You must contact your general practitioner (fastlege in Norwegian) or one of the established low-threshold clinics (see below) to apply for PrEP. In both cases you will be referred to a consultant doctor (specialist in infectious diseases), and there is usually a waiting period from a couple of weeks to several months, depending on where you live. On your first consultation with the specialist, you will be told whether you can use PrEP, and in most cases, you will get a prescription the same day or within a few days after the consultation. PrEP is free of charge but will only be prescribed to people living with an increased risk of HIV infection. Thus, it is not possible to acquire PrEP in Norway without such prescription.

In most places in Norway, your general practitioner must refer you to the department for infectious diseases at your nearest hospital. To ensure that the referral contains all relevant information, and you are placed correctly in the queue, please inform your G.P. about why you think you may need PrEP based on your risk profile. Tell them how and when you are at risk of HIV infection.

These risk groups have the highest priority:

• Men who have sex with men and have performed anal sex without a condom within the last six months,
• Trans people who have sex with men and have performed anal or vaginal sex without a condom within the last six months,
• Persons who sell, buy or barter sexual services,
• Persons who have had at least one sexually transmitted infection within the last 12 months,
• Persons who have sex under the influence of alcohol or other drugs,
• Persons who travel to countries with a high prevalence of HIV and have sex without a condom while abroad.

You can belong to one or several of these groups, and it is best to let your G.P. note every risk factor relevant to you. It is still possible to get PrEP if you do not match any of the prioritized groups, but your referral must in that case mention why you consider your risk of infection to be elevated.

You should also get tested for HIV on the day of referral, so that the test result can be included in the information sent to the hospital. Before you can start on PrEP you must have a recent negative HIV test. Waiting times will usually be shorter if the test is performed in advance. We recommend getting tested for chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis at the same time and start treatment if you test positive to any of these. All test results and any treatment given should be noted in your referral.

To be able to use PrEP, you must be able to swallow the pills and to take them at the same time every day. We recommend that your G.P. confirms this in the referral.

Several other factors may also be considered, and there’s a brochure that explains this (in Norwegian) in detail. You can bring this brochure to your G.P. appointment to make sure they have all the necessary information: https://oslo-universitetssykehus.no/seksjon/nasjonal-kompetansetjeneste-for-seksuelt-overforte-infeksjoner/Documents/58958_PrEP_Veileder_Lege_brosjyre_A5_k1.22.06.18.pdf

While using PrEP, you must go for regular check-ups every three months. We recommend choosing a clinic close to your home or work to avoid unnecessary travel, but you are free to choose any clinic you prefer.

These locations have low-threshold services where you can be referred to PrEP consideration without seeing your G.P:

Bergen: Visit the STD clinic at Haukeland hospital.

Bodø: Call the infectious diseases nurse on (+47)95061476 and ask for a PrEP consultation.

Trondheim: Call the infectious diseases nurse at St. Olav hospital on (+47)72822080.

Østfold and Follo (southern Viken): Call the outpatient clinic for infectious diseases at Kalnes hospital on (+47)41708843.

Ålesund: Visit the emergency room and ask for a referral for PrEP consideration. Please note that the E.R. can have long queues and that patients with acute or severe illness, accident victims etc. will be prioritized ahead of you.

All these services also accept referrals from your G.P. You can also be referred to clinics in Bærum, Drammen, Gjøvik, Haugesund, Levanger, Lillehammer, Lørenskog, Oslo, Skien, Stavanger, Tromsø and Tønsberg. Your local hospital may also be able to prescribe PrEP even if it is not listed here.

Please do not hesitate to contact HivNorway at post@hivnorge for more information.