must send scanned copies of the original documents in one PDF file. If the document is in color, the copy must also be in color. Photos are not accepted. If the original document has multiple pages, all pages must be combined into one PDF file, in the correct order and orientation.
Documents in languages other than Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, or English must be translated by an authorized translator, and the translation must be included in the same file as the original.
You must verify the following documents through DataFlow Group:
- Diploma
- Transcript and/or an official document issued by the institution showing the number of hours per subject
- Internship/mandatory practical training completed after obtaining your degree
- Registration/license as a physician
- Employment certificates
How to Complete the Verification
Detailed information about the verification process is available on the DataFlow website. For any questions regarding the process, please contact DataFlow’s customer service. The verification report must be attached to your application in Altinn. Please note that the report cannot be password-protected.
Failure to complete verification may result in delays or rejection of your application. We strongly recommend starting the process as early as possible.
Verification via ECFMG
If you have already initiated verification of your educational documents through ECFMG, you may continue using their service. However, starting January 1, 2027, the Norwegian Directorate of Health will no longer accept verification reports from ECFMG. All new applicants must therefore use the DataFlow verification service as described above.
If you have applied previously and verification reports have already been documented in an earlier case, you do not need to verify the same documents again.
Exception: If your transcript with an overview of hours is not included in the ECFMG verification report, this documentation must be verified through DataFlow.
Verification of Documentation Issued in Pakistan
Do you have internship certificates, license documents, and/or employment certificates from Pakistan? In addition to your educational documents, these must also be verified through DataFlow Group before your application can be processed. You are responsible for ensuring that your documents are verified.
We recommend selecting the verification type “Mandatory 5 Document Package” in the DataFlow portal, as verification of five documents is a mandatory requirement.
Documents Required for Verification
- Diploma
- Detailed transcript with the number of clock hours for each subject (including allied subjects)
Additionally, if applicable, you must verify:
- Internship certificate/House Job as a medical practitioner
- License/registration as a medical practitioner
- Work certificates documenting experience as a medical practitioner from Pakistan
If you have a previous report issued to another authority, you may choose the option “Reissue Existing Report” in the DataFlow portal. You must also verify any documents required by the Norwegian Directorate of Health that were not previously verified.
For more information, please refer to: Verification of Documentation Issued in Pakistan.
Exemptions from additional requirements and verification
If you have worked in an EEA country with full professional rights for at least three consecutive years, you may be exempt from additional requirements and ECFMG verification.
You must attach the following documentation when applying for authorisation:
- Certificate of Good Standing or Certificate of Current Professional Status (not older than three months)
- Proof that you have worked for at least three consecutive years with full professional rights in an EEA country
Both confirmations must be issued by the competent licensing authority in the respective EEA country.
If you have worked in an EEA country with full professional rights for at least three (3) consecutive years, please send information about this to godkjenning@helsedir.no after submitting your application.
Please note the following regarding your documents
- All documents must be scanned as PDF-copies of the original documents. If the original documents are in colour, the scanned copies attached to the application must also be in colour. Photographs of documents will not be accepted.
- If an original document has multiple pages, all scanned pages must be assemled into one document, in the correct order and correctly oriented
- All original documents that are not in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English must be translated into one of these languages by a authorised translator. The translation must be scanned/submitted in the same file as the original document
Any attempt to obtain recognition with fraudulent documents will be reported to the police.
You apply in Altinn
NB! Applicants without a Norwegian national ID or D number must use alternative login in Altinn.
You must attach a scanned copy of passport or European ID card in your application.
First name and surname in the application form must be the same as in the passport/ID card, and be written in the same order.
User manual Altinn - Application for authorisation and license (PDF)
You pay the processing fee when you apply
You must pay a processing fee of NOK 1.665,-
You pay the fee in Altinn when you register your application.
Processing time is 20 months
- If your application is incomplete, the processing time will be extended
- If you have obtained your education in multiple countries, the processing time will be based on the country where you completed your foundational (primary) education.
If you have worked in another EEA country with the full right to the profession continuously for at least 3 years, you can inform us about this by sending an e-mail to: godkjenning@helsedir.no