The spouse, cohabitant or non-adult child of a person who lives in Norway has the right to family immigration provided that all legal requirements are met.  

Other examples of who may be eligible for family immigration include

• parents with children in Norway
• parents wishing to visit a child in Norway for up to 9 months
• people going to get married in Norway (fiancé(e))
• non-adult full siblings lacking a caregiver in their home country
• adult children over 18 years who are dependent
• foster children
• full siblings

Other family relations such as adult siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins are not eligible for family immigration in Norway.

UDI’s Family immigration guide has more information about the rules and steps for applying for family immigration with a person living in Norway.

To be eligible for a family immigration residence permit, all the rules and requirements must be fulfilled. The rules and requirements differ depending on the type of family member you wish to rejoin by applying for family immigration

The application process can generally be divided into two parts:

Part 1. Registering the application online and paying the fee

First, you or the person who is moving to Norway must complete an electronic application for family immigration on the UDI website.

The words «you» and «your» in the application form refer to the person who is going to move to Norway. In most cases, applicants will complete an application for themselves. If, however, you are completing the application on behalf of another person, for example a family member, «you» in the application form refers to the person who wants to move to Norway. Where it asks, «which country are you applying from?», you must state the country where the applicant resides.

When the application form has been completed, you must pay the application fee online. The person who completes the electronic application will then receive confirmation by email with a document attached. This document is to be printed out and signed by the applicant.

Part 2. Meeting up at an application centre to hand in application and documents

The main rule for applying for a family immigration permit is that you, the applicant, have to submit your application from abroad – either from your country of origin or your country of residence.  There are few exceptions to this rule, but some categories of applicants may apply in Norway. See «Can I apply for family immigration from Norway?» for more information.

After the application is registered online and the fee paid, an appointment must be made for the applicant to meet up at a VFS Global application centre (external website) in the applicant’s home country or country of residence where the applicant will submit the application documents.

After you have submitted your documents at an application center, your documents will be sent to the Norwegian Embassy in charge of applications from your country of origin or your country of residence.

When the Embassy receives your documents, they create an application in UDI’s case processing system. You will receive an automatic email informing you of this.

For family immigration, the general rule is that you need to submit your application either from your country of origin or from a country where you have held a residence permit for the last 6 months or longer. There are only a few situations where applying for family immigration while in Norway is acceptable.

You can submit an application in Norway if you

• have a valid residence permit in Norway or
• qualify as a skilled worker and have legal residency in Norway (for example, you already have a valid visa for Norway or another Schengen country).

If you do not need a visa to come to Norway, in some cases you might be allowed to submit your application for family immigration in Norway although you are not a skilled worker. You can submit your application in Norway if you come from a country where no visa is required to enter Norway, you are staying legally in Norway and

• you apply for family immigration to join your spouse or cohabitant (if you apply with your fiance(e) as your reference person, you must also have skilled-worker status to apply in Norway) or
• you are under 18 years of age and apply for family immigration to join your parent or parents in Norway. If one of your parents is part of a parental responsibility agreement concerning you but is not in Norway, you will also have to obtain that parent’s consent or
• you are the parent of a child who is a Norwegian citizen, and the child lives with you on a permanent basis

Yes, you may hand in an application in Norway as long as your visitor visa is valid. If you apply while in Norway, the 9-month period will commence on the date you previously entered Norway or another Schengen country, not on the date when your residence permit is granted.

As a minor from a country where a visa is required for Norway, you may in certain cases be allowed to apply in Norway if you apply for family immigration with your parents as your reference persons.

You must be staying legally in Norway (for example, you already have a valid visa for Norway or another Schengen country), and

• both your parents are in Norway or
• you have one parent in Norway whose sole parental responsibility has been documented or
• you have one parent in Norway who is part of a parental responsibility agreement concerning you, and you have consent from the parent not living in Norway. 

You have to hand in your application and documents to the police within 90 days of entering Norway or another Schengen country. The waiting times for an appointment with the police can be long, so be sure to register your application online and to pay the fee well in advance. We can accept that you handed in your application to the police even if you were in Norway or another Schengen country longer than 90 days, provided both that you registered your application and paid the fee at least 7 days before the end of the 90-day period, and that you booked the first available appointment with the police to hand it in. You are required to submit all documents listed in the checklist during your appointment with the police.

More information is available on our webpage, People who can hand in their application in Norway.

No. People living in Norway are not normally allowed to apply on behalf of a family member. There is currently only one exception: If you are staying in Gaza or Afghanistan, members of your family (reference persons) may hand in an application for family immigration in Norway.

In certain cases, UDI will also accept applications from parents settled in Norway on behalf of their children abroad. UDI will assess your specific case to determine whether we can accept the application even though it was submitted in Norway. We can only make such an assessment if one of the following criteria is met:

• Both biological parents reside in Norway, have residence permits and parental responsibility.
• One of the biological parents lives in Norway with legal residency, and there is no doubt about the parent having sole parental responsibility.

The above may also apply for an adoptive parent in the same way as for a biological parent. If the adoption was finalised after you, as the adoptive parent / reference person, settled in Norway, then the adoption must have been approved by Norwegian adoption authority, the Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir).  

If the child is a foster child, the application must generally be handed in at a Foreign Service mission.

«The applicant» is the person who wants to move to Norway to rejoin a family member.

«The reference person» is the family connection who already lives in Norway.

At UDI, we refer to the income requirement as the «subsistence requirement» – the terms mean the same.

The subsistence requirement for family immigration applications is decided by policy and is set by the Storting. It may change over time. More information about the Income requirement in family immigration cases.

There are two aspects to the subsistence requirement . You must usually fulfil both a requirement about previous income while also showing the probability that you will earn a certain level of income in the future.

The applicant and the reference person are themselves responsible for fulfilling the subsistence requirement.

If the person living in Norway (the reference person) has protection (asylum), the subsistence requirement is dropped if the following all apply:

• the family relationship was established before the reference person came to Norway and
• the application is submitted online within 6 months of the reference person being granted protection and
• the applicants have met in person at an application centre within 1 year of the reference person being granted protection.

In some cases, UDI can or must make exceptions from all or parts of the subsistence requirement. We are unable to answer whether exceptions can be made in your case. More information is available on the webpage, UDI 2010-118 Subsistence requirement in family immigration applications (external website).

See the checklist of documents required for family immigration applications .

You show up in person with your documents at the agreed time at your nearest application centre to

• hand in your application with all the documents on the checklist
• have your fingerprints registered

The application centre forwards your documents to the associated embassy/consulate for your application to be registered in UDI's case processing system.

When submitting your application from Norway, you must make an appointment with the police to submit your application and all your documents. In these cases, the police register your application in UDI's case processing system.

UDI cannot help you to book an appointment at either the application centre abroad or with the police in Norway.

The D-visa is an entry visa for spouses (and any children under 18 years of age spouses have in common) who wish to travel to Norway while waiting for a response, or before applying for family immigration.

To be eligible for such a visa, it must be beyond doubt that your application for family immigration will be approved. For example, you must fulfil all the requirements for a family immigration permit. Even if all requirements are met, not all D-visa applications are approved. If you are going to apply for a D-visa, you can read more information about this to see who is eligible for an entry visa.

In most cases, it will be difficult to know beforehand whether an application for family immigration can be granted.

A C-visa is for short stays ("short-stay visa"). With a C-visa, the total length of your stay in the Schengen area cannot exceed 90 days during any period of 180 days. The rules for C-visas are the same in all Schengen countries.

A D-visa is an entry visa or a visa for long stay ("long-stay visa"). Each Schengen country decides on its own requirements for a D-visa. Norway issues D-visas as an entry visa, which most often goes to people who were recently granted a residence permit or who lost their residence card. The type of D-visa Norway issues allows you to travel in transit through other Schengen countries on your way to Norway.

A number of other Schengen countries issue D-visas for stays of more than 90 days. D-visas of this type allow travel for up to 90 days during any 180-day period in other Schengen-area countries than the country where the D-visa was issued.

You can apply from Norway if you

1. are staying legally in Norway (for example, you already have a valid visa for Norway or another Schengen country) and
2. meet the definition of a skilled worker. See the requirements to qualify as a skilled worker: Skilled worker - UDI

Yes, if you have applied from abroad, you can contact the embassy responsible for your application. UDI does not receive your passport and, therefore, has no further information on the subject.

1. Once you have submitted all the application documents to the police or the embassy, your application will be forwarded to UDI. When UDI receives your application, you will be notified by email or SMS.
2. The application is now waiting to be processed by UDI.  Every month you will receive an email or SMS with information about what is happening with your case. Once a month we will also update the information in our guide to case processing times in family immigration cases.
3. In connection with some applications for family immigration, we will request an interview with the reference person and/or the applicant in order to obtain more information. If this applies to you, we will notify you by email or SMS, and you will receive a summons to an interview from the police or the embassy.  
4. In connection with some applications for family immigration, we will request DNA analysis. If this applies to you, we will summon you for testing at an embassy or the police.
5. UDI's case officers consider the cases in the order in which they are received. When your application is at the front of the queue, a case officer will consider your application and make a decision.
6. When UDI has made a decision, you will be notified by the police, UDI or the embassy. If you have given someone power of attorney, the person acting as your proxy will always be notified, and must notify you. 

UDI often needs to ask for updated information in UDI applications. These requests take time. You can help us by giving us new information about your situation, where relevant. 

If you have given us information about your reference person's income (your family member in Norway's income), we need updated information if the reference person

• has a new employment contract - we need a copy of the employment contract

• has left their job - we need a written explanation

• has received a new decision letter from NAV about sickness benefit, pregnancy benefit, parental benefit, disability pension or retirement pension - we need a copy of the decision letter

• has received a new decision letter about student loan or grant – we need a copy of the decision letter 

If the reference person is self-employed - we need

1. a copy of the accounts for the period after the last tax year with information on income and expenses where the profit (result) appears (if applicable, confirmation from an accountant showing the profits of the company after the last tax year) and
2. a copy of the tax return with all the necessary supporting documents (income statement etc.) 

Upload your documents 

Please upload documents to your UDI application here (external website) 

Please log in with your user account. This is a secure way to submit documents and enables us to quickly file the documents with your application. 

If you don’t already have a user account, it is easy to register as a new user. 

The application fee can only be refunded if you have not yet attended your appointment to hand in the application in person. If you have sent an application where you only need to upload the application documents electronically, you cannot get the fee refunded after you have uploaded the documents.   

If you want your application fee refunded, you must contact the police district or the embassy responsible for your application. UDI cannot assist you with reimbursement. 

If you have already handed in your application in person but wish to withdraw it (even if you will not be reimbursed), you must notify us in writing. You can write a short letter explaining that you wish to withdraw your application. The letter must be signed by you, the applicant. You must send the letter electronically. When we receive the information that you want to withdraw your application, we will dismiss the case and send you a written confirmation.

As a general rule, we can only dismiss a case if the applicant sends a written request to withdraw the application. Dismissing means that we close the case without processing it. 

If you are a reference person, sponsor or host parent and wish to withdraw your consent for the applicant to stay with you in Norway, you must send a written notification of this to UDI. You can write a short letter in which you explain that you wish to withdraw your consent for the applicant to stay with you. You must send the letter electronically. If you withdraw your consent, this will be stated in the decision (rejection) that the applicant receives. 

We cannot dismiss a case because the reference person/sponsor/host parent wishes to. If any of these persons want to withdraw the application, we must still process the case, but it will be rejected on the basis that consent has been withdrawn.

If a person with power of attorney wishes to withdraw the application due to a separation, we must still process the application, but it will be rejected. The power of attorney expires when we receive information about the separation. 

The application fee cannot be refunded when the reference person/sponsor/host parent withdraws consent. This is because the application will be processed. 

It is not possible to change an application that has already been submitted online. Nor can UDI make a change for you. 
 
