You must first check whether or not you need a visa for entry into Norway. See whether you are among those who do not need a visa to visit Norway (visa-free entry).

If you do not need a visa

You can enter Norway at any time within the deadline set out in your decision letter (normally 6 months).

If you need a visa

• You will need what is called an entry visa.
• UDI will notify the embassy responsible for your case to issue you this visa; you do not need to apply for it. 
• The relevant foreign service mission or embassy will contact you to book an appointment for you to come and pick up your visa. 
• On the visa, it will state when you can enter Norway. There will be a deadline for the last date you are allowed to enter Norway. 
• With a valid entry visa for Norway, you can transit or travel through other Schengen countries en route to Norway. 

Support for travel expenses

It is not possible to receive financial support from UDI to cover your trip to Norway. This also applies for family members of refugees.

The International Organization of Migration (IOM) can assist in organising your trip (external website).

When UDI notifies you that you have been granted a residence permit, you will also be given a deadline for entry into Norway.

You may be able to postpone your entry deadline if there are special circumstances for why you cannot travel to Norway before the deadline. You will have to request a postponement of your entry deadline before the current deadline passes. The entry deadline will normally be postponed by up to 6 months. 

If you have been granted a residence permit as a skilled worker, you must include an updated offer of employment with your request. 

How to request a postponement of your entry deadline

In your request, explain the reason why you are unable to travel to Norway before the deadline. In many cases, UDI will ask you to document whatever reason you give. If, for example, you cannot keep the deadline because you are ill, you will need to provide documentation concerning your illness. For other causes, you will need to try to document the situation to the best extent possible. 

You must contact UDI by telephone to request postponement. We will consider whether the deadline can be postponed and what kind of documentation you will need to submit based on your explanation. If postponement is approved, the embassy will contact you about issuing a new entry visa with a new entry deadline. 

Yes, you have to report to the police when you arrive in Norway. The police will register your fingerprints, take your photo and order a residence card for you.

The residence card is a credit-card-sized, plastic card. It shows that you have a residence permit in Norway.

If you receive notification about your application for a residence permit while you are outside Norway, you will — at the very latest — have to report to the police within 7 days of arriving in Norway or within 7 days of the date when you received your decision letter if you are already in the country.

For some police districts, it can be a challenge to schedule an appointment before your deadline. In such case, you must book the first appointment available. Follow along on the police's website for up-to-date information (external website). 

How to book an appointment with the police

If you registered your application online on our website, you can book an appointment with the police from the My Applications page by logging into UDI's My Page (external website).  

If you live in Oslo and have not applied electronically, you will have to book an appointment with the police by phone (tel: 22 34 21 00). For other police districts, see Contact information for your local police. 

What do I need to do to receive my residence card by post?

• Make sure the names of everyone in the family are on your letterbox. Otherwise, the post office will not deliver the residence card and it will be returned to the police.
• If you are a new postal recipient in Norway, fill out this form 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, opens in new window). The site requires login with BankID or MinID.
• You should not book any trips abroad until you have received your new residence card.

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 have been granted a residence permit which gives you the right to work, you can begin working after you have attended your appointment with the police and the police has ordered a residence card for you.

The waiting times for ordering a residence card with the police may be long. Even if you have not received your residence card yet, you may begin studying or working already if you were granted a residence permit that gives you the right to study or work, and you have booked an appointment with the police to order your residence card. 

If it is not possible to book an appointment with the police, you must contact UDI by phone or email in order to report that you have arrived in Norway and that you are starting studies or work. You must still meet up with the police to order a residence card whenever it becomes possible. 

A residence card serves as a confirmation that you have a residence permit in Norway.

• You will receive your new residence card in the post.
• It will take up to 20 days to receive your residence card by post. The name of everyone in the family must be on your letterbox. The post office will not deliver the residence card if the person's name is not on the letterbox. In such case, the residence card will be returned to the police.
• Please note that if you are an EU/EEA citizen, you are not required to have a residence card.
• If your residence card is lost or damaged, you must order a new card.

Who does not need to go to the police station to order a residence card?

If you applied from Norway and personally handed your application in to the police AND the police registered your biometrics (i.e. took your fingerprints and a photo), you do not need to go to the police to order a residence card. 

