Illness while staying in Poland – what about the sick note, the employer and NAV?
Do you work in Norway and fell ill while staying in Poland? A Polish medical sick note can be recognized in Norway, but you must notify your employer of the illness and correctly forward the documents to NAV. We explain step by step what to do.
In brief
A sick note issued by a doctor in Poland can be recognized in Norway. You should inform your employer about the illness as soon as possible. If the foreign sick note is not digitized, you must send a copy to NAV and to your employer. NAV may require a self-declaration for foreign sick notes. The employee should generally have worked for at least 4 weeks before falling ill. The minimum required annual income is currently 68 274,50 NOK, i.e. 0.5 G. Sick pay can cover income up to 6 G, currently 819 294 NOK per year. Illness during vacation does not automatically convert vacation into sick pay. Sick pay can be received for a maximum of 52 weeks. AAP is not automatically granted after sick pay ends.
You work in Norway, you traveled to Poland and suddenly became ill. The first question usually is: whether a medical certificate issued by a Polish doctor will be valid in Norway?
Yes. Poland is a member of the EEA, and NAV confirms that a certificate issued by a doctor in another EEA country may be treated like a Norwegian certificate. However, you must take care of the formalities. The document from the doctor alone does not automatically mean payment of sickness benefits.
Fell ill in Poland? First notify your employer
Do not wait to return to Norway.
You must inform your employer about the illness as soon as possible from the first day of absence. The right to sickness benefits from the employer generally arises from the moment the employer has been informed about the illness.
If you are in Poland and the doctor determines that you are unfit for work, ask for medical documentation confirming the period of incapacity for work.
NAV explains the rules concerning certificates issued abroad on the Sickness benefits page.
What to do with a Polish medical certificate?
There are two possibilities.
If NAV digitizes the foreign certificate
Some certificates issued outside Norway are entered into the NAV system.
If the certificate appears in Ditt sykefravær, you can confirm it electronically. It will then be forwarded to the employer similarly to a Norwegian sick note.
For digital handling you need an appropriate login method, e.g. BankID.
If the certificate does not appear in the system
Then you should:
send a copy of the foreign certificate to NAV,
give a copy to your employer,
send to NAV a self-declaration for foreign sick notes for each period of absence.
You can find the current form and the option to submit documentation on the NAV – Sickness benefits page.
This is important: do not assume that a Polish certificate will automatically end up in the Norwegian system.
Check it on NAV.
Do you need to have worked 4 weeks beforehand?
For a regular employee the basic rule is to have worked at least 4 weeks immediately before the illness to be entitled to sickness benefits.
There is also a minimum income requirement.
From 1 May 2026 the basic amount, i.e. G, is 136 549 NOK. The minimum required annual salary corresponds to 0.5 G, which currently is:
68 274,50 NOK.
When determining an employee's annual income, NAV generally uses the average income from the three months preceding the illness.
Check the current conditions for sickness benefits at NAV
How much can you receive?
Sickness benefits are intended to replace income lost due to illness.
For an employee the benefit may correspond to 100 percent of the sickness benefit basis, but an upper limit of 6 G applies.
At the current G this is:
819 294 NOK per year.
Income above this amount is not normally covered by NAV under sick pay.
In the first 16 days of illness sick pay is usually paid by the employer. After that, responsibility generally passes to NAV.
Detailed rules for calculating the benefit are available on the page NAV – Sick pay.
What if you get sick while on holiday in Poland?
This is a very important distinction.
If you are simply abroad and would normally be working, a foreign sick note can document your inability to work.
But if you are in Poland on holiday, the holiday does not automatically turn into sick leave.
If you fall ill during your holiday and are 100 percent unable to work, you may be entitled to reclaim holiday days.
You then need:
a medical certificate,
full incapacity to work,
a request submitted to your employer as soon as possible after returning to work.
Arbeidstilsynet explains the rules for sickness during holiday here.
If the holiday is not postponed and remains a holiday, you do not receive sick pay for holiday days.
Can you be on sick leave and stay in Poland?
Yes, but you must distinguish between falling ill in Poland and travelling to Poland while already on sick leave.
Poland is part of the EEA. If you are an EU/EEA citizen and are staying in another EEA country while on sick leave, you do not, as a rule, need to apply to NAV in advance for permission just to be there.
You must, however, continue to comply with your obligations while receiving sick pay.
If the trip:
prolongs the illness,
hinders treatment,
prevents planned activities,
impedes contact or actions leading to a return to work,
NAV may assess that the conditions for receiving the benefit are not met.
The current rules on staying abroad during sick leave can be found in the section NAV – Travel or move abroad.
What to do step by step?
If you fall ill while staying in Poland:
Immediately inform your employer that you are ill.
Go to a doctor in Poland and obtain documentation confirming your inability to work.
Check Ditt sykefravær on NAV to see whether the document has been digitized.
If not – send a copy of the sick note to NAV and to your employer.
Fill out egenerklæring for utenlandske sykmeldinger, if it is required.
After the sick leave period ends, make sure to complete the application for sick pay.
Keep all documentation until the case is closed.
The worst option is to return to Norway after a few weeks and only then try to explain that you were ill the whole time.
What if the illness lasts a long time?
Sick pay can be received for a maximum of 52 weeks.
However, this does not mean that after a year you automatically "move on to AAP".
If you are still ill and need further assistance, you must submit an application for arbeidsavklaringspenger – AAP yourself. NAV recommends doing this sufficiently early, because AAP can be granted at the earliest in accordance with the rules concerning the submitted application.
We do not cover this topic here, because the rules for AAP are much broader than illness in Poland alone.
Another important topic
What happens when 52 weeks of sick pay have passed and you are still unable to work?
In a separate guide we will explain:
Sick pay ends — when and how to switch to AAP?
There we will discuss:
when to start submitting the application,
the condition of reduced work capacity,
what happens to income after sick pay ends,
what obligations you have towards NAV.
INTERNAL LINK
After publishing this material, connect it here using the "Internal link" function.
Do not enter a manual URL.
Editorial comment Your Norway
The biggest mistake when falling ill in Poland is assuming that since the doctor issued a sick note, the rest "will take care of itself". Poland and Norway are covered by EEA rules, but the employee still must notify the employer and make sure the documents are handled at NAV. A few minutes spent on formalities can save weeks of explanations later.
Official sources and useful links
NAV – Sick pay
Conditions, benefit amount, foreign sick notes and documentation.
NAV – Grunnbeløpet
Current value of G and historical rates.
Arbeidstilsynet – Holidays
Rules for postponing vacation leave in case of illness.
Illness and leave – Arbeidstilsynet
Information status checked: 15 September 2026.
Where to get it done
Sources
Was this article helpful to you?