From 15 October 2025, there will be changes to the rules on free legal representation, and an online application portal will be introduced.
Rule changes and new application portal
The changes affect cases where the party’s legal representative took on the case on 15 October 2025 or later. You can find further information and a link to the application portal below.
If the party’s legal representative took on the case before 15 October 2025, the old rules still apply. For those cases, the application must be submitted to the National Insurance Court by post or through eDialog. You can find further details here.
Online application portal for legal aid
The Norwegian Civil Affairs Authority is the central authority for legal aid. In cooperation with the Norwegian Courts Administration, the National Insurance Court, County Governor Shared Services and County Governors, the Norwegian Civil Affairs Authority has created a joint portal for applying for legal aid. The portal itself will ensure that applications are sent to the appropriate entity.
You can learn more about which types of case are heard by the various courts at sivilrett.no.
Who can apply?
Both private individuals and lawyers acting on behalf of their clients can apply for legal aid through the new portal.
What does the application form consist of?
To complete the application form, you must answer some questions about yourself and explain what type of case you need legal aid for. We may also require you to upload documentation relating to certain aspects of your case. For most types of case, applicants are only entitled to legal aid if their income and wealth are below certain limits. In these kinds of cases, financial information about you will therefore be collected from the Norwegian Tax Administration. Financial information about your spouse/cohabitant will also be collected. You will receive a preliminary assessment of whether you meet the financial conditions and of what proportion of the expenses you should expect to have to pay yourself (your personal contribution). However, the entity that processes the application decides whether or not to approve it and what personal contribution you will need to make, if any.
Is it difficult for you to apply electronically?
In principle, most people should be able to use the digital application form. However, some people are unable to do this. This applies to people without a digital ID, people without a national identity number, and legal guardians applying on behalf of their ward.
If you are unable to use the application portal, you can use a PDF form. Separate PDF forms are being developed for the various entities that process applications for legal aid. You can learn more about which types of case are heard by the various courts at sivilrett.no.
If you apply using the PDF form, you must submit it directly to the National Insurance Court that will process your application. The PDF form for applying to the National Insurance Court can be found here:
Legal aid is a subsidiary scheme
If you can get your legal assistance needs covered in some other way than through state-funded legal aid, as a general rule you will not be entitled to legal aid. For example, this applies if you have insurance or are a member of an organisation that covers these kinds of expenses. Municipal and state-owned entities have a duty to provide you with guidance on their areas of responsibility. Therefore, you will not normally be entitled to support for legal assistance in cases involving public sector entities. You can learn more about which types of case are covered by the scheme, and which ones are typically not, at sivilrett.no.
Legal aid calculator
For some types of case, means-tested legal aid is available. This means that you are only entitled to legal aid if your income and wealth are below certain limits. Our legal aid calculator gives you a preliminary estimate as to whether you meet the financial criteria, and of what personal contribution you should expect to have to make. The legal aid calculator is available whether or not you are logged in. If you log in to the portal, the calculator will try to retrieve financial information about you from the Norwegian Tax Administration and National Population Register. If you use the calculator without being logged in, you will have to enter the information needed by the calculator yourself.