You will receive your residence card in the post within 3 weeks. You do not need to do anything else to be sent your residence card. 

You are required to show your residence card if asked to do so by the police or other authorities. This could happen, for example, at a border crossing or in other circumstances where identity inspection is carried out. You have a duty to take care of your card and to report its loss it if it goes missing. 

If you have a Norwegian immigrant's passport (utlendingspass) or a refugee travel document (reisebevis for flyktninger), you will still need to book an appointment with the police in order to turn in the old document. 

You must make an appointment to obtain a residence permit if:

• you applied from outside Norway.
• you have an expired Norwegian immigrant's passport or refugee travel document which you have not turned in to the police already.
• your application was submitted by another person granted authority to act on your behalf (power of attorney). In such case, you must book an appointment for yourself to obtain a residence card. 
• you applied for residency in accordance with the Brexit regulations. You will receive notification that you need to book an appointment after the processing of your application has been completed.
• it was with the police that you first applied for protection. The police will invite you in for an appointment. You do not have to book an appointment yourself. 

How do I book an appointment with the police?

Booking an appointment online 

• If you filled out and submitted your application online, you can log in to My Page and book an appointment (external website).

Booking an appointment by phone

• If you did not fill out an application online when you applied for a residence permit, you need to call your local police to book an appointment. You cannot book an appointment by calling UDI. 

What do I need to do to receive my residence card by post?

• Make sure the names of everyone in the family are on your letterbox. Otherwise, the post office will not deliver the residence card and it will be returned to the police.
• If you are a new postal recipient in Norway, fill out this form 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, opens in new window). The site requires login with BankID or MinID.
• You should not book any trips abroad until you have received your new residence card.

If you have changed addresses in Norway since you applied for a residence permit, you need to inform the police of your new address when you meet with them, so that your correct address of residence is registered in the National Population Register (Folkeregisteret).

Register your address

• If you are a new postal recipient in Norway: fill in this form (external website) 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.

A D number serves as a temporary Norwegian identification number (ID number).

A National identity number is a permanent ID number.

When you attend your police appointment to order your residence card, we will report to the Norwegian Tax Administration (Skatteetaten) that you have been granted a residence permit. The Tax Administration will decide whether to issue you a D number or a National identity number. 

You will receive your number in a letter from the Tax Administration approximately 2 weeks after you meet with the police.

If you were issued a D number when you should have received a National identity number, you need to contact the National Population Register (external website).

How do family members of EU/EEA nationals obtain a National identity number or a D number?

If you are a family member of a citizen of an EU/EEA country, you need to contact the Tax Administration yourself in order to be issued a National identity number or a D number.

You will receive a National identity number from the Tax Administration by reporting your move to Norway after you have been granted a residence card as a family member of an EU/EEA national. 

Further information about Norwegian identification numbers

• The D number explained
• The National identity number explained

If you have questions about tax deduction cards because you will be working in Norway, you will find information on the Norwegian Tax Administration's (Skatteetatens) webpages concerning How to obtain a tax deduction card (external website).

How do family members of EU/EEA nationals obtain a tax deduction card?

If you are looking to start working before being issued your residence card as a family member of an EU/EEA national, you need to apply for a tax deduction card from the Tax Administration (external website). In order to start working, you need to document that your family member has the right to reside in Norway. The right to reside means that the EU/EEA citizen is an employee, self-employed, a student, has their own funds or is employed by a foreign enterprise. If the EU/EEA citizen is a student or has their own funds, they must also have insurance. 

In order to open a bank account in Norway, you must have:

• a home address
• an approved ID 

Forms of approved ID include:

• valid foreign passport 
• valid refugee travel document
• valid immigrant's passport

The bank may ask you for additional identification or for documentation of your identity before they will create an account. This is because they need to be sure of who you are. 

You will also find information from Finans Norge on how to become a bank customer and he requirements for obtaining a bank card (external website).

After you have arrived in Norway and received your residence card, you can travel in and out of Norway as long as your residence permit lasts. For most temporary residence permits, there are requirements regarding the amount of time you must spend in Norway. You can read more about such requirements and whether they apply to you in your decision letter. 

You can visit other Schengen countries for up to 90 days.

You must have your passport/travel document (reisebevis) and your residence card when travelling. 

If you have been granted protection, you are not allowed to travel back to your home country.

