Residents in Norway can get vaccines taken in other countries registered in Norway and have them added to their Norwegian Covid certificate. 

This comes with a number of perks, such as being able to skip quarantine on your return to Norway if you are fully vaccinated, travelling freely to countries that accept EU Covid passes and attending events such as concerts that require a Covid certificate without having to test. 

It can, in most cases, also be a relatively straightforward process. Below we’ll talk you through everything you need to know. 

Who can register a foreign vaccine? 

Pretty much anyone who has an identity number, either a Norwegian national identity number or a D-Number, can register a European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved Covid-19 vaccine that’s been administered outside of Norway. 

For practical reasons, you will need to have a level-four form of electronic ID to log into helsenorge.no, Norway’s digital health portal, when you wish to access your Covid certificate, so this is worth bearing in mind also. 

You can take a look at our guide to e-IDs in Norway here. 

Which vaccines are you able to register? 

You are currently only able to add EMA approved coronavirus vaccines taken in other countries to your Norwegian Covid certificate. 

These are currently Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca and the Johnson & Johnson single-use Janssen vaccine.

This means that if you are planning on getting a jab in a country that offers vaccines that aren’t EMA approved as part of its inoculation program, you should prioritise getting a jab you will be able to add to your Norwegian Covid certificate. 

For those vaccinated in the UK it is unclear whether batches of AstraZeneca produced in the UK are included in this. The Local has contacted the Ministry of Health to confirm what applies to those who have received these batches. 

How do you register the vaccines? 

To add a foreign vaccine to your Covid-19 certificate with the Norwegian Immunisation Registry, SYSVAK, you will need to have your proof of vaccination verified by a medical professional. This can be a general practitioner, municipal health services, or a private healthcare provider. 

The vaccination certificate will need to contain the name of the vaccine, vaccination site, date and batch number of the vaccine.

In terms of proof, you can use either written documentation of vaccination or a Covid-19 certificate that has been issued in the EU or EEA. Some vaccine cards or certificates come with all this information included, so that may be sufficient proof. If not, you may need written proof from a medical professional in the country where the vaccine was issued that contains all the relevant information. 

Then you will need to request either an in-person consultation or a video one if you aren’t currently in Norway. 

This will cost around 160 kroner if you are seeing your regular doctor. If you cannot get an appointment and want to speed up the process, you can use a private provider such as Dr.Dropin or Volvat. The price of a private provider will range from 350 kroner to 1,300 kroner depending on who you choose.

How long will it take for them to be registered? 

According to helsenorge.no, the jabs are typically added to the all-important vaccine certificate within 24 hours. 

Anecdotally, some people have reported that it can take up to a few days before the vaccine is added to the certificate. 

This means that if you are planning on getting a foreign vaccine registered before returning to Norway to skip quarantine and testing, you should give yourself ample time. This isn’t just if the vaccine takes longer than expected to appear on your certificate, but also in case the information is wrong and needs updating. 

One last thing worth remembering is that you aren’t considered fully vaccinated in Norway until a week after your final jab.