Who can be granted a residence permit as a journalist?
To be granted a residence permit pursuant to these rules, you must:
- be a journalist or hold another relevant position with a foreign newspaper, radio or television station, or another media institution
- receive pay from an employer or client abroad
If you are employed by a Norwegian branch of a foreign media institution, you can be granted a permit pursuant to the rules concerning skilled workers.
Who does not need a residence permit?
What requirements apply to the employment relationship?
To be granted a permit as a journalist, you must have received a concrete and relevant offer of employment from a foreign media institution. As a rule, the offer must involve full-time work for one employer.
It is a requirement that you have sufficient financial means during the period for which the application applies. The minimum requirement corresponds to salary grade 1 in the pay scale for Norwegian state employees.
How to apply
Check where to hand in your application:
- If you are in another country 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 6 months. In some countries you will hand the application to the Swedish or Danish embassy instead. Check here where to hand in the application.
- If you are in Norway you can hand in your application 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 waiting for a reply to your application for asylum or have had your application for asylum turned down. When you apply from Norway you hand in your application at a local police station or at the Service center for foreign workers. Learn more about who can apply from Norway
Application form
You must fill in the application form for a residence permit and hand it in to the police or the embassy. You use the same when you wish to renew your permit. Contact the police or the embassy to find out when you can hand in your application.
Application form
Unfortunately you cannot use the online Application Portal Norway.
You must submit the application yourself
Your employer cannot submit your residence permit application on your behalf, because he/she does not have a registered place of business in Norway.
What must be enclosed with the application?
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, you must enclose:
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. You must also enclose translations of the documents into Norwegian or English.
Please note! The documentation requirements vary from country to country and they 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.
Permit while the application is being processed
You cannot start working without a residence permit. If you are entitled to apply from Norway and the police consider it likely that your permit will be granted, the police can grant you a permit while the application is being processed. This will not be done automatically; you must ask the police for such a permit.
How long will it take to process the application?
The content of the permit
The permit confers the following rights and has the following limitations:
- The permit is granted for one year at a time
- The permit applies to a specific job for a specific employer, i.e. you cannot work in another position than stated in the permit.
- The permit entitles you to travel into and out of Norway for the duration of the permit.
- The permit does not form the basis for a permanent residence permit.
- Family members can apply for residence permits pursuant to the rules for family immigration.
The permit can be renewed
The permit can be renewed provided that the conditions are met.
Here you can find more information about extensions and renewals
You can appeal a rejection
You can appeal the decision. Read more about how to appeal a decision at
www.udi.no/appeals.
Further information