Are you going to apply for a permanent residence permit later?

Long-term stays abroad can have implications on any future application for a permanent residence permit. More information about permanent residency .

You have rights to different types of healthcare, depending on your circumstances (external website). For more information about foreigners' rights to healthcare in Norway, contact Helsenorge (external website).

See your decision letter for information about the length of your residence permit and whether or not it can be renewed. 

It is stated in your decision letter whether or not your permit can be renewed. If you want to apply to renew it, you can find more information here. You should apply for renewal 2 to 3 months before your current permit expires.

More information about living in Norway:

• Information for people moving to Norway: New in Norway (external website)

• Contact the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) (external website) if you have questions about work or public benefits

• Contact the municipality you live in if you have questions about language courses

• Contact the Norwegian Tax Administration (Skatteetaten) (external website) to report a move and for answers to tax-related questions.

You can apply for your family to come to Norway. More information about family immigration.

Your resident card serves as proof that you have the legal right to stay in Norway. See our Residence cards page for more information.

Many residents also have the possibility to download confirmation of legal residency on My Page. 

If you have not yet received your residence card, you will find information about documenting legal residency while waiting for a residence card.

You may apply for a different type of residence permit, but it is important to check whether you meet the requirements for the permit you wish to apply for. You will find information about the various types of residence permits and how to apply here.

Please note that it is not allowed to have 2 different residence permits for Norway at the same time.

It is possible to lose your residence permit for certain reasons. This is called revocation. It means that UDI decides that your residence permit is not longer valid. It can entail either that you will no longer be allowed to live in Norway or that you will be granted a new residence permit and your period of staying in Norway restarts.

There are different reasons for potentially losing your residence permit, including:

• you have provided false or incomplete information
• the reason you were granted residency in Norway is no longer valid
• you have been granted a different type of residence permit 

For more information, see Revocation - when a residence permit or citizenship is invalidated.

Do you have a residence permit as an au pair?

If you are going to change host families, you must apply to renew your residence permit. If you do not apply for renewal, you risk losing your residence permit. 

If you move from Norway before your residence permit has expired, you can notify us. UDI can revoke (cancel) you permit from the date you leave Norway. This may be in your interest, because you then will be able to document to other Schengen-countries that you no longer have a residence permit in Norway. If you apply for a visitor’s visa to another Schengen country while you still hold a valid residence permit in Norway, you can risk not being granted a visitor’s visa.

How to notify us:

1. Write a letter and explain that you have moved from Norway. Ask UDI to revoke the rest of your residence permit. Write the date you left Norway and your postal address abroad.

2. Remember to write your full name, and your DUF-number or your Norwegian national identity number.

3. Sign the letter.

4. Send the signed letter by mail or upload the letter to UDI through the form for sending additional documents to UDI.

If you were granted family immigration with a family member who has refugee status in Norway, you can apply for refugee status as well. This is also referred to as derived refugee status.

Derived refugee status can only be granted to a spouse, cohabitant or child (under the age of 18) of the person in Norway. If you are a spouse or cohabitant, the family relationship must have been established before the person in Norway left their home country.

If you are granted refugee status, you can also be issued a refugee travel document like your family member. 

For more information and to apply, see family member of a refugee.

The permit is valid for a maximum of 6 months. You must submit an application for family immigration , with your spouse as reference person, at least 1 month before your permit you received for the purpose of marriage expires. 

This means that you have less than 5 months to get married. An overview of what you need to do to get married (external website) is available on the website of the Norwegian Tax Administration (Skatteetaten). There is a lot you have to do in the course of those 5 months, so it is important to begin the formal processes surrounding your marriage as early as possible. 

Rights and obligations

• It is not possible to extend or renew your fiance permit for reasons such as postponing the wedding ceremony. 
• You are allowed to work in Norway. 
• You do not have the right to free instruction in Norwegian and social studies.  
• You may travel in and out of Norway as long as your permit is valid. 
• If you submit your application for family immigration with your spouse a month or more before it expires, you will be allowed to work while waiting for a decision on your new residence permit.  
• The period covered by the residence permit does not count towards the basis for permanent residency or citizenship, should you later apply. 
• Holding this type of permit does not give your family members (e.g. your children) the opportunity to apply for family immigration with you.