Many different things are assessed in connection with a visa application. Your application may be rejected because you do not meet the requirements, or because it is found that an application should not be granted following discretionary assessments.
The regulations
- A visa application is processed in accordance with the provisions of the Immigration Act and Immigration Regulations.
- In addition, Norway has undertaken to coordinate its visa system with the other Schengen states. All the Schengen states have joint guidelines on how to process visa applications. These guidelines form the basis for many of the provisions in the Immigration Act and Immigration Regulations.
Rejection for failure to meet the requirements
If you do not meet the requirements that apply for being granted a visa or you cannot document mandatory information, your visa application will be rejected.
Applications may be rejected if you
- Do not have a valid passport or other approved travel document.
- Cannot return to the country in which you are staying.
- Have not submitted documentation confirming that you have valid travel insurance for the whole visa period.
- Have travel documents that are not valid for at least three months beyond your stay in the Schengen area.
- Are registered in the Schengen Information System (SIS) or subject to a rejection or expulsion order.
- Wish to stay in Norway on grounds that indicate that you should have applied for a residence permit. In this case, your visa application will be rejected and you will be advised to apply for the relevant permit.
Rejection following discretionary assessment
Most of the applications that are rejected are rejected due to immigration policy considerations that indicate that an application should not be granted. This is a discretionary assessment. This means that if there is doubt as to whether you will return to your home country when the visa period expires, your application will be rejected. Your connection to your home country is a key factor in this assessment. Relevant factors include your marital status, age, nationality, place of residence and work/study situation. The immigration authorities may grant a visa if you have a sufficiently strong connection to your home country, e.g. family and work, and that the other requirements are met.
The application will be rejected if the immigration authorities find that you do not have a sufficiently strong connection to your home country unless there are special welfare considerations indicating that the application should be granted. Read more about this under
Granting a visa on humanitarian grounds.
There are also other discretionary assessments that may lead to visa applications being rejected.
- Foreign policy or security policy considerations indicating that an application should be rejected.
- There are grounds to doubt the purpose of the trip.
- There are grounds to doubt the information that has been provided.
Granting a visa on humanitarian grounds
If an applicant does not have a sufficient connection to his/her home country, the application will generally be rejected. However, the immigration authorities may still grant a visa on the basis of humanitarian grounds. This type of visa will only permit holders to entry and residence in Norway (national visitor's visa). Examples of humanitarian grounds are:
- Events or occasions e.g. Christenings, weddings, funerals or cultural and sports events.
- Serious illness or death of a close family member.
Further information
If you have further questions on this topic, you can contact your nearest Norwegian embassy or consulate or the UDI's Information Service for Applicants .
