Information below is outdated. Norwegian version is updated, and a new english translation will be published shortly.

• Who is eligible for a residence permit as an au pair?
• Requirements concerning the host family
• The rights of the au pair
• Requirements for insurance
• How to apply
• What must be enclosed with the application?
• Residence permit during application processing 
• How long will it take to process the application?
• The content of the permit
• Is the permit renewable?
• You can appeal a rejection
  

Who is eligible for a residence permit as an au pair?

In order to be granted a residence permit as an au pair you must

• be above the age of 18 years and not have reached the age of 30.
• it must be probable that you will return to your home country at the end of your stay, and circumstances in your home country must also indicate that you will be able to return.

Requirements concerning the host family

• The host family can be a married couple or cohabitants (regardless of sex) with or without children, or a single parent with children.
• The host family shall present Norwegian language and society and speak Norwegian to the au pair.  
• If one of the host parents is of the same nationality as you are, he or she must have lived in Norway for a minimum of 10 years. 
• The host family can only have one au pair at a time.
• The host family must treat the au pair like a member of the family.

You cannot be a host family if you are:

• Single without children
• A member of the au pair's own family, in direct line of ascent or descent, or the au pair’s sibling, cousin, brother or sister-in-law, uncle or aunt.

The rights of the au pair

• You will carry out light work such as housework, child care and caring for animals. 
• The working hours must not exceed five hours a day, and the maximum number of working hours per week is 30. You cannot work more than these 30 hours, not even for extra pay.
• You are entitled to participate in tuition in the Norwegian language and recreational activities. 
• The host family shall pay up to NOK 6,000 per year for you to attend Norwegian language courses in the amount of. 
• You must live with the host family for the duration of the contract and have your own room in the host family's home. 
• You shall have free board and lodging, and receive at least NOK 4,000 per month before tax as pocket money/ pay.
• You are liable to tax and must pay tax on income in excess of the amount on the exemption card. This also applies to board and lodging. For further information, go to www.skatteetaten.no.
• You are entitled to a total of 25 working days of holiday per calendar year. Even if an au pair has not been an au pair for the whole calendar year, but started working for the host family no later than 30 September, he/she is entitled to full holidays. If an au pair starts working after 30 September, he/she is entitled to six days’ holiday. The same applies if the au pair changes host families, provided that the au pair can document that he/she did not take holidays while working for the previous host family.
• You are also entitled to pay/pocket money during holidays.
• You are entitled to a minimum of 48 hours’ time off per week (free period). This free period should be continuous if possible, and never shorter than 24 hours. In addition, you are entitled to at least one afternoon off per week.
• You and your host family must have signed the UDI’s standard contract and the information sheet ‘Important information on rights and obligations for au pairs and their host families’.
• You cannot work as ordinary domestic help or childminder with a permit as an au pair. 
• You cannot work for other employers or other families than your host family, and you cannot combine your work as an au pair with any other work, neither paid nor free.
• An au pair with a valid residence permit automatically becomes a member of the Norwegian National Insurance scheme.

Requirements for insurance

The host family shall pay for insurance for the au pair that covers the au pair's return travel home in the case of death, illness or injury.

Where can the host family take out insurance?

Insurance can be taken out in Norway, or under certain condition in the au pair's country of origin. If the host family wishes to use an insurance company in the au pair's home country, this must be an approved insurance company and the company must be accredited by the Schengen group in that country. The foreign mission in the au pair's home country can provide information about which insurance company to use.

The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration can not answer questions regarding the insurance. This is a relationship between the policyholder and the insurance company.

What shall the insurance cover?

The insurance shall cover the whole period for which the au pair applies for a permit.  The insurance shall cover the au pair's return home in the case of serious illness or injury when the au pair, for medical reasons can no longer fulfil his or her contract and has been given the necessary medical treatment. If the au pair should die during the contract, the insurance shall cover all costs relating to the return of au pair's remains and personal belongings. If it is not possible to return the au pair's remains, his or her next of kin shall be contacted through the embassy in the au pair's home country.

