Who can be granted a residence permit as a specialist?
- Your annual salary must be at least NOK 500,000.
- Your employer must submit a tax certificate for value added tax and tax, and a declaration of compliance with statutory Norwegian health, safety and the environment (HSE) requirements.
- If you are to work in a profession subject to qualification requirements (a regulated profession), you must have been approved or authorised by the relevant specialist authority for your profession. More information about which professions are regulated in Norway.
- You cannot be granted a permit as a specialist if you are to work as a religious leader/teacher or an ethnic cook, even if your salary is NOK 500,000. Religious leaders/teachers and ethnic cooks who wish to work in Norway must apply for skilled worker permits.
What requirements apply to the employment relationship?
You must have received a concrete offer of employment from an employer in Norway. The employment offer must state the position you will fill, your hourly wage and the number of working hours per week.
- As a rule, you must have received an offer of full-time employment for one employer.
- The pay and working conditions must not be poorer than those stipulated in the current collective agreement or pay scale for the industry. If no such collective agreement or pay scale exists, the pay must be in accordance with what is normal for the place and occupation concerned.
How to apply
Check where to hand in your application
- If you are outside Norway 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 six months. In some countries you will hand in the application at the Swedish or Danish embassy instead. Check here where to hand in the application.
- If you are in Norway, you can apply from 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 or are considered to be a specialist on grounds of the pay offered . You must be in Norway legally, and you cannot be an asylum seeker.
Learn more about who can apply from Norway
Find out if you should apply online
You should register your application online if you apply from Norway or through a Norwegian embassy You cannot register your application online if you hand in the application at a Swedish or Danish embassy.
If you hand in the application at a Swedish or Danish embassy you must fill in a form on paper and hand it in at the embassy. You can find the form here. The form is also used for renewing a permit
What must be enclosed with the application?
Both applicants who register their applications online and those who hand in a paper version need to hand in their passport and other necessary documentation.
- If you apply online, you will at the same time book an appointment for handing in your documents to the police or an embassy. You will not have to wait in line when you turn up for your appointment.
- If are not applying online you need to contact the embassy to find out when to hand in the documents along with the application form.
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 (online or paper version), you must enclose:
For regulated professions, approval or authorisation from the relevant specialist authority must also be enclosed.
If your employer applies on your behalf, an authorisation form must also be enclosed. No authorisation is required if your employer is covered by the early employment scheme.
As a rule, it is sufficient that you enclose a copy of the documents with your application, but you must be able to present the original documents. You must also enclose translations of the documents into Norwegian or English.
Please note: The documentation requirements vary from country to country and may change over time. You should therefore check what requirements apply with the Norwegian foreign service mission (embassy or consulate) in the country from which you are applying.
Your employer can apply on your behalf
Your employer can apply for a residence permit on your behalf if you authorise him/her in writing to do so. You must complete the authorisation section of the application form or give your employer some form of written authorisation. If your employer applies on your behalf, the application must be submitted in the police district where the enterprise has its registered business address.
However, if your employer is covered by the early employment scheme, he/she can apply for a residence permit for specialists on your behalf without written authorisation.
The early employment scheme
The early employment scheme means that employers who meet certain criteria can recruit labour directly and let employees start working before their application has been processed. The scheme applies to skilled workers, defined by expertise, and specialists, defined by pay. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that the employee meets the conditions for being granted a permit as a skilled worker or specialist. The scheme also covers seconded employees and trainees employed by an international company.
In order to take advantage of this scheme, your employer must submit a tax certificate for value added tax and tax, and a self-declaration of compliance with statutory Norwegian HSE requirements.
Your employer can apply for a residence permit on your behalf without authorisation. If the employer submits a complete application, i.e. an application with all the necessary enclosures, and a tax certificate and self-declaration as described above, the police can issue a preliminary confirmation that you may start working before your application has been processed. The foreign service mission can issue you an entry visa if required, provided that the police have issued a preliminary confirmation to your employer and you are able to document your identity.
You must meet in person at the police district where the application was submitted within seven days of entering Norway. There, you must document your identity and confirm the application submitted by your employer. The police will then issue you a confirmation that you are entitled to work for the employer in question until your application has been processed. You can start working immediately once you have obtained this confirmation.
If you are not subject to a visa requirement to enter Norway or if you already reside legally in Norway, you can submit the application to the police or to a service centre for foreign workers. Note this is only if you are a specialist based on the offer of salary, and if you are not seeking asylum.
If the application is complete and your employer meets the requirements, the police can issue you a confirmation that you are entitled to work for the employer in question until your application has been processed. You can start working immediately after you have obtained this confirmation.
As a specialist, you are not entitled to change employers, neither during the processing of your application nor after you have been granted a residence permit, if applicable.
The police can refuse to issue a preliminary confirmation to the employer or a confirmation to you if any of the criteria are not met. You have no right of appeal.
Permit while the application is being processed
You can ask the police to issue you a residence permit while your application is being processed. 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.
If you change employers or jobs
The specialist residence permit is linked to a specific employer, which means that you must re-apply if you are going to change employers. You do not need to re-apply for a residence permit if you are going to work in another position but for the same employer and receive an annual salary of at least NOK 500,000.
Can your family move to Norway?
Your family can apply for residence permits in Norway for the period you are going to work here. Such permits are processed in accordance with the regulations for family immigration. Please note that your employer can not apply on behalf of your family members.
How long will it take to process the application?
See the list of the UDI’s expected case processing times at www.udi.no/caseprocessingtime.
The content of the permit
- A specialist residence permit applies to work for one specific employer. You must therefore submit a new application if you wish to change employers. However, you can perform another type of work for the same employer, as long as you will continue to receive an annual salary of at least NOK 500,000.
- The duration of the permit depends on the duration of the employment relationship, but it can only be granted for one year at a time.
- The permit entitles you to travel into and out of Norway during the period for which it is valid.
- The permit forms the basis for permanent residence in Norway.
Is the permit renewable?
The permit is renewable. To be entitled to stay on the same conditions until the application for renewal has been decided, you must apply for renewal and pay a fee at least one month before your previous permit expires. Renewal applications must be submitted to the police where you live or to a service centre for foreign workers.
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
You can read more about residence permits for specialists at the web portal UDIregelverk.
You can also contact the police, your nearest Norwegian embassy or consulate or the UDI’s Information Service.
