Working in Norwegian healthcare: Polish diploma, authorisation and language requirements

Three in ten nurses taking part in the survey report language problems at work every week, and 8 per cent report them daily. As many as 98.2 per cent of respondents consider insufficient Norwegian proficiency to be a threat to patient safety. Misunderstandings mainly concern verbal instructions, but also occur in medical records and hospital discharge summaries. Two-thirds of respondents indicate that they cause additional work. Fifteen per cent state that they have encountered a situation in which language problems led to harm to a patient. These are accounts from survey participants, not official statistics on medical errors. The percentages given cannot be applied to all patients or all healthcare workers.

To practise a regulated profession in Norway, one generally needs to obtain Norwegian authorisation, or autorisasjon, or an appropriate licence. Applications are processed by the Norwegian Directorate of Health (Helsedirektoratet). For doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives and pharmacists with relevant qualifications from the EU/EEA, there is a system of automatic recognition of education that meets specific requirements.

You still need to apply and document your qualifications. The term “automatic recognition” does not mean that a Polish diploma alone replaces a Norwegian decision. In other professions, such as physiotherapist or helsefagarbeider, the authority compares qualifications with Norwegian requirements. Where there are substantial differences, it may require an adaptation period or an aptitude test.

In the authorisation procedure for people educated in Poland and other EU/EEA countries, there is no general requirement to submit a B2 certificate. However, there is a requirement for language proficiency sufficient to perform the job safely.

The employer must assess the skills required for the specific position. Helsedirektoratet recommends that employed staff be able to document Norwegian proficiency at B2 level, both spoken and written. A facility may set higher requirements.

A hospital or care home may therefore require a certificate even from someone who already has authorisation. Both the employer and the employee are responsible for ensuring sufficient language proficiency. A separate procedure involving additional requirements, including language, courses and, depending on the profession, examinations, generally applies to people educated outside the EU/EEA. It should not automatically be applied to graduates of Polish universities.

Medical work requires the ability to communicate symptoms accurately, understand instructions concerning treatment and explain the next steps to the patient. Communication with people who are hard of hearing or have cognitive impairments is also important. Patient records must generally be maintained in Norwegian. Danish and Swedish are permitted if this ensures the safe performance of duties. The use of another language requires special justification and approval from Statens helsetilsyn. Before accepting an offer, it is worth asking how the facility assesses language skills, what onboarding for documentation looks like, and whether it provides support in learning medical terminology.

People with foreign education submit their application for authorisation electronically through Altinn. The fee for people educated in the EU/EEA is currently NOK 1,665. Helsedirektoratet states three months as the processing time for applications from this group. However, the timeframe for complete documentation does not mean that a decision will always arrive three months after the form is first submitted. Missing attachments may extend the procedure. A job offer itself does not give priority in the queue. The start date for a job requiring authorisation should therefore be agreed with the time needed for a decision in mind.

The list depends on the profession and educational background. For nurses, Altinn lists, among other things:

• a diploma;
• a diploma supplement or list of subjects;
• a certificate confirming that the education complies with minimum EU requirements, the so-called Certificate of Conformity;
• any additional documents regarding professional rights or experience.

For people with nursing education from Poland, Altinn does not require a document confirming current professional status to be submitted. This does not remove the requirement to document qualifications. The authority may also ask for additional information. Attachments should be scans of original documents in PDF format. Photographs of documents are not accepted. Before submitting the application, you must check the instructions for your profession, including translation requirements.

For nursing and midwifery qualifications obtained under the former system, 1 May 2004 is significant. The rules take into account both the date on which qualifications were obtained and the date training began. For older diplomas specified in the regulations, recognition may be possible on the basis of acquired rights. In such cases, a certificate of actual and lawful practice of the profession for at least three consecutive years during the five years preceding the issue of the certificate may be needed. The rules also provide a pathway based on relevant bridging studies completed with a bachelor’s degree. This is not one universal condition for every older diploma. The type of school completed, the documents and employment history all matter. The relevant regional chamber of nurses and midwives can help determine what certificate it can issue in a specific situation.

The language barrier may also affect a Polish person using Norwegian healthcare services. If you do not understand information about a diagnosis, medication or procedure, tell the staff. The facility is obliged to assess whether an interpreter is needed and provide such assistance when necessary for safe treatment. The healthcare service covers the cost of necessary interpretation. Children generally may not act as interpreters. An adult family member should also not replace a qualified interpreter when information requiring medical precision is being communicated. It is best to report the need for interpretation when booking the appointment. <!-- SOURCES AND EDITORIAL NOTES — DO NOT PUBLISH Verification status: 30 September 2026. 1. Sykepleien, survey results published on 30 September 2026: https://sykepleien.no/sprakproblemer-forer-til-feilbehandling-og-merarbeid-i-helsetjenestene 2. NTB / Trondheim24, report on the survey results: https://trondheim24.no/nyheter/sykepleiere-mener-sprakproblemer-forer-til-skade-pa-pasientre/ 3. Helsedirektoratet, employer responsibility and language recommendations: https://www.helsedirektoratet.no/veiledere/ansettelse-av-helsepersonell/arbeidsgivers-ansvar 4. Helsedirektoratet, rules for recognition of qualifications: https://www.helsedirektoratet.no/rundskriv/helsepersonelloven-med-kommentarer/vilkar-for-autorisasjon-lisens-og-spesialistgodkjenning/-48a.vilkar-for-autorisasjon-etter--48 5. Altinn, procedure for nurses, documents and the exception concerning Poland: https://info.altinn.no/skjemaoversikt/helsedirektoratet-godkjenning-av-utenlandske-yrkeskvalifikasjoner/sykepleier/ 6. Helsedirektoratet, fees and processing times: https://www.helsedirektoratet.no/autorisasjon-og-spesialistutdanning/autorisasjon-og-lisens/sok-om-autorisasjon-og-lisens/Gebyr-saksbehandlingstid-vedtak-og-klage 7. Regulation on qualifications from the EEA and Switzerland, including Annexes IV and VI: https://lovdata.no/dokument/SF/forskrift/2008-10-08-1130 Text consulted for reference on the søklov service: https://soklov.no/lov/forskrift-om-helsepersonell-fra-e%C3%B8s-land-og-sveits 8. Pasientjournalforskriften, Section 10 — language of documentation: https://lovdata.no/forskrift/2019-03-01-168 9. Helsedirektoratet, use of interpreters: https://www.helsedirektoratet.no/veiledere/tolketjenester-i-helse-og-omsorgstjenesten/bruk-av-tolketjenester-i-helse-og-omsorgstjenesten 10. NIPiP, documenting qualifications through the relevant chambers: https://nipip.pl/lorem-dolor-ipsum-sit-amet-dolor/ Notes: - The survey results describe respondents’ declarations, not the percentage of patients who suffered harm. - B2 at the point of employment was not presented as a universal authorisation requirement for people educated in Poland. - The exception concerning documentation of professional status was described solely for the nursing procedure. - General statistics on the withdrawal of authorisation were not used as evidence of the scale of language problems. - Amendment FOR-2026-04-30-691 concerns Section 18 and temporary services; it does not change the language rules described above. -->