When you are filling in an application online, you must indicate which country you will be applying from and you must choose an embassy or consulate where your application is to be processed. It is not possible to change the embassy/consultate in charge of your application after you have submitted your application. 

If you have selected the wrong location, you will need to fill out and submit a new application. To ask for a refund of the fee for your first application, you will need to contact the embassy directly.  

Contact information for Norwegian (external website)embassies is available here (external website).  

• In connection with some applications for family immigration, we will request an interview with the reference person and/or the applicant in order to obtain more information.
• This applies to
  • all applications where the applicant has established a relationship with a Norwegian under the age of 25, or with a person under the age of 25 who already lives in Norway
  • most applications where the applicant is either stateless or from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Türkiye, Iran, Iraq, or from a country in Africa (with the exception of South Africa).
  • a number of applications where the applicant is from Kosovo, China, Bangladesh, the Dominican Republic, India, Indonesia, Vietnam or Sri Lanka.
  • a few other applications 
• If this applies to you, we will notify you by email or SMS, and you will receive a summons to an interview with information about when and where the interview will take place.
• If you are in Norway, you will go to the police for the interview. You can find information on the police website about how long you must normally wait for the interview (external website). 
• If you are abroad, the interview will normally be at the same place as where you handed in your application. In some countries, you will be interviewed when you hand in the application.
• During the interview, you will be asked about your relationship, among other things.
• You must bring someone to interpret for you if you do not speak Norwegian.
• After the interview, the police send your case back to UDI. You will be notified by email or SMS when UDI has received the case. 

• In some countries, it is difficult to obtain birth certificates and other documents that are accepted by the Norwegian authorities. In some cases, UDI will therefore ask for a DNA analysis of the applicant and the reference person. We do this so that you can document that you are related. 
• These countries are Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and all African countries south of the Sahara (except South Africa).
• If this applies to you, we will summon you for testing. If you are in Norway, you will go to the police to take the test. If you are abroad, you will normally take the test at the Norwegian embassy in the country where you handed in the application.
• How long it will take before you are summoned, depends on the embassy's and the police's capacity.
• You do not have to pay anything for the test, but you must cover your travel and accommodation expenses.
• The DNA test is carried out by comparing saliva samples taken from the mouth of each of the family members. The test will show whether you are related. If the test shows that you are not related, you will be able to give a statement. When UDI processes the application, we will take this statement into consideration.
• UDI may require you to take a DNA test to verify that you are related. You can still choose not to take the test, but if you do not have a particular reason for not taking the DNA test, we will probably reject your application.

Can you get a visitor visa when you have applied for family immigration?

You can apply for a visitor visa to Norway. However, it is likely that your application will be rejected.

When the embassy processes your application, they will assess whether or not it is likely that you will return to your home country or your country of residence by the time the visitor visa expires. Since you have applied for a residence permit in Norway the embassy may find it unlikely that you will return before the visa expires. It may therefore be difficult for you to get a visitor visa.

Can you travel to Norway if you already have a visitor visa?

• You may travel to Norway if you have a visitor visa to Norway, but it is important that you return to your home country before the visa expires. If you don’t return before the visitor visa expires, your application for a family immigration permit may be rejected because you have broken the visa rules. If UDI grants you a residence permit before the visa expires, you don’t have to return.
• Travelling to Norway is not recommended if you have been granted a visitor’visa to another Schengen country. If you travel to Norway, your application for a family immigration permit may be rejected because you have given incorrect information when you applied for the visitor visa. 

Other rules apply if you are classed as a skilled worker or you have applied for a residence card for family members of EU/EEA nationals. You may then travel to Norway if you have a visitor visa. You may also stay in Norway until your application has been processed, even if your visitor visa expires while you are waiting.

If you have a valid residence permit in another Schengen country, you may travel to Norway while your application is being processed if you belong to one of the following groups:

• You are applying for family immigration with your spouse or partner;
• You are a minor under 18 applying for family immigration with your parent (minors must have a written consent from both parents or the parent with parental responsibility);
• You are mother or father of a child with Norwegian citizenship and the child is living with you on a permanent basis;
• You qualify as a skilled worker.

