You can be granted a residence permit as an au pair for a maximum period of two years. If the offer of employment is for less than two years, you can only be granted a residence permit for the period covered by the employment offer.

Special rules apply to EEA nationals who apply for residence permits as au pairs. Nordic nationals need not apply for a permit in Norway.

• Who are eligible for a residence permit as an au pair?
• Requirements for the host family
• The rights of the au pair
• How to apply
• Residence permit during application processing 
• What must be enclosed with the application?
• How long will it take to process the application?
• The content of the permit
• Is the permit renewable?
• Au pairs from the Philippines
• You can appeal a rejection
  

Who are eligible for a residence permit as an au pair?

In order to be granted a residence permit as an au pair you must

• be between the ages of 18 and 30
• it must be probable that you will return to your home country at the end of your stay, and circumstances in your home country must also indicate that you will be able to return.

Requirements for the host family

• The host family can be a married couple or cohabitants (regardless of sex) with or without children, or a single parent with children.
• The host family shall present Norwegian language and society and speak Norwegian to the au pair.  
• If one of the host parents is of the same nationality as you are, he or she must have lived in Norway for a minimum of 10 years. 
• The host family can only have one au pair at a time.
• The host family must treat the au pair like a member of the family.

You cannot be a host family if you are:

• Single without children
• Members of the au pair's own family, i.e. siblings, cousins, brothers or sisters-in-law, uncles or aunts cannot be a host family.

The rights of the au pair

• You are to carry out light works such as housework, child care and caring for animals. 
• The working hours must not exceed five hours a day, and the maximum number of working hours per week is 30. You cannot work more than these 30 hours, not even for extra pay.
• You are entitled to participate in tuition in the Norwegian language and recreational activities. 
• The host family shall pay for you to attend Norwegian language courses in the amount of up to NOK 6,000 per year. 
• You must live with the host family for the duration of the contract and have your own room in the host family's home. 
• You shall have free board and lodging, and receive at least NOK 4,000 per month before tax as pocket money/ pay.
• You are entitled to a total of 25 working days of holiday per calendar year. 
• You are entitled to a minimum of 48 hours of time off per week (free period). This free period should be continuous if possible, and never shorter than 24 hours.
• You and your host family must have signed the Directorate of Immigration's (UDI) standard employment contract for service provision. 
• You cannot work as ordinary domestic help or childminder with a permit as an au pair. 
• You cannot work for other employers than your host family, and you cannot combine your work as an au pair with any other work, neither paid nor free.

How to apply

You submit an application form to the Norwegian embassy or consulate in your home country or in the country where you have held a residence permit for the past six months. You cannot enter Norway and start working until you have received your permit. You will receive an answer to your application from the foreign service mission or, if relevant, through the person you have authorised in Norway.

Exemptions for certain groups:

• Certain groups can apply for a residence permit from Norway.
• Certain groups can submit applications online through the embassy websites.

Residence permit during application processing

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

What must be enclosed with the application?

In addition to the completed application form, you must enclose:

• the UDI’s standard employment contract, signed by yourself and your host family 
• the form ‘Important information to au pairs and their host families about rights and obligations’, signed by yourself and your host family 
• documentation of the nationality of the host family (e.g. copies of their passports) 
• a copy of your passport. If you apply from Norway, the date when you entered Norway must be shown in your passport or in other documentation. 
• a translation of the documents into Norwegian or English
• a passport photo/ photo that meets specific requirements 
• you must pay a fee

• documentation that you have had legal residence in the country that you applied from for the past six months if you applied from a country other than your home country
• if the host family is a single-parent family, you must document his/her percentage of the responsibility for care and control of the child(ren) 
• a written authorisation for your host family if you so wish

How long will it take to process the application?

The content of the permit

• The UDI will grant a residence permit to an au pair for one year at a time, but not for a total of more than two years. 
• The permit does not form the basis for a permanent residence permit (settlement permit) or family immigration.

Is the permit renewable?

• As long as you hold a valid residence permit as an au pair, you can submit an application to change host families at any time. This will be considered an application for renewal.
• If you wish to renew your residence permit as an au pair, you must submit a new application at least one month before your current permit expires.
• You cannot start working for the new family until your new application for a residence permit has been granted. 
• The application must be submitted to the police district where you live. As a rule, you must submit it in person.
• The same documentation requirements apply as for first-time applications. However, you may have turned 30. You can find more information about what must be enclosed with your application here.
• Renewal applications are also subject to a fee.

Au pairs from the Philippines

The Philippine authorities do not recognise the au pair arrangement, and do not want Philippine nationals to be granted residence permits to travel to Norway as au pairs. Norwegian immigration authorities are subject to Norwegian law and cannot reject or refuse to process an au pair application based on another country’s legislation. This means that:

• Philippine nationals can be denied a permit to leave their home country even though they have been granted residence permits as au pairs in Norway.
• Norwegian authorities cannot assist in cases where the au pair is denied a permit to travel abroad.
  

You can appeal a rejection

Read more about how to appeal a decision at www.udi.no/appeals.

Further information

If you have further questions about this topic, contact your nearest Norwegian embassy or consulate, the nearest police district or the Information Service for Applicants.