You need a valid residence card if you are travelling abroad
If you have applied for an immigrant’s passport, travel document or a new residence permit and have not received an answer yet, your application cannot be moved to the front of the queue even though you have made plans.
Please remember this if you are planning a trip abroad
When travelling abroad, please bring:
- a valid passport/immigrant’s passport/refugee travel document, and
- a valid residence card
For Nordic citizens and citizens of EU/EEA countries, separate rules apply (external website)
If you don’t have a valid passport/immigrant’s passport/refugee travel document and a valid residence card, you should not travel out of Norway. If you do, you might experience problems at the airport, when you try to enter another country, or when you try to travel back to Norway.
You should also not book any trips abroad until you have both a valid passport/immigrant’s passport/refugee travel document and a valid residence card. Unfortunately, your application cannot be moved to the front of the queue even though you have planned and paid for a trip.
It is the residence card that documents that you have a residence permit in Norway. The police are responsible for border control. The UDI cannot answer questions about how Norway or other countries practice border control. Nor can we write confirmations that can be used for travel and which airlines or other countries' authorities will accept. All travels without a residence card will therefore be at your own risk.
Information for you who are waiting for an answer to your application
Our normal waiting times apply. We update the information about waiting times every month.
Very special circumstances are required for your case to be moved to the front of the queue. Unfortunately, your application cannot be moved to the front of the queue even though you have made plans to travel.
Information for you who have been granted a residence permit
If you have been granted a residence permit and are staying in Norway, you in most cases must book an appointment at your local police district to order your residence card (external website). Please note that normally it will take ten days from when you meet at the police until you receive your residence card by post. You may also have to wait for a long time before you get an appointment with the police.
If you applied for a residence permit after 16 April 2021 and gave your fingerprints and a photograph of your face when you handed in the application, the card will, in some cases, be sent to you by post without you having to meet at the police station again.
If you have been granted a residence permit, you are abroad and need a visa to enter Norway, the embassy responsible for your case will issue an entry visa. It varies from country to country how long it takes before the embassy or VFS application center contacts you, and you get your entry visa to Norway.
We remind you that you must also keep up to date on the current rules for entry and quarantine, and that these rules may change at short notice.