Who will pay for the insurance?

The host family shall cover the full cost of the insurance. This means that the host family cannot impose on the au pair to pay part of, or the whole cost of the insurance by making deductions from the au pair’s pocket money or through some other agreement on repayment.

The insurance is linked to the au pair. It is not necessary to take out new insurance if the au pair changes host family, as long as the insurance is still valid. The host family's expenses relating to the insurance will therefore not be refunded if the au pair terminates the contract or changes host family. The host family may have to pay for new insurance cover if they want to have another au pair later on. The host family does not have the right to claim a refund of the expenses relating to the insurance if the au pair is not granted a residence permit.

If the host family does not take out insurance for the au pair, this is seen as a breach of the au pair contract. The host family is then responsible for covering the cost of the au pair's return to his or her home country. 

How to apply

• If you are outside Norway you hand in your application at a Norwegian embassy or consulate in your home country or the country where you have held a residence permit for the last six months. In some countries you will hand in the application at the Swedish or Danish embassy instead. Check here where to hand in the application.  
• If you are in Norway, you can apply from here if you have held another type of permit for the past nine months. You can also apply from Norway if you have skilled worker qualifications. You must be in Norway legally, and you cannot be an asylum seeker.
  Learn more about who can apply from Norway

Your host family can no longer submit an application on your behalf.   

Find out if you should apply online

You should 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.

Register your application online here:

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 be enclosed 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:

• the UDI’s standard employment contract, signed by yourself and your host family 
• the form ‘Important information to au pairs and their host families about rights and obligations’, signed by yourself and your host family 
• documentation of the nationality of the host family (e.g. copies of their passports) 
• a copy of your passport. If you apply from Norway, the date when you entered Norway must be shown in your passport or in other documentation. 
• a translation of the documents into Norwegian or English
• a passport photo/ photo that meets specific requirements 
• you must pay a fee

You may also have to enclose the following:

• documentation that you have had legal residence in the country that you applied from for the past six months if you applied from a country other than your home country
• if the host family is a single-parent family, you must document the single parent's percentage responsibility for care and control of the child(ren) 
• a written authorisation for your host family if you wish to have them act on your behalf.

If you enclose a copy of the documents with your application, it is a condition that you present the original documents when you submit your application. 

Residence permit during application processing

You cannot enter Norway and start working until you have received your permit.  This is also applicable if you only want to enter Norway on vacation or to get acquainted with the host family before the au pair period begins.

You can however ask the police to issue you a residence permit while your application is being processed. The police can grant such permit if you are entitled to apply from Norway, and if they believe that your application is likely to be granted

How long will it take to process the application?

Case processing times are available here 

The content of the permit

• The UDI grants residence permits to au pairs for two years at a time. However, the duration of the permit can neither exceed the period applied for nor the duration of the contract.
• You can only hold a permit as an au pair for a total of two years 
• The UDI will grant a residence permit to an au pair for one year at a time, but not for a total of more than two years.
• You can travel into and out of Norway for as long as the permit is valid. 
• The permit does not form the basis for a permanent residence permit (settlement permit) or family immigration.

Is the permit renewable?

• As long as you hold a valid residence permit as an au pair, you can submit an application to change host families at any time. This will be considered an application for renewal.
• If you wish to renew your residence permit as an au pair, you must submit a new application at least one month before your current permit expires.
• You cannot start working for the new family until your new application for a residence permit has been granted. 
• The application must be submitted to the police district where you live. As a rule, you must submit it in person.
• The same documentation requirements apply as for first-time applications. However, you may have reached the age of 30. You can find more information about what must be enclosed with your application here.
• Renewal applications are also subject to a fee.

You can appeal a rejection

Read more about how to appeal a decision here

Further information

If you have further questions about this topic, contact your nearest Norwegian embassy or consulate, the nearest police district or the Information Service for Applicants.

If you have any enquies about personal ID number and tax liability, please contact the Directorate of Taxes
 
If you have any enquies concerning your working envirronment, payment of holiday pay etc, please contact  The Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority