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In Norwegian

Trainee (vocational training)

You can be granted a residence permit as a trainee if you are to come to Norway to receive vocational training.

For all citizens of an EU/EEA/EFTA country and members of their families, special rules apply through EEA regulations.

Who are eligible for a residence permit as a trainee?
Employment offer requirements
How to apply
What must be enclosed with the application?
How long will it take to process the application?
Residence card to document your permit
Residence permit during application processing
The content of the permit
Is the permit renewable?
You can appeal a rejection

Who are eligible for a residence permit as a trainee?

In order to be granted a residence permit as a trainee

You can not have completed your vocational training. If you have already completed your vocational training, you must apply for a permit as a skilled worker.
You must complete the trainee stay in Norway before or during your education.The trainee work must be relevant to your vocational training and be of significant importance to your competence.
you must have turned 15 and have your parents’ consent if you are between the ages of 15 and 18.

It must also be probable that you will return to your home country when your residence permit expires, and circumstances in your home country must also indicate that you will be able to return.

Employment offer requirements

You must have received a concrete offer of employment. The offer of employment is concrete if it contains a description of your tasks, the number of hours a week you will be working, your monthly pay, and how long you will be working for.
You must be paid in accordance with the applicable collective wage agreement or pay scale, or what is normal for the occupation concerned. If there is no collective wage agreement for the occupation in question, yout pay must not be poorer than is normal for the occupation and place concerned. Your employer is obliged to document the applicable collective agreement, pay scale or normal pay for the occupation and place in question. The pay must be sufficient to guarantee that the subsistence requirement is met, but a grant can replace wages in full or in part.
As a rule, the employment must concern full-time work.
You must be guaranteed accommodation during the period that the application covers.
You can only have one employer.

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. 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.

**Register your application online here:**

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:

a copy of a valid travel document (usually a passport)
two passport photos/ photos that meet specific requirements
an original copy of the employment contract, signed by yourself and your employer
documentation confirming your education and, if relevant, your professional background. If the trainee stay is a mandatory part of your education, this should be confirmed by a statement from the school in question.
a description of the work, with an training plan
a translation of the documents into Norwegian or English
documentation that you have paid the application fee

If you have enclosed copies of documents with your application, you must present the original documents when you hand in your application.

How long will it take to process the application?

See the list of the UDI’s expected case processing times here.

Residence card to document your permit

If your application is granted, you must get yourself a residence card. This is a proof that you have the right to live in Norway. You will receive a letter which informs you that you must visit the police to have your fingerprints and photo taken. About ten days later the card will be sent to you by post.

Residence permit during application processing

You may not start working until you have received your permit. However, the police may issue a residence permit during case processing if they expect your application to be granted. This will not be done automatically; you must ask the police for such a permit in person.

The content of the permit

The permit is linked to a certain type of work and a certain workplace. You must submit a new application if you wish to change work or employer before your permit expires.
The permit does not form the basis for a permanent residence permit.
Family members may come to Norway pursuant to the regulations for family immigration.