Who is eligible for this type of residence permit?
You have to be a self-employed person with a business established abroad and you must have skilled worker qualifications. The term skilled worker covers the following categories:
- Specialist training corresponding to upper secondary education level. You must have completed vocational training for a specific occupation. The education must, as a minimum, correspond to upper secondary education level, i.e. at least three years. If you were educated abroad, you must have achieved the same level of expertise as you would have achieved had you been educated in Norway. Examples include vocational education for joiners, plumbers or auxiliary nurses.
- Craft certificate. A craft certificate taken abroad must have resulted in the same level of expertise as a Norwegian craft certificate.
- University college or university education. The requirement is a completed degree or study programme. Examples include nurses, engineers, Bachelor or Master’s degrees.
- Special qualifications. You must have gained expertise through professional experience of a certain duration, alternatively in combination with other training (courses and similar). If there is a formal education in the field in question, your level of expertise must be approximately equivalent to the level of such education. Please note that, in principle, a skilled worker permit is only granted on the basis of special qualifications in exceptional circumstances and that thorough documentation is required.
In addition, your expertise must be considered to be relevant to your ability to complete the assignment.
What requirements apply to the employment relationship and the assignment?
- You must have entered into a contract with a Norwegian company (the employer) for the provision of services of a limited duration in Norway.
- The Norwegian contracting party must have a place of business in Norway.
- You must be a self-employed person with a business established abroad (the contractor).
- As a rule, the offer of an assignment must be for one employer.
- There is no requirement for the assignment to be full-time.
- The contract must confirm that you as the contractor are to receive remuneration that is at least equivalent to the payment required for skilled workers in the field. The pay and working conditions must not be poorer than those stipulated in the current collective agreement or pay scale. If no such collective agreement or pay scale exists, the pay and working conditions must not be poorer than is normal in Norway for the occupation and place concerned. If the position requires an academic education and is not covered by a collective agreement or pay scale, you must be paid in accordance with the government collective agreement, unless it is documented that other conditions are normal for the occupation and place concerned. This means that if you have completed higher academic education, including a Master’s degree, your pay must be at least salary grade 45 in the pay scale for Norwegian state employees, currently NOK 372.700 per year. For lower-level academic education, including a Bachelor’s degree, salary grade 42 in the pay scale for Norwegian state employees, currently NOK 356.000 per year, is the minimum pay.
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
See also information about visas for applying for a permit, and information about stays of up to six months to seek employment in 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 form 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.
The client in Norway can apply on your behalf
Your employer can apply for a residence permit on your behalf if you authorise him/her in writing. You can do this by filling in the authorisation section of the application form, by completing an authorisation form or by providing some other form of written authorisation. In such case, the application must be submitted to the police district in which the client has his/her registered business address.
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:
- the contract between you as the self-employed contractor and the Norwegian client documenting the nature of your contractual relationship. The contract must also clearly state which services you are to provide and that they are of a limited duration.
- documentation that you are a self-employed contractor with a business established abroad
- a Certificate of Registration for the Norwegian enterprise from the Brønnøysund Register Centre
- documentation of your education containing information about the duration of the education, its content and the level of the educational institution.
- documentation of work experience containing detailed information from former employers about the duration, tasks and the nature of the activities
- your CV
- information about where you are going to stay in Norway
- a copy of your passport
- a passport photo/photo that meets specific requirements
- documentation that you have paid the fee
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.
Permit while the application is being processed
You may not start working until you have been granted a residence permit. However, the police can give you a permit while your application is being processed if you so request. The police can grant this if you are entitled to apply from Norway, and if they believe that your application is likely to be granted.
How long will it take to process the application?
See the list of the UDI’s expected case processing times here.
The content of the permit
- A residence permit as a service provider and a self-employed contractor is linked to the assignment or assignments stipulated in the contract. You may therefore not take other assignments than stipulated by the permit.
- Permits can be granted for one year, but never for longer than the duration of the employment relationship.
- The permit entitles you to repeated entry into 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 relating to family immigration provided that your assignment lasts for more than six months.
Is the permit renewable?
The permit is renewable, but the duration of the permit cannot exceed a total of four years. The permit cannot be renewed after this, nor can a new permit as a service provider and a self-employed contractor be granted.
You must apply for a renewal of your residence permit at least one month before your previous residence permit expires, and the application must be submitted to the police where you live. A fee must be paid for renewal applications.
You can appeal a rejection
You can appeal the decision. Read more about how to appeal a decision here.
Further information
For more information, contact your nearest Norwegian embassy or consulate, or the UDI’s Information Service.
Further information about this permit is available on the web portal UDIregelverk.
