Where to apply, what documentation must be enclosed, whether you can apply for a visa extension and who processes your application depends on your situation.
Where do I apply?
You must complete an application form and submit it in person to your nearest Norwegian embassy or consulate.
If there is no Norwegian embassy or consulate in the country you are in, check whether another Schengen state may represent Norway. This country will then process the application on behalf of Norway.
Here you can find a list of:
- Norwegian foreign service missions that issue visas
- Norwegian embassy websites
- Other Schengen states’ foreign service missions with the authority to grant visas.
If you plan to visit several Schengen states in the course of one trip, you must submit your application to the embassy or consulate of the country where you will be spending the most time.
If you will be visiting several Schengen states for equal periods of time, you must submit your visa application to the first country that you will be visiting.
What must be enclosed with the application?
The documentation requirements vary from country to country and they may change over time. You should therefore check which requirements currently apply by contacting the Norwegian embassy in the country in which you are applying.
Irrespective of what country you are applying from, you must always enclose the following documents:
- A passport photo/photo that meets specific requirements.
- Copies of all used pages in your passport.
- Written invitation from the person you are to visit in Norway (sponsor).
- Documentation of relationship, if you are to visit a family member.
- Documentation of own funds for the stay or a guarantee declaration issued by the person you are going to visit.
- Documentation of valid travel and medical insurance (minimum of EUR 30,000) at the time the visa is issued.
- Translations of the documents to Norwegian or English if the documents are in another language.
- Fee (you must pay a case-processing fee regardless of the outcome of your application).
In exceptional circumstances and only when the purpose of your trip is a private visit to someone other than a close family member (spouse, parent or child), you may be asked to procure from the sponsor you will be visiting in Norway:
- A bank guarantee in which the sponsor you are to visit issues a financial guarantee of NOK 50,000.
If you have enclosed copies of documents with your application, you must show the original documents when you hand in your application.
More information about invitation and guarantee declarations.
Separate rules apply for foreign national who require a visa and who are covered by the EEA Agreement or the EFTA Convention.
Who processes the application?
Most visa applications are processed at Norwegian embassies or consulates. In certain cases, applications may be sent to the UDI for processing. The UDI shall process an application if:
- The embassy or consulate does not have the authority to decide on an application.
- The embassy or consulate is in doubt about whether to grant a visa.
- You are a refugee, you are stateless or there is doubt about your citizenship.
- You have been expelled from Norway or another Nordic country or you are registered in SIS (Schengen Information System)
- You have applied for a national visitor’s visa
- The embassy or consulate has rejected your application and you have appealed the decision.
How long will it take to process my visa application?
See the list of UDI’s expected processing times at www.udi.no/caseprocessingtimes. You must contact the embassy or consulate for information about their case processing times.
Requirements for obtaining a visa
Different requirements apply to different types of visa. More information can be found on the page What type of visa should I apply for?
You can appeal the decision
If your visa application is rejected, you may appeal the decision.
The appeal deadline is three weeks. You must submit your appeal to the embassy or consulate that has processed your application. The embassy or consulate can either reverse its decision or forward the appeal to the UDI. The UDI will then make the final decision.
If the UDI made the first decision in the case, the appeal should nonetheless be submitted to the embassy or consulate. The UDI can either reverse the decision or send the appeal to the Immigration Appeals Board (UNE), which will then make the final decision concerning the appeal.
You, or a person you have authorised, can appeal the decision.
There is no fee for processing appeals.
Here you can find an overview of the considerations taken into account in the evaluation of visa applications.
How do I apply for a visa extension?
Visas are only extended in exceptional cases. A visa can be extended such that the total period of residence in the Schengen area is a maximum of 90 days in the course of the last 180 days.
Norway is bound by the Schengen regulations’ guidelines on extending visas. An extension is not granted if the purpose of the visit to Norway has changed.
Applications for visa extensions must be submitted on a separate form. The form is available from the police and your application must be submitted to the police. You can download the application form here.
In order to be granted an extension of the validity period for a visa, new and unforeseen circumstances must have arisen after the original visa was issued. ’New circumstances’ may be that you have suffered an illness, that an event you were to participate in has been postponed/extended, or any other circumstances that mean that you have to change your original plans. A visa extension is only granted if there are substantial professional or personal reasons, or in the event of e.g. a natural disaster or war.
In some cases, the police can grant visa extension applications. If there is any doubt about whether the requirements are met or if a rejection is likely, the application is sent to the UDI for processing.
In a visa extension application, you must:
- Present your passport at the police station when you submit your application.
- Submit a written explanation of why you wish to extend your visa, and any documentation of the new situation that has arisen.
- Present travel insurance that is valid for the entire period stated in the visa extension application.
You can appeal a rejection of an application for a visa extension. The appeal must be submitted to the police immediately after receiving the rejection. The appeal will be sent to the UDI for new consideration, and may be forwarded to the Immigration Appeals Board if the UDI does not reverse its decision. You can also apply for deferred implementation of the decision in order to be able to stay in Norway while your appeal is being processed.
Further information
If you have further questions about this topic, contact your nearest Norwegian embassy or consulate, the nearest police district or the UDI’s Information Service for Applicants.
