Entry visa for skilled workers
Skilled workers who wish to come to Norway before they have been granted a residence permit can apply for an entry visa. You are eligible for such a visa if you are a skilled worker and have received a concrete offer of employment from an employer in Norway.
The entry visa does not entitle you to work in Norway, but it does entitle you to stay in Norway while you wait for your application for a residence permit to be processed.
Who is eligible for an entry visa?
- You must have entered into an employment contract with an employer in Norway.
- You must as a minimum have completed a vocational education. The embassy or consulate can only in exceptional circumstances grant an entry visa to foreign nationals who have not completed a vocational education, but who can document 'special qualifications'. See the page on residence permits for skilled workers for further information.
- You are not eligible for an entry visa if you are to work as a religious leader/teacher or ethnic cook.
How to apply
You must complete an
application form. You must submit the application to the nearest
Norwegian embassy or consulate in your home country or in another country where you have legal residence. You will receive an answer to your application from the embassy or consulate.
What must be enclosed with the application?
A completed application form and an
offer of employment form signed by yourself and your employer.
- documentation of your education containing information about the duration of the education, its content and the level of the educational institution. Documentation of craft certificates must contain the same information.
- documentation of work experience containing detailed information from former employers about the duration, tasks and the nature of the activities
- CV for regulated professions, approval or authorisation from the relevant specialist authority
- information about where you are going to stay
- a copy of your passport
- a passport photo/ photo that meets specific requirements
- You must also enclose a translation of the documents into Norwegian or English.
As a rule, it is sufficient that you enclose a copy of the documents with your application, but it is a precondition that you present the original documents when you hand in your application.
Note that documentation requirements vary from country to country and may change over time. You should therefore check what the requirements are with the Norwegian embassy or consulate in the country from which you are applying.
How long will it take to process the application?
The content of the visa
- The visa is valid for applying for a residence permit in Norway, but it does not entitle you to work.
- The visa entitles you to entry to Norway, and also to transit through other Schengen countries.
- The visa is granted for seven days. This means that you must submit an application for a residence permit to the Norwegian police within seven days of your entry into Norway. If you have already submitted such an application, you must report your entry to the police. This must be done in person.
Can I appeal a rejection?
You can appeal a rejection. If you appeal, your application will be reconsidered by the embassy or consulate, and if the decision is not reversed the case is forwarded to the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) to be processed again.
Further information
For further information contact your nearest Norwegian embassy or consulate, the nearest police district or the UDI’s Information Service.
Last updated
05.01.2010
Published
05.01.2010
