HIV status

No discrimination

In Norway, everyone has the same rights and is subject to the same laws regardless of HIV status.

In Norway, it is forbidden to treat people unequally or to discriminate against people because they have HIV. This means that everyone must have equal opportunities both in personal life, professional life and family life. This is imposed by the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act. 

If you experience discrimination you can get advice and guidance from The Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud.

Telling other people

In Norway, you do not have any obligation to tell others that you have HIV or AIDS, and you decide yourself who you want to tell. 

In Norway, hiv and HIV-related medical issues are treated by an infectious disease specialist, but your general practitioner should know about your HIV diagnosis as this might affect how other illnesses should be treated. 

If you are taking medication for HIV, you must inform all of your doctors in order that the medication they give you for other diseases is suitable to coincide with the HIV medication.

Infecting other people with HIV

In Norway, it is against the law to intentionally infect others with HIV or knowingly expose them to the risk of being infected without this person consenting to the risk. This is the case both in a steady relationship and for other sexual partners. 

If you do what is possible to avoid infecting others, you cannot be punished. You cannot be punished if:

• You are taking medicines and are successfully treated for HIV (very low viral load in the blood).
• You use a condom when having sex.
• You only have oral sex.
• If your sexual partner has consented to expose himself/herself to the risk.

Transmisson from sex work, from injecting drug use and transmission from mother to baby are also not punishable by law. 

Exceptions to the duty of confidentality

If you have HIV without getting treated, and your doctor believes that there is a risk that you have infected or will infect someone else, she/he may have the right to inform others of your HIV diagnosis. 

In some cases, the doctor might be obligated to inform others of your HIV diagnosis. 

The doctor must always talk to you first.

HIV and insurance

If you have HIV and take out insurance, and in the process are asked if you have any diseases, you must tell that you have HIV.

If you lie, the contract is invalid.

This will leave you with no entitlement to the insurance services and you will not receive back the money that you have already paid.

Applying for a job

In a job interview, the employer is entitled to ask you questions that are important for the work that you would be doing. The employer is not allowed to ask about whether you have any diagnoses, but it is allowed to ask questions about you ability to perform tasks relevant for the job. If you deliberately answer these questions incorrectly, the employer can fire you at a later date because of this.

You do not have to tell the employer that you have HIV if it is not important in relation to the job. It is only a few professions where it is necessary to tell your employer that you have HIV (for instance if you work offshore or as a smoke diver), and even fewer jobs you cannot have if you have HIV. If you tell your boss that you have HIV, it does not permit your boss to tell your colleagues without your permission.

You also do not have to take a HIV test if you do not want to, even if the employer tells you that you have to.

If you have HIV and the condition is successfully treated, you will normally not get ill more often than a person without HIV.

Dismissal

If you are fired because you have HIV, you can fight against this and get a lawyer involved. It is forbidden in Norway to fire someone simply because s/he has HIV.