Since the transfer window opened July 1 and stays open to August 31, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) and the Football Association of Norway (NFF) wish to clarify the conditions for the work permit for football players.

Procedure

Players from countries outside the EU/EFTA area, may come to Norway as tourists (if they are exempt from the visa regulations), or on a visitor visa to test play for a new club. The club needs to be in one of the main football leagues in Norway; ‘Tippeligaen’, ‘Adeccoligaen’ or the main league for women. The visa is valid for a maximum of 3 months, and the player needs to apply for a visa at the nearest Norwegian foreign service mission.

When a player signs a contract, he/she needs to apply for a work permit at a police station. The police may, in case of a recommendation from the NFF, grant a temporary work permit which allows the player to start working. The UDI will then process the application. After signing the contract, the player may neither train with the team, nor play any matches until a work permit or a temporary permit is granted.

Requirements for the permit

To be granted a work permit as a football player, the following conditions must be met:

• The player needs to be involved in sports on a high level. This means that you need to be offered work for a club in ‘Tippeligaen’, ‘Adeccoligaen’ or the main league for women.
• The skills of the player must be deemed absolutely necessary for the club with regards to continue their operation, or in relation to increased ambitions at a national or international level. In general the player should be of a quality that is hard to find in Norway, and the player should be a reinforcement of the main team of the club.
• The player must have a work contract that gives him/her an annual salary equivalent to civil service pay grade 1 (NOK 182.400). If the club covers housing and food, the value of these benefits and the salary must together amount to NOK 182 400.
• The work permit is connected to a particular job and a particular work-place. In cases where a club has several teams, this implies that the work permit is connected to a certain team, usually the main team.
• The contract should as a general rule be for full time work

The role of the Football Association of Norway - NFF

The UDI processes the applications for work permits. Before the UDI reaches a decision, a statement from the NFF is always requested. The reason for this is that the NFF has more skills in assessing the skills of the players than the case handlers in the UDI.

The NFF asks the clubs to document the skills of the players by sending in a list of trophies, as well as documentation of the clubs and nationals teams for which the player previously has played. This is done in order to document that the player is good enough to reinforce the main team. The NFF founds their assessment of the player’s skills to a great extent upon the documentation and information provided by the club.

The clubs are also asked to explain why they consider this player to be absolutely necessary for the running of the club.

The advice from the NFF will as a general rule be given significant weight, but is not decisive for how the UDI will assess the application.

The work permit is granted for one year

A work permit for a football player is granted for one year. The reason for this is that the club may be relegated from one of the main leagues, and that the requirements for the permit are no longer fulfilled.

It is also required that the player has a certain activity at the team for which the permit is valid. The player needs as a general rule to play half the official games for the main team in the year of the work permit, given that the player is non-injured and available for matching. If the player has not played half the matches, this may imply that the player no longer fulfils the requirements and the application has to be rejected. The reason why the player did not meet this requirement will be assessed bearing in mind the possibilities that the player will meet this requirement in the near future.

Case processing times

Both the UDI and the NFF depends on the player and the club to provide substantial documentation that the player meets the requirements for the work permit. The better the information provided along with the application, the quicker the case will be processed.

Temporary Work permit

It is possible to apply for a temporary work permit. The police may grant such a permit if the Football Association of Norway has recommended that the player is granted a permit, because it is probable that the application for a work permit will be accepted.

Individual assessment

It is emphasised that each case is subject to individual assessment.

Appeal

It is possible to lodge an appeal against a decision by the UDI: