The main rule is that every foreign national need a visa in order to visit Norway. There are however exeptions to this rule.
The Schengen countries
The Schengen agreement means that there is no passport control on journeys between the member countries.
Nationals of these countries can therefore travel freely into Norway, without applying for a visa. The same applies to citizens of other countries who have a residence permit in one of the Schengen countries.
The 26 member countries are: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden.
Read more about the Schengen cooperation
Visa-free countries
Exemption to the visa requirement also applies to nationals of countries that have a visa exemption agreements with Norway. Nationals from countries with exemption agreements can stay in Norway for up to 90 days. Norway has visa exemption agreements with the following countries:
A: Andorra, Albania (holders of biometric passports), Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria
B: Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda (BDTC passport), Bosnia and Herzegovina (holders of biometric passports), Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria
C: Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic
D: Denmark
E: El Salvador, Estonia
F: Finland, France
G: Germany, Greece, Guatemala
H: Honduras, Hong Kong (SAR passports and BNO passports), Hungary
I: Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy
J: Japan
K: Republic of Korea
L: Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg
M: Macau (SAR passport), Macedonia (holders of biometric passports), Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro (holders of biometric passports)
N: The Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua
P: Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal
R: Romania
S: San Marino, Serbia (holders of biometric passports), the Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, St. Kitts and Nevis, Sweden, Switzerland
T: Taiwan (holders of Taiwanese passports that contain an ID card number),
U: The UK, Uruguay, the USA
V: The Vatican City State, Venezuela
Exemption for persons with diplomatic, service and special passports
If you have a diplomatic, service or special passport, you are exempt from the visa requirement if you come to Norway on an official assignment. This applies to persons with the following types of passport:
- Albanian diplomatic passport (only applies to accredited ambassadors to Norway and their spouses and children)
- Bolivian diplomatic and service passport
- United Arab Emirates diplomatic and special passport
- Philippine diplomatic, service and special passport
- Macedonian diplomatic and service passport
- Moroccan diplomatic, service and special passport
- Pakistani diplomatic and service passport
- Russian diplomatic passport
- South African diplomatic and service passport
- Thai diplomatic and service passport
- Tunisian diplomatic passport
- Turkish diplomatic, service and special passport
- Civil servants on official assignments travelling with a Laissez-Passer, a travel document issued by the UN.
Other exemptions to the visa requirement
The following persons are also exempt from the visa requirement:
- Persons with resident permits or permanent residence permits (settlement permits) in Norway. The permit must be stamped in the person’s travel document.
- Persons with a D visa
- Persons with refugee travel documents issued by the authorities in Malta, Ireland, Liechtenstein, the UK or Switzerland.
- Persons with British passports with unlimited rights to enter and stay in the UK.
- Persons who have a British ’Emergency Travel Document’ (emergency passport) when in transit in Norway, and the emergency passport states that the journey’s destination is the UK.
- Persons who have a German ’Reiseausweis als Passersatz zur Rückkehr in die Bundesrepublik Deutschland’ (emergency passport) when in transit in Norway, and the emergency passport states that the journey’s destination is Germany.
- Persons with travel documents for refugee seamen issued by Australia, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Croatia, Germany, Macedonia, Mauritius, Montenegro, Morocco the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, or the UK.
- Persons with identity cards for seamen issued by states that have ratified no 108 or 185 of the ILO Convention, when he or she takes up or leaves a position on a ship in a Norwegian port, or is a member of a ship’s crew and wishes to visit the port in which the ship is docked during shore leave.
- Persons with aviation certificates, when the holder travels to Norway and stays in the realm in connection with international aviation work.
- Persons who have a Philippine ’Seafarer’s Identification and Record Book’ and/or a Philippine passport, used when the person takes up a position on a ship in a Norwegian port.
- Recognised refugees, stateless persons and other persons without citizenship who reside in an EU country and who have travel documents issued by that country.
- School pupils who require a visa and live in an EU country that has implemented Council Decision 94/795, when the pupil takes part in school trips that are accompanied by teachers from the pupil’s schoo
- Family memers of swiss and EEA-citizens, when the family member has a residence card in an EEA-country outside of Norway
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.
