This section provides an overview of how long it takes to process work permit applications received by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI).
The period taken to process a case is calculated from the day you submit your application to the police or at a Norwegian embassy or consulate until the day the UDI takes a decision on the case. Applications from which important information is missing take longer to process, and such applications may, in some cases, be rejected due to missing information or documentation.
Please be advised that the police and embassies/consulates also process some types of application to work and reside in Norway. The police process nearly all applications for residence permits under EU/EEA/EFTA regulations. Most applications for renewal of permits are also processed by the police. However, the police cannot reject applications and therefore send applications to the UDI if they are in any doubt about what decision to make.
If your application is to be processed by the police or an embassy/consulate you should ask at the place you submitted your application when you can expect an answer. The case-processing times vary from place to place.
If you submit your application at one of the Service Centres for foreign workers, you can read more about the case-processing times here.
Priority: The Norwegian Government has decided that applications for work permits, and applications for family immigration with migrant workers, are amongst those that are to be processed as priority cases. Read more about case-processing times for family immigration.
Case-processing times for work permits
| Type of case |
Number of months |
| Application for a work permit |
2 |
| Application for a trainee’s work permit |
4 |
| Appeals against rejection |
3 |
| Family immigration with work immigrant: |
3 |
Guiding
Information about case-processing times is guiding. Some cases make take shorter or longer time to process.
The case-processing times indicate how long it has taken us to process most of the applications the last three months.
The composition of the case portfolio and how we give priority to the cases are conditions that affects the case-processing times as well.
Not constant
The table is updated every third month and the information is changed if the case processing times are changed. This means that the case-processing times for your application can be changed after it has been submitted.
Conditions and documentation
How does the UDI deal with applications?
Application form: work permit
Power of attorney form