You may then stay in Norway until your application has been processed – even if you have been in Norway (and Schengen countries where you do not have a valid residence permit) for more than 90 days.

Please remember that if you travel to and from Norway after you have applied for a family immigration permit, you must follow the rules for visiting Norway without a visa. For example, if you have been in Norway (and Schengen countries where you do not have a valid residence permit) for 90 days or more, you will have to stay outside Norway (and Schengen countries where you do not have a valid residence permit) for 90 days before you can travel into Norway again. If you are granted a family immigration permit while you are abroad, you may travel back to Norway immediately.

If you travel to and from Norway after you applied for family immigration, you must follow the rules for visiting Norway without a visa. For example, if you have been in Norway or another Schengen country for 90 days or more, you will have to stay outside the Schengen area for 90 days before you can travel back to Norway.  

When you travel back to Norway, you could choose to stay in Norway until your application has been assessed – if you had the right to apply from Norway in the first place.

Be aware that staying in Norway beyond the 90-day visa-free period might be considered «overstaying», which could create problems the next time you intend to enter Norway via another Schengen country.

To be granted an entry visa, it must be beyond doubt that your application for family immigration is going to be approved.

It is often difficult for an embassy to determine in advance whether an application for family immigration is ultimately going to be approved. Consequently, most applications for an entry visa are rejected.

The embassy may reject your application for reasons such as the following:

• the embassy is not sure if you meet certain requirements for family immigration, such as the requirements for income or documentation.
• the type of application you have submitted normally requires UDI to request an interview with the reference person and/or the applicant.

No. Your family immigration application must be approved before you can be issued a residence card and residence permit in Norway.

You can do whatever suits you best; you can hand in your application for an entry visa and your application for family immigration at the same time, or you can hand in your entry visa application after you have submitted your application for family immigration.

It is also possible to hand in an application for an entry visa before your family immigration application, but in such case you will have to hand in all documentation required for family immigration together with your application for an entry visa.

Read on for more information about entry visas (D-visas) and whether you can apply.

Yes, you can leave Norway, but you need to be aware of the following:

If you want to return to Norway before your renewal application has been processed, you must request an entry visa (D-visa) from the embassy near you. UDI cannot guarantee that you will be granted an entry visa; this decision lies with the embassy. The embassy assesses each case on an individual basis.

If you leave Norway without a valid residence card, you might experience problems since foreign airlines and border authorities are unable to check whether you had the legal right to stay in Norway. Therefore, we recommend that you stay in Norway and wait for an answer to your application. If you still choose to travel out of Norway without a valid residence card, we recommend that you fly directly out of the Schengen Area from Norway, without passing through another Schengen country.

If you are allowed to apply in Norway and are staying in the country while your application is being processed, it entails that you do not yet have a permit which would grant you rights in Norway. This means that:

• you do not have the right to work in Norway;
• you do not have right to healthcare in Norway, except for urgent medical care (external website);
• you basically have no rights to any municipal or state services.

This is also the case for skilled workers who apply and are waiting for a decision in Norway. Skilled workers are also prohibited from working in Norway until they have been granted a permit.

Children may have the right to attend kindergarten or school. Contact your municipality if you have questions related to this. UDI is not able to provide any information regarding rights related to attending kindergarten or school.

What is a residence card?

A residence card is a credit-card-sized plastic card that proves that you have been granted a residence permit in Norway. The police will order a residence card for you.

If you have applied while in Norway, you might receive your residence card without meeting at the police station again. If this applies to you, the police will send you the residence card by post. This means that you do not have to book an appointment. Read below to find out when you must book an appointment.

What do I need to do to receive the card in the mail?

• If you are a new postal recipient in Norway: fill in this form (external website, opens in new window) and hand it in at a post office or in-store post office. Remember to bring identification.
• If you are already a registered postal recipient, check that your correct postal address is registered with Posten (external website). The site requires login with BankID or MinID.
• Make sure you have your name on your letterbox, otherwise you will not receive the card. If the card gets lost in the post, it will take some time to get a new one.
• You should not book trips abroad until you have received your new residence card.

