Sick Leave in Poland - Will NAV Pay Sickness Benefit?
Did you fall ill while visiting family in Poland, or did you travel to Poland while already on sick leave? In this situation, you need to properly document your inability to work and make sure you complete the formalities with your employer and NAV.
In this article, we explain when you are entitled to sykepenger (Norwegian sickness benefit), how to submit a Polish sick note and what happens if you fall ill during planned holiday leave.
Will NAV pay sickness benefit while you are staying in Poland?
Yes, staying in Poland does not in itself exclude your right to sickness benefit. Poland is part of the EU/EEA, so a person covered by the Norwegian social security system may receive Norwegian sickness benefit while staying or living in Poland.
This applies to situations where:
- you fell ill during a temporary stay in Poland,
- you travelled to Poland while already on sick leave,
- you live in Poland but work in Norway and are covered by the Norwegian system.
A Polish medical certificate is proof of your inability to work. However, NAV makes the final decision on payment after checking all conditions related to employment, income, insurance coverage and cooperation during sick leave.
Paying tax, having a Norwegian national identity number or an address in Norway does not in itself determine whether you are insured. Special rules apply, among others, to posted workers and people working in both Poland and Norway at the same time. You can only be covered by the social security system of one EEA country at a time.
The legal basis for paying benefits while staying in another EU/EEA country includes EU rules on the coordination of social security systems.
What conditions must you meet?
As an employee, you generally need to:
- be covered by the Norwegian social security system,
- be under 70 years old,
- have a certificate confirming your inability to work,
- be unable to work to an extent of at least 20%,
- lose income because of illness,
- have worked for at least 4 weeks before falling ill,
- meet the required minimum income threshold if NAV takes over payment.
The most important limits applicable from 1 May 2026 are shown in the table below.
| Parameter | Value in 2026 |
|---|---|
| Basic amount, 1 G | NOK 136,549 |
| Minimum income required by NAV | NOK 68,274.50 per year, meaning 0.5 G |
| Maximum benefit basis | NOK 819,294 per year, meaning 6 G |
| Benefit amount for employees | Generally, lost income up to the 6 G limit |
| Maximum period before turning 67 | 52 weeks |
| Period for people aged 67-70 | Up to 60 days if income exceeds NOK 273,098, meaning 2 G |
| Entitlement after turning 70 | No entitlement to sickness benefit |
NAV usually annualises your average income from the last three months. Overtime pay is not normally included in the benefit basis.
| Employee's period of illness | Who is responsible for payment? |
|---|---|
| First 16 calendar days | Generally, the employer |
| From day 17 | NAV |
| From day 17, if the employer continues paying salary | The employer pays the money and applies for reimbursement from NAV |
You must submit an application for sickness benefit even if you receive money directly from your employer throughout the entire period. We discuss the general benefit rules in the article Sykemelding, sickness benefit and self-certification - what happens if you are ill in Norway?
How do you submit a Polish sick note to NAV?
The certificate from a doctor in Poland should confirm your inability to work and its expected duration. Do not wait until you return to Norway before seeing a doctor. Sick notes issued for a period before the examination are generally rejected, unless you genuinely could not contact a doctor earlier.
A sykmelding is a medical document confirming illness. An application for sickness benefit, on the other hand, is a separate document in which you request payment for a specific period. Submitting the medical certificate alone is not enough.
The application must generally be submitted within 3 months. A late application is considered only in limited situations, for example, if you objectively could not submit it earlier or received incorrect information from NAV.
After the first 16 days, your employer sends NAV the income information needed to calculate the benefit. The current estimated processing time for cases involving a foreign sick note is around 10 weeks from the receipt of complete documentation. This is an expected processing time, not a guaranteed decision date.
Travelling to Poland while on sick leave
If you are a Polish citizen covered by the Norwegian system, travelling from Norway to Poland as an EU/EEA country does not require you to apply to NAV in advance to retain your sickness benefit.
Before travelling, however, you should check:
- with your doctor whether the trip could worsen your health or interfere with treatment,
- with your employer whether the trip could interfere with the agreed return-to-work plan,
- with NAV whether you have any planned meetings, check-ups or other activities.
If your stay in Poland delays treatment, extends your inability to work or prevents you from taking part in agreed activities, NAV may stop payment for the travel period.
Staying abroad does not suspend your obligations related to returning to work. The standard schedule is as follows:
By week 4
The employee and employer prepare a return-to-work plan.
By week 7
The employer generally arranges the first meeting concerning the further situation.
After 8 weeks
NAV checks whether the work activity requirement has been met or whether a medical obstacle exists.
By week 26
NAV assesses the need for another meeting concerning return to work.
Lack of contact, refusal to participate in agreed activities or lack of activity without a documented reason may lead to the benefit being suspended.
Illness during holiday leave in Poland
Staying in Poland does not automatically mean you are on holiday. What matters is whether you were scheduled to work or were using formally agreed holiday days.
Sickness benefit is generally not paid while you are taking annual leave. You must mark holiday days in your application to NAV, and the benefit payment period will be postponed accordingly.
| Situation | What do you need to do? | Entitlement to sickness benefit for these days |
|---|---|---|
| You fell ill in Poland on days when you were due to work | Obtain a sick note and follow the procedure with your employer and NAV | Yes, if you meet the other conditions |
| You fell ill during holiday leave, but the holiday was not postponed | Mark the holiday days in the application | No |
| You fell ill during holiday leave and your employer postponed the holiday days | State in the application that the holiday was not used | Yes, if you meet the other conditions |
If your illness began during holiday leave, you can request that the corresponding number of days be postponed if:
- you were 100% unable to work,
- you have a medical certificate,
- you submit the request to your employer as soon as possible after returning.
If total inability to work arose before your holiday began, you must submit the request for postponement and the certificate no later than on the last working day before the holiday. Partial inability to work does not give you the right to request that your holiday be postponed. Read more about holiday entitlement in the article How many holiday days are you entitled to in Norway and is holiday leave paid?
FAQ - frequently asked questions
Summary
- Staying in Poland does not remove your right to sickness benefit if you are covered by the Norwegian system and meet the other conditions.
- The Polish certificate must be submitted to your employer and NAV, together with the form for a foreign sick note, and you must send a separate payment application.
- Your trip must not interfere with treatment, contact with your employer, NAV checks or activities aimed at returning to work.
- You are not entitled to sickness benefit for days of holiday leave used, unless the holiday was successfully postponed in accordance with the rules on total inability to work.
If you need help obtaining sickness benefit while staying in Poland, call us: +47 21 38 38 21. We help Poles in Norway organise matters related to NAV benefits.
Article author: Marcin - marcin@efirma.no
