If you are planning to get married in Norway, you can apply for a residence permit to enter into marriage (fiancé permit).
The content of the permit
The purpose of this permit is to enable you to get married in Norway. The permit is valid for six months. You must live with your fiancé in Norway during this period. If you do not get married in the course of six months, you must leave Norway.
After you have married, you must apply for family immigration with your spouse to be able to stay in Norway. You must apply for family immigration prior to the expiry of your fiancé permit, and you can stay in Norway while your application is being processed.
You can travel into and out of Norway for as long as the fiancé permit is valid, and you can also work here. at Read more about family immigration permits here.
You are not entitled to free Norwegian tuition while you are in Norway on a fiancé permit. You can read more about your entitlements and obligations on the webpages of the Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDi)
Who can apply?
You can apply for a fiancé permit if the person you are going to marry is a Norwegian citizen or lives in Norway and holds a permanent residence permit (settlement permit) or a residence permit that forms the basis for a permanent residence permit.
Your children cannot apply for family reunification with you while you are in Norway on a fiancé permit, as this permit does not constitute grounds for family reunification.
If you are going to marry an EEA-citizen with a right of residence in Norway, you can apply for a fiancé permit. The fiance’s right of residence is only valid for 6 months and it must be likely that marriage will be entered into in this period. However, if you are an EEA national yourself, you can stay in Norway without a permit for up to three months or up to six months if you are seeking employment. You can get married in the course of such a stay in Norway.
How to apply
Before you apply, you need to find out if you can apply while you are staying in Norway, or if you need to apply from your home country.
You also need to find out whether you must fill out the application form online, or if you need to hand in a paper form.
Where do you apply from?
Find out if you must register your application online
You must register your application online if you apply from Norway or through a Norwegian embassy You cannot register your application online if you hand in the application at a Swedish or Danish embassy.
If you hand in the application at a Swedish or Danish embassy you must fill in a form on paper and hand it in at the embassy. You can find the form here. The form is also used for renewing a permit
What must you hand in with the application?
Both applicants who register their applications online and those who hand in a paper version need to hand in their passport and other necessary documentation.
- If you apply online, you will at the same time book an appointment for handing in your documents to the police or an embassy. You will not have to wait in line when you turn up for your appointment.
- If are not applying online you need to contact the embassy to find out when to hand in the documents along with the application form.
When you have visited the embassy or police station and handed in your passport and other necessary documentation we will start to process your application.
In addition to the completed application form (online or paper version), you must enclose documentation
See the list of documentation you must enclose to a family immigration application.
Do you wish to give someone power of attorney?
If you want someone to have full access to your case, and be able to speak with the UDI on your behalf, you must give this person power of attorney.
Without power of attorney nobody, not even the person you are applying for family immigration with, will be able to get detailed information about your case from the UDI.
Case processing time
See the list of the Directorate of Immigration’s (UDI) expected case processing times here. To ensure that the case processing time is as short as possible, it is important that you fill in the application form carefully and that you enclose all the required documentation.
You can appeal the decision
Read more about how to appeal a decision here.
Further information
If you have more questions about this topic, contact your nearest Norwegian embassy or consulate, the nearest police district or the UDI’s Information Service.
