Have applied Visit and holiday
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What happens to your application while you wait?
- Once you have submitted all the application documents to the embassy, the embassy will decide within 15 days whether you can be granted a visa.
- If the embassy is in doubt about whether you can be granted a visa, they will forward your case to the UDI.
- The UDI's case officers consider the cases in the order in which they are received. When your application is first in line, a case officer will consider your application and make a decision.
- UDI can not guarantee that you case will be processed within 45 days, unfortunately, due to the number of cases waiting to be processed.
- Once your application has been processed, the embassy will notify you. If you have authorised someone to represent you in connection with your case, this person will be notified and has to inform you.
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How do you send us new information?
If you have new documentation for your case, you must send it to the embassy.
If the UDI asked you to send us the documentation, you can send it directly to us. You can send it to the person who asked for it, or send it in as described on this page.
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What is the possibility of you getting a visa?
You can find information about this under Want to apply: Visit and holiday.
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How long do you have to wait for an answer to your application?
If you have not heard anything about your case, it has not been processed yet. We have many cases to process now, unfortunately affecting our waiting times. This also leads to more people calling UDIs information service desk.
The waiting period applies from the day the case is registered with the embassy. In some places, it can take up to two weeks from the time the case is sent from the VFS application centre to the embassy receiving it. If an embassy in another country processes your application, it will take a few extra days because the courier must send your application to and from the embassy. You can find information on the embassy's website about how long this takes.
How long do you usually have to wait for an answer?
If your application is processed by the embassy in the country you live in,
you will normally receive an answer within 15 days after handing in your application at the Visa Application Centre, the consulate or the embassy.If your application is processed by an embassy in another country, this will take a few more days, since your application will be sent by courier to and from the embassy. You’ll find information on the embassy’s web pages on how long this will take.
Which applications will it take longer before receives a reply?
Most cases are processed by the embassy, but if the embassy is in doubt about whether you can be granted a visa, they will forward your case to the UDI. In such cases, applicants will receive an answer within 45 days after the application is registered at the embassy.
Note that it will take a couple of days from when the case is delivered to the application center, consulate or embassy until it is registered at the embassy. The waiting time applies from the day the application is registered with the embassy.
Appeals concerning rejections
You will normally receive an answer to your appeal within 12 months of submitting your application for a visitor's visa to the Visa Application Centre, embassy or consulate.
In connection with the corona situation and the opening of the borders, UDI has been given several tasks that must be prioritised. The waiting time may therefore change and get longer while your appeal is being processed. Here you can read what can make the waiting time change and how you can stay up to date.
This information was last updated on
21 March 2023
. It will be updated again on
22 April
.
What can you do to contribute to receiving an answer as quickly as possible?
- Make sure that your application is completed correctly and in full.
- Make sure that you enclose all the necessary documents, please see our checklist.
- Make sure that your, and your sponsor’s, contact information is up-to-date.
- It is also a good idea to make sure that the person who has invited you to Norway has power of attorney from you, so that we can give important information to him or her.
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Can your case be moved to the front of the queue?
Many people want to have an answer to their application quickly. However, very special circumstances are required for your case to be moved to the front of the queue.
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How can you withdraw your application and get the fee refunded?
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 are not required to meet in person, but only need to upload the application documents electronically, you cannot get the fee refunded after you have uploaded the documents.
If you want an 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.
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How can a reference person, sponsor or host parent withdraw an application?
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.