Vaccinations in Norway 2026/27. Who can use the programme and how much will they pay?

The adult vaccination programme, or voksenvaksinasjonsprogrammet, has been in place since 1 June 2025. Municipalities are responsible for organising it. The offer is available to both permanent residents and people staying in the municipality temporarily. This is useful information for Poles working seasonally: if you meet the age or health criteria, you can ask about vaccination in the municipality where you are currently staying.

The programme’s influenza vaccination is available to people who have turned 65 or will turn 65 during the year, as well as younger people in risk groups. These groups include, among others, children and adults with:

• asthma or chronic lung disease with reduced respiratory function;
• chronic heart or cardiovascular disease, except well-controlled hypertension;
• diabetes;
• severe chronic kidney, liver or neurological disease;
• a weakened immune system due to illness or treatment;
• obesity with a BMI of at least 35.

Vaccination is also recommended for residents of care facilities and for pregnant women after the 12th week of pregnancy. If there are additional risk factors, the offer also includes the first trimester. Premature babies aged from 6 months to 5 years are also included, especially children born before the 32nd week of pregnancy. If you are unsure whether your illness qualifies you for the programme, ask your GP, or fastlege. The recommendations also allow for an individual assessment in the case of other serious conditions.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) recommends a booster dose before the 2026/27 season primarily for people aged 75 and over, residents of care facilities, and adults aged 18–74 who belong to risk groups. People aged 65–74 without additional health conditions can also receive vaccination through the programme if they wish. Eligibility for vaccination is therefore broader than the current FHI recommendation. The programme also covers children and adolescents with certain serious illnesses. For the youngest children, eligibility requires an individual assessment. The list of indications for influenza vaccination should not automatically be applied to COVID-19 vaccination.

For pneumococcal vaccination, the specific year of birth matters. In 2026, people born in 1960 and 1961 can use the programme. Anyone who was not vaccinated in the year they turned 65 retains the right to use the offer later. People born before 1960 are not covered by this part of the programme solely because of their age. However, vaccination may be medically recommended for them. The same applies to younger people with certain illnesses. Pneumococci are bacteria that can cause, among other things, pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis. The programme uses the Prevenar 20 vaccine. One dose is given, and a routine booster dose after this vaccine is currently not recommended. If you have previously received another pneumococcal vaccine, discuss with your doctor whether you need another one.

The programme does not automatically mean free vaccination. Helsedirektoratet recommends that municipalities use the following rates for the period from 1 July to 31 December 2026. The amounts include the vaccine and its administration. These are recommended rates, and the final price is set by the municipality. For influenza, it may charge the full cost of the vaccine and its administration. For COVID-19 and pneumococcal vaccination, the co-payment, or egenbetaling, may be up to 25% of the total costs. Charging more than NOK 110 for either of these vaccinations requires agreement with Helsedirektoratet. For influenza vaccination, the vaccine itself costs NOK 101, and the recommended administration fee is NOK 207. If the municipality uses the rates in the table, influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations during one visit cost NOK 393 in total. Residents of nursing homes, or sykehjem, do not pay a separate fee for vaccines — the cost is included in the residential fee. From 2027, the recommended rates are to be updated from 1 January, so you should check the price list again before a visit in the new year.

Eligibility for the programme does not guarantee a lower price at every clinic. If you choose a site without an agreement with the municipality, you will pay the full price for the vaccine and its administration. Before booking, ask whether the vaccination will be provided under the municipal programme. Outside the programme, the influenza vaccine itself usually costs around NOK 200, the COVID-19 vaccine more than NOK 1,000, and the pneumococcal vaccine around NOK 900–1,400. An administration fee is added to each of these amounts. Some special risk groups may receive pneumococcal vaccination free of charge on a reimbursed prescription, known as a blå resept.

Start with your municipality’s website. Search for voksenvaksinasjonsprogrammet or vaksinering. You will find vaccination sites, prices and booking methods there. Your fastlege can also provide information. Helsenorge allows booking when the doctor or municipality makes this service available. For example, in Lillestrøm, people without a local fastlege can book an appointment at the municipal site through Helsenorge, as well as by phone or email. There is no single booking method that applies throughout Norway. Vaccination start dates also vary. Lillestrøm announces influenza vaccinations from week 44 of the year, i.e. from late October. Therefore, vaccine availability in the country does not mean that every local site is already seeing patients. It is best to plan influenza vaccination between October and December. It takes around 10–14 days for protection to develop. Vaccination later in the season can also be beneficial.

In autumn 2026, Helsenorge is expected to send reminders from mid-November. They concern people who have not received the relevant vaccinations and meet the age criterion: 65+ for influenza, 75+ for COVID-19, and the 1960–1961 birth cohorts for pneumococcal vaccination. The reminders do not include younger people in risk groups. If you have a chronic illness, the absence of an SMS or an app notification does not mean that you are not entitled to vaccination. In this situation, contact your fastlege or the municipal vaccination site yourself.