You must have a valid visa or residence permit to travel legally into Norway. We are aware that for many people it is difficult to get out of Russia now. Unfortunately, there is nothing UDI can do to help anyone to leave Russia. UDI is also unable to answer questions regarding the situation in Russia.

You cannot travel to another country to apply for a visa from there. You must submit a visa application in the country where you are a permanent resident. If you are already in a country other than where you live, you must clarify with the diplomatic mission whether you have strong and unforeseen reasons for still being able to apply.

You must have a valid visitor’s visa or a residence permit to enter Norway. You must check the rules that apply to border crossings for Russian citizens in other countries. Unfortunately, the Norwegian authorities and UDI cannot answer questions regarding what applies outside Norway's borders.

Although you may have been granted a permit to visit Norway or a residence permit, it may be difficult for you to travel to Norway. UDI is not able to help you to travel to Norway.  

From 22 September 2022, Norway's visa facilitation agreement with Russia was temporarily suspended. If you have registered your application online before 22 September and have paid 35 euros, you must book an appointment and submit your documents at a VFS application centre on 6 October 2022 at the latest.

If you submit your application on 7 October or later, you will have to register a new application for a visitor’s visa. You must pay the standard visa application fee of EUR 80 (EUR 40 for children 6–11 years of age). You will be reimbursed the fee of your previous application if you attach a confirmation of the payment for this application (with the reference number). No fee is required for children aged five or younger, and they do not need to register a new application.

The following VFS Application Centres in Russia are open with limited capacity: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Kazan, Krasnodar, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk. You will find more information on the website of the Norwegian Embassy in Russia (external website, opens in new window). 

It is possible to collect your entry visa in another country than Russia. You must send an e-mail to the embassy responsible for applications in the country where you want to collect your entry visa.

There are no changes to the application procedure or the rules for obtaining a family immigration permit. This means that the standard family immigration rules still apply.

The person who wants to come to Norway is the one who must apply for a family immigration permit. You cannot apply for a family immigration permit on behalf of your family member who is abroad. 

For applicants from your country, it may be difficult to be granted an application for family immigration in order to get married. This is because the UDI decides whether it is likely that you will return to your home country if you do not get married as planned.  It is more likely that your application for family immigration will be granted if you get married first.

No, it will not affect your case if you marry in another country. It is important that the marriage is valid according to the laws of the country where you are getting married. It will affect your application if the marriage is not validly entered into.

There are no changes to the procedure or rules for applying for a family immigration permit for Russians. This means that ordinary rules for family immigration still apply.

To be able to apply for family immigration, you must be a close family member. Close family members can be, for example, spouses, fiancees, children or parents.

It is the person moving to Norway who must submit the application. The main rule is that the application is submitted from abroad, either from the country the applicant is a citizen of or from the country the applicant has lived in for the last six months.

If the applicant is already in Norway and wishes to apply from Norway, special requirements apply to the applicants, for example, the applicant must document having competency as a skilled worker.

To be granted family immigration, there are also requirements for the reference person who lives in Norway, including having a sufficiently high income.

To apply from the country you are staying in, you must either be a citizen or have had legal residence there for six months. If not, you cannot apply from this country.

UDI does not give general priority to your application for family immigration on the basis that you are in Russia. If you want priority, you must send a request. We will make an individual assessment of your request for priority.

If you submit a request for priority, but the answer from UDI is that we cannot prioritize your case, the normal waiting times will apply to you.

There are several permits you may apply for to work in Norway. There are no changes to the application procedure or the rules for Russians seeking to obtain a work immigration permit in Norway.

There are no changes to the application procedure or the rules for obtaining a permit for work immigration to Norway. 

You cannot apply for a permit as a skilled worker if you have previously applied for protection. 

A visitor’s visa can never be extended beyond 90 days. If you have a visitor’s visa that expires, you must return home. If you are in Norway longer than you are allowed to, this can lead to you being deported from Norway/Schengen.

If you qualify to apply for a residence permit in Norway, you can apply before your visa expires. As a general rule, you must be a skilled worker to be able to apply from Norway.

For applications for family immigration, there are separate rules for applying from Norway. Follow the guide on this page to read about the requirements to be approved for family immigration and whether you can hand in the application in Norway.

Russian citizens with renewable residence permits may apply to have their permits renewed. These applications will be processed according to the standard procedure.

There are no changes in rules or political signals from the Norwegian authorities indicating that Russian citizens with a permanent residence permit will be sent back to Russia. If you have a permanent residence permit, you keep this according to the ordinary rules.

You can also apply for Norwegian citizenship if you meet the conditions and wish to apply. From the Norwegian authorities' side, there are no restrictions on the possibility of having dual citizenship. As the situation is now, the war does not affect the status of Russian citizens who are in Norway.

If you have a residence permit that expires, you must as a general rule return home. If you qualify for a different residence permit than the one you currently have, you can apply from Norway if you are a skilled worker or have had a valid residence permit for the last 9 months. The application for a new residence permit must be submitted before your current permit expires.

If you have not applied for a new residence permit before the expiry of the permit, and you do not leave before the deadline for leaving the country, this may result in you being expelled from Norway/Schengen.

UDI and UNE have not suspended the duty to return to Russia (external website). This means that you will be required to return to Russia if UNE has rejected your appeal. If you believe there are factors that shed new light on your case, you may ask for a new evaluation of your case (request for reversal) (external website).

You must contact the police and request protection. You do not need a visa or a valid residence permit to apply for protection in Norway. You must be in Norway or on the Norwegian border to apply for protection. You must contact the Norwegian police to apply for protection.

Where do I find the police?

To apply for protection with the police, you can:

• tell the border police that you want to apply for protection (asylum),
• show up at the police station where you are, or
• show up at the National Arrivals Centre at Råde.

The police will help you with transportation to the National Arrival Centre. To register your application for protection, the National Police Immigration Service (NPIS) will have a conversation with you at the National Arrival Centre. You will receive a card that shows you have applied for protection.

Everyone has the right to apply for protection. You must be in Norway or at the Norwegian border to apply for protection.

Due to the war in Ukraine, there is an increase in the number of people applying for protection in Norway because of mandatory military service in Russia. In general, having to serve in the military in your home country, or the risk of facing punishment for evading military service, are not grounds for the granting of protection (or residency on humanitarian grounds) in Norway.

In any case, we always carry out an individual assessment of each application. If an applicant risks facing unusual punishment as a reaction to factors outlined in the Refugee Convention (i.e. ethnicity, religion, political opinion) or if it is a matter of military service that entails taking part in war crimes, crimes against humanity or other serious crimes, an exception may be made.

UDI has not reached a final decision on how to process applications from those seeking protection due to miliary service in Russia. If you are applying on these grounds, you need to be prepared for the fact that your case may take longer than normal to process. We are unable to say how long you will have to wait, and we encourage you to continue checking our website for updates.

No, you cannot submit an application for protection in Russia. You must be in Norway or on the Norwegian border to apply for protection in Norway. We cannot assist you with travelling out of Russia.

When you have applied for protection on an individual basis, your application is processed the same way as other applicants who receive an individual assessment. This means that your case will be assessed through a registration interview and an asylum interview. We make a concrete and individual assessment of your case.