How long will it take to get the card?

It will take at least 20 working days from your appointment with the police until you receive the card in the post. 

You must book an appointment to get a residence card:

• If you have applied from abroad.
• If you have an expired Norwegian alien's passport or refugee travel document which you have not already given to the police.
• If your application was submitted by another person with a power of attorney (i.e. you must book an appointment with the police yourself to get a residence card).
• If you have applied for a residence permit in accordance with the Brexit regulations (you will be notified to book an appointment after your application has been processed).
• If you have applied for protection for the first time with the police, the police will summon you to class. You do not have to book an appointment yourself.

At the police station, the police will take a photo of you and register your fingerprints.

How do I book an appointment?

Booking an appointment online

If you filled out and submitted the application online, you can now log in to book the appointment.

Booking an appointment by phone

If you did not fill in an online application form when you applied for a residence permit, you must instead call your local police district to book an appointment. UDI cannot help you to book an appointment.

If you are a family member of an EU/EEA citizen, you must contact the Norwegian Tax Administration to be assigned a Norwegian identification number (either a D number or a national identity number (fødselsnummer)).

You will be assigned a Norwegian identification number from the Norwegian Tax Administration by reporting your move to Norway (external website) after being granted a residence card as a family member to an EU/EEA citizen.

A D number (external website) is a temporary identifying number. A national identity number (external website) is a permanent indentifying number.

Suppose you want to start working before you have been granted a residence card as a family member to an EU/EEA citizen. In that case, you must apply to the Norwegian Tax Administration for a tax deduction card (external website). Before you start working, you must provide documentation showing that your family member has the right of residency in Norway. Having a right of residency means that the EU/EEA citizen is either an employee, self-employed, a student, has their own funds, or is employed by a foreign enterprise. Students residing in Norway on their own funds must have insurance.

• The letter you receive from UDI states how long your residence permit is valid, normally one year.
• You must apply for renewal three months before your permit expires. 

You are entitled to different types of healthcare (external website) depending on your situation.

Some people must be tested for tuberculosis when they come to Norway.

You must get tested if

• you come from a country with a high incidence of tuberculosis. This means that your country is on The Norwegian Institute of Public Health's list of countries with high and very high incidence of tuberculosis (external website), and
• you are going to stay in Norway for more than three months

What should you do to test yourself?

If you are required to be tested for tuberculosis, you must contact the municipality where you will live. The municipality carries out the testing. You must test yourself as soon as possible after arrival to Norway.

• If you are over the age of 18, you can work. You do not need to apply for a separate work permit. You have to apply for a tax deduction card (external website).
• If you are under the age of 18, you can work, but special rules apply in Norway to young people and work (external website).
• If you have been granted a residence permit to visit children in Norway for up to nine months, you cannot work.

• "Ny i Norge": Useful information for those who have newly arrived in Norway (external website).
• Contact the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service (NAV) if you have any questions about work or public benefits (external website).
• Contact the municipality you live in if you have any questions about language courses.
• Contact the Norwegian Tax Administration to notify a change of address and to receive answers to questions about taxation (external website). 

In some cases, you may lose your residence permit.

Losing a permit means that UDI has decided that the residence permit is no longer valid. It may mean that you are no longer allowed to live in Norway or that you will be granted a new residence permit, and your residence period in Norway will restart.

There may be different reasons why you lose your residence permit, for example, if:

• you have provided incorrect or incomplete information
• the reason why you were granted residence in Norway no longer applies
• you have received a new type of residence permit

Here you will find more information about revoking a residence permit.

UDI does not process appeals over phone. If you disagree with the decision, you will have to send us a written appeal.

How to appeal the decision.

We process appeals about family immigration on an ongoing basis. See more about waiting times for appeals here: Guide to waiting times in family immigration cases.

The appeal will usually be processed by UDI first. If UDI decides not to overturn your decision, we will forward it to the Immigration Appeals Board (UNE), which is UDI’s appeal body. UNE will then make a new assessment of your case.

If we have sent your appeal to UNE, they are responsible for processing your appeal. Read more about UNE's work. (external website)