Travelling to Poland while on sick leave from Norway - is it possible?
Are you planning a trip to Poland but are still on sick leave in Norway? Such travel may affect the payment of your benefit, planned treatment and your obligations related to returning to work.
In this article, we explain whether you need to report your trip to NAV (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration), when you need to contact the authority and in which situations travel may result in your sykepenger (sickness benefit) being stopped. The information is current as of 29 October 2026.
Do you need to notify NAV about travelling to Poland?
If you are a Polish citizen and are temporarily travelling from Norway to Poland, you generally do not need to submit an application to NAV or obtain approval before your trip in order to keep receiving sykepenger. Poland and Norway are part of the EEA, so your entitlement to the benefit may be retained while you are staying in Poland.
The basis for this is folketrygdloven section 8-9:
Det er et vilkår for rett til sykepenger at medlemmet oppholder seg i Norge, i et annet EØS-land
This means that staying in Poland meets the requirement concerning where you are staying. Simply crossing the border as a Polish citizen does not require a standard notification or prior approval from NAV.
The rules differ depending on your citizenship and the purpose of your trip:
| Situation | Do you need to contact NAV in advance? | Impact on sykepenger |
|---|---|---|
| A Polish citizen temporarily travels to Poland | No standard application or approval is required | The benefit may be paid if you still meet all conditions |
| A person without EU/EEA citizenship travels to Poland | Yes, you must apply to retain the benefit when travelling outside the Nordic countries | NAV will assess your entitlement during your stay |
| The route includes a country outside the EU/EEA | You must check the rules with NAV before travelling | Staying outside the EU/EEA may require a prior application |
| The trip means relocating or living in Poland for a longer period | Yes, you must report the change without delay | NAV will reassess your entitlement to the benefit |
| The trip is formal holiday leave | You do not apply to retain sykepenger for holiday days | Sykepenger is not payable for holiday days |
Not having to report your trip in advance does not automatically entitle you to payment of the benefit. What matters is that you fulfil your obligations while on sick leave.
What conditions must you meet while staying in Poland?
While staying in Poland, you must still cooperate with your doctor, employer and NAV, and take part in activities aimed at helping you return to work.
The activity obligation follows from folketrygdloven section 8-8:
Medlemmet har plikt til å være i arbeidsrelatert aktivitet, jf. § 8-7 a første ledd og arbeidsmiljøloven § 4-6 første ledd
What does this mean in practice? It means that if your health allows for partial activity, adapted work or participation in a meeting about returning to work, travelling to Poland must not prevent you from doing so. The exception is when activity is impossible for medical reasons or when your employer cannot arrange it.
Before travelling, check three areas:
Written confirmation from your doctor that travel is not contraindicated is not a mandatory form required when travelling to Poland, but it may be useful evidence if NAV later asks about the effect of the trip on your treatment.
Specific deadlines also apply while you are on sick leave:
| Deadline | Obligation or action |
|---|---|
| Within 4 weeks of sick leave | The employee and employer should prepare a plan for further action and returning to work |
| Within 7 weeks | The employer calls the first dialogue meeting, especially in cases of full sick leave |
| After 8 weeks | NAV formally assesses whether the activity obligation is being fulfilled |
| Within 26 weeks | NAV assesses whether another dialogue meeting is needed |
| Within 3 months | As a rule, you must apply for payment of sykepenger for a completed period |
You can read more about the basic rules of sick leave in the article Sykemelding, sykepenger and egenmelding - what happens if you are ill in Norway?
Travelling while on sick leave and holiday leave
Simply staying with family in Poland does not automatically mean you are on holiday leave. What matters is whether you are formally taking ferie (holiday leave), or whether you remain on sick leave and fulfil the obligations connected with it.
| Type of stay | Payment of sykepenger | What do you enter in the application? |
|---|---|---|
| Staying in Poland while remaining on sick leave | Yes, if you meet the conditions for the benefit | Do not mark your stay as holiday leave just because you are in Poland |
| Formally agreed holiday leave | No payment for holiday days | Select ferie |
| A stay that makes treatment or returning to work more difficult | NAV may stop payment | You must provide accurate information about your situation and the period of stay |
Days of formal holiday leave do not use up your benefit period, so the maximum period of entitlement to sykepenger is extended by the holiday days used. If you are partially on sick leave, you cannot mark only the days on which you were supposed to work as holiday leave and receive sykepenger for the remaining days of the same agreed holiday period.
If you do not know whether a particular stay should be declared as holiday leave, clarify this before submitting your application. We can contact the authority on your behalf: Contact with the authority on your behalf - phone/email.
When can travel result in sykepenger being stopped?
NAV may stop payment for the period of travel if the trip:
- worsens your health or extends your incapacity for work,
- prevents or delays treatment, examinations or rehabilitation,
- conflicts with adapted work or other planned work-related activity,
- prevents you from attending a meeting with your employer or NAV,
- makes it more difficult to verify the conditions for the benefit,
- breaches the agreed return-to-work plan.
If, after 8 weeks, NAV finds that you are not fulfilling the activity obligation, you will receive a warning that the benefit is planned to be stopped. You then have 3 weeks to provide additional information or begin the required activity.
If the benefit is stopped, the basis for a subsequent payment may be recalculated and may be lower. If the stoppage concerns travel lasting at least 4 weeks, there is also a risk that your next application for sykepenger will be refused.
You must therefore contact NAV before travelling if:
- the trip conflicts with an agreed meeting or activity,
- you are planning a longer stay or relocation to Poland,
- you are not an EU/EEA citizen,
- you intend to stay outside the EU/EEA as well,
- your health, income or employment situation changes during the trip,
- you do not know whether the trip should be declared as holiday leave.
If NAV has stopped your payment despite you meeting the conditions, we will be happy to review the decision and prepare an appeal: NAV - appeal against a decision, complaint.
FAQ - frequently asked questions
Summary
- A Polish citizen travelling temporarily to Poland does not need to submit an application in advance or obtain NAV's approval to retain sykepenger.
- During your stay, you must still follow your treatment, fulfil the activity obligation and comply with arrangements made with your employer and NAV.
- Formal holiday leave must be marked as ferie, and sykepenger is not payable for holiday days.
- Contacting NAV is necessary, among other things, if there is a conflict with meetings, a longer stay, relocation or travel outside the EU/EEA.
If you need help determining the rules for travelling to Poland while on sick leave, call us: +47 21 38 38 21. We help Poles in Norway organise matters related to NAV.
Article author: Marcin - marcin@efirma.no
