What should you know about healthcare and emergencies in Oslo?
Police
112
Ambulance: 113.
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: helsedir.no, dnb.no
Good to know
Good to Know
- Save 112 (Police), 110 (Fire), and 113 (Ambulance) in your phone before you need them — Oslo operators speak English, but under stress it's easy to forget which number is which.
- Downloading and registering with the free Hjelp 113 app before your trip is genuinely worth it — it puts all three numbers in one tap and can show your exact coordinates if the automatic location system doesn't get through.
- For a non-emergency medical issue in Oslo (not life-threatening) after hours, call 116 117 for the local legevakt (urgent care) rather than tying up the 113 ambulance line.
- If you're ever unsure which service you need, 112 is a safe default — it's also the standard EU/EEA emergency number, and operators can redirect you.
- For life-threatening emergencies, call 113 (ambulance) directly — this is Norway's equivalent of 911/999.
- For urgent but non-life-threatening injuries (fractures, cuts, head bumps), go straight to the Skadelegevakten at Trondheimsveien 233 rather than a hospital — you don't need a referral or appointment, you just take a queue number on arrival.
- 116117 is the non-emergency medical helpline/nurse line if you're unsure whether something needs immediate care.
- None of the main hospital emergency departments (Ullevål, Rikshospitalet) or the Legevakt sit right in the city center — expect roughly 15–20 minutes by tram, bus, or taxi from central Oslo to reach any of them.
- Interpreter services are provided free of charge at Oslo University Hospital for patients who don't speak Norwegian.
Emergency Numbers
Police
- Number
- 112
- Notes
- Use for crimes in progress, threats to life or property, serious traffic collisions, or missing persons.
Calling Notes
- All emergency calls are free from any phone, including foreign SIMs on roaming, and operators generally speak Norwegian and English.
- Emergency calls can often connect even without normal coverage from your own operator, and sometimes even without a SIM card, as long as at least one network is available in the area.
- Some visitors have reported 911 being routed to 112 from mobiles in Norway, but this should not be relied upon — dial 110, 112, or 113 directly.
Fire And Rescue
- Number
- 110
- Notes
- Use for fires, smoke, gas leaks, chemical spills, and hazardous-material or rescue situations.
Ambulance Medical
- Number
- 113
- Notes
- Use for life-threatening medical emergencies such as suspected stroke, chest pain, or unconsciousness.
Mental Health Helpline
- Number
- 116 123
- Notes
- Support line for people in emotional or mental health crisis.
Non Emergency Police Line
- Number
- 02800
- Notes
- For non-urgent police inquiries or reporting, rather than an active emergency.
Universal EU Emergency Number
- Number
- 112
- Description
- Norway's number for Police, and also the pan-European emergency number that works across all EU/EEA countries. If unsure which service to call, 112 will route you correctly, and in some situations you may get through on 112 faster than on the other numbers.
Recommended Official Safety App
- Cost
- Free
- Name
- Hjelp 113
- Publisher
- Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation (Stiftelsen Norsk Luftambulanse)
- Setup Tip
- Download and register your number before you need it, and open the app occasionally afterward, since iOS may auto-remove unused apps after long periods of inactivity.
- Description
- Norway's official emergency app, gathering the 110/112/113 numbers plus other important contacts in one place, letting you call any of them with one tap.
Platforms
- iOS
- Android
Key Features
- Displays your GPS coordinates on screen, useful if the automatic Advanced Mobile Location (AML) position sharing fails (e.g. with a foreign phone number)
- Shows the location of the nearest public defibrillator (AED)
- Works abroad too — if you try to dial 110 or 113 outside Norway, it will suggest 112, the pan-European number
- Requires you to register your mobile number in the app while still in Norway for full functionality
Text Emergency Deaf Hard Of Hearing
- Number
- 1412
- Notes
- Text-message (SMS) emergency service for deaf, hard-of-hearing, or speech-impaired people; requires pre-registration of your phone number before you need it.
Non Emergency Urgent Medical Legevakt
- Number
- 116 117
- Notes
- National out-of-hours medical helpline for urgent but non-life-threatening issues, connecting to the local urgent care centre (legevakt) when a GP is closed.
Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Helpline
- Number
- 116 006
- Notes
- VO-linjen, Norway's national helpline for people experiencing domestic violence or sexual assault.
Hospitals
Oslo University Hospital, Ullevål (Oslo Universitetssykehus, Ullevål)
- Hours
- Emergency department (akuttmottak) operates 24 hours a day, every day
- Address
- Kirkeveien 166, 0450 Oslo, Norway
- Trauma Level
- Level I trauma center
- Notes
- The largest of Oslo University Hospital's four campuses and the region's main trauma-receiving hospital. It is a Level I trauma center and includes patient treatment, research, teaching and administration activities.
Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet
- Hours
- Emergency department (akuttmottak) operates 24 hours a day, every day
- Address
- Sognsvannsveien 20, 0372 Oslo, Norway
- Trauma Level
- National referral / specialist emergency center (not a general walk-in trauma ER)
- Notes
- Rikshospitalet operates as the air ambulance hub for Oslo and Akershus counties, with an on-site helipad enabling helicopter landings close to the emergency department. It also manages national assignments for trauma care, particularly in advanced neurosurgery, and mainly receives patients who are already being admitted or referred rather than general walk-ins.
- Name
- Legevakten i Oslo — Skadelegevakten (Injury/Casualty Clinic) & Allmennlegevakten (General Emergency Clinic)
- Hours
- Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; no appointment or referral needed
- Address
- Trondheimsveien 233, 0587 Oslo, Norway (on the Aker sykehus site)
- Trauma Level
- Municipal/hospital-run urgent care — not a designated trauma center; handles fractures, wounds and head injuries, and refers on to Ullevål or Rikshospitalet if a case requires full trauma-hospital care
- Notes
- This is the primary walk-in facility for urgent but non-life-threatening injuries such as fractures, head injuries and wounds. It moved to this Trondheimsveien 233 location in November 2023 (previously at Storgata 40), so travelers should ignore older addresses still circulating online.
Healthcare
- System Type
- Universal public healthcare (Norwegian National Health Service)
- Cost Structure
- Public healthcare heavily subsidized; private consultations available at higher cost
- Access For Nomads
- Foreign residents with residence permits can access public healthcare. Tourists and short-term visitors typically require travel insurance. Emergency care available to all.
- Registration Requirement
- Registration with a GP (legekontor) required after obtaining residence/work documentation
Pharmacies
- Availability
- Abundant throughout Oslo; most neighborhoods have at least one pharmacy (apotek)
- Major Chains
- Apotek 1, Vitusapotek, and independent pharmacies widely distributed
- Prescription Model
- Prescription (resept) required for most medications; generic alternatives common and subsidized
- Over The Counter Costs
- Common OTC medications (paracetamol, ibuprofen) cost 50–150 NOK per package
- Typical OTC Medication Cost
- NOK 100
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this emergencies research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Oslo
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.