What type of work will you be doing?

• Skilled worker with an employer in Norway

  Requirements of the employee

  • You must pay an application fee.

  Requirements relating to your education/qualifications

  You must have one of the following types of education/qualifications

  • a completed vocational training programme of at least three years at upper secondary school level, for example as a carpenter or health worker. There must be a corresponding vocational training programme in Norway.
  • completed education or degree from a university/ university college, for example a bachelor's degree as an engineer or nurse.
  • special qualifications are skills acquired through long professional experience, possibly in combination with courses and education. You must have as high competence as someone who has completed vocational education from upper secondary school. Generally, you must have at least six years of work experience. For example, suppose you have work experience as a painter. In that case, you must present detailed work certificates from previous employers that show that you have learned and can do the same as a person with a professional education as a painter. It takes a lot to get permission in such cases. Many applications are rejected.

  We have experienced many incidents where documentation submitted along with applications from certain countries is fraudulent or contains incorrect information. On this background, it may be difficult to obtain a residence permit to work as a skilled worker at a vocational level, particularly within the restaurant, automotive industry, and construction industries. This currently applies in particular to applications for work as a chef, car mechanic, carpenter, painter, bricklayer, or hairdresser where the documentation submitted to attest to educational qualifications or the like were issued in Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Kosovo, Nepal, Pakistan, Türkiye or Vietnam.

  Requirements relating to the conditions of the employment

  • You must have received a concrete job offer from one specific employer in Norway.
  • The job must normally be full-time. If you have been offered at least an 80% position, we will accept this. 
  • The job you are offered must require qualifications as a skilled worker. You must have the qualifications that the job requires.
  • The pay and working conditions must not be poorer than is normal in Norway.

  Special requirements

  • If you are going to work in an occupation for which recognition or authorisation is required (external website), you must have such recognition or authorisation. Health personnel, for example, must enclose an authorisation or licence from the Norwegian Directorate of Health (external website).
  • If you are to work through a staffing agency, you must present a list of the assignments that the employer has planned for you. The assignments must be confirmed by the business/businesses you are carrying out the assignments for. It is only possible for you to get a residence permit for the period of time when you are carrying out the assignments on this list. The staffing agency must be registered in the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority’s register (external website).

  Rights and obligations 

  • The duration of the residence permit you are able to get depends on the position you have been offered:
    • If the position requires that you have completed a vocational training programme at upper secondary school level, you can get a residence permit for up to one year at a time.
    • If the position requires that you have completed an education or degree from a university/ university college, you can normally get a residence permit for up to three years at a time. If we need to check more frequently that you still fulfil the requirements, for example because you are going to work through a staffing agency, you will only be able to get a residence permit for up to one year at a time.
  • After three years, you can apply for a permanent residence permit in Norway.
  • Your family can usually apply to come and live with you in Norway. If your family members apply at the same time as you, you will receive the answer to your applications at the same time. 
  • If you are later going to change employers, but work in the same type of position, you do not need to apply for a new residence permit. The pay and working conditions must not be inferior to what is normal in Norway, and you still must meet the requirements for your residence permit as a skilled worker with an employer in Norway.
  • If you are later going to start in a new type of position you must apply for a new residence permit, no matter if you are staying with the same employer or changing employers. You cannot start in a new type of position until you have been given a new residence permit. 
  • If you lose your job, you must notify the police where you live within seven days. You can then stay in Norway for up to six months to look for a new job. Your residence permit must still be valid for the duration of this period.
    • If you get a new job, but are going to work in the same type of position as before, you do not need to apply for a new residence permit, but you must notify the police where you live within seven days after you start the new job.
    • If you get a new job, where you are going to have a different type of position than before, you must apply for a new residence permit. You cannot start in the new type of position until you have been given a new residence permit.
  • You are not allowed to work remotely unless it is part of the job you have been granted a residence permit to do.

  Waiting times

  Due to a large number of applications received, as well as challenges with the control of educational documents in applications that concern work at a vocational level, it may take longer to process such applications. This includes, for example, applications related to work as a cook, car mechanic, carpenter, painter, bricklayer and hairdresser.

  Here you can read information about waiting times.

  How to apply

• Employees of international companies who are going on assignment for the Norwegian branch of the company

  You must apply for this type of permit if you are employed in an international company abroad and are going to carry out an assignment for the Norwegian branch of the international company

  Requirements of the employee

  • You must pay an application fee.

  Requirements relating to your education/qualifications

  You must have one of the following types of education/qualifications

  • a completed vocational training programme of at least three years at upper secondary school level, for example as a carpenter or health worker. There must be a corresponding vocational training programme in Norway.
  • completed education or degree from a university/ university college, for example a bachelor's degree as an engineer or nurse.
  • special qualifications are skills acquired through long professional experience, possibly in combination with courses and education. You must have as high competence as someone who has completed vocational education from upper secondary school. Generally, you must have at least six years of work experience. For example, suppose you have work experience as a painter. In that case, you must present detailed work certificates from previous employers that show that you have learned and can do the same as a person with a professional education as a painter. It takes a lot to get permission in such cases. Many applications are rejected.

  We have experienced many incidents where documentation submitted along with applications from certain countries is fraudulent or contains incorrect information. On this background, it may be difficult to obtain a residence permit to work as a skilled worker at a vocational level, particularly within the restaurant, automotive industry, and construction industries. This currently applies in particular to applications for work as a chef, car mechanic, carpenter, painter, bricklayer, or hairdresser where the documentation submitted to attest to educational qualifications or the like were issued in Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Kosovo, Nepal, Pakistan, Türkiye or Vietnam.

  Requirements relating to the employment relationship

  • You must be employed by an enterprise abroad that has a contract with an  enterprise in Norway  to carry out an assignment in Norway.
  • The enterprise in Norway must have a registered business address here.
  •  The company in Norway cannot be a staffing company.
  • As a general rule, the offer of work must only be for one company in Norway.
  • The pay and working conditions must not be poorer than is normal in Norway.

  Rights and obligations

  • If you are going to carry out assignments other than that described in the contract or for another enterprise, you must apply for a new residence permit.
  • You are not allowed to work remotely unless it is part of the job you have been granted a residence permit to do.
  • You can be granted a permit for two years at a time. You can be granted this type of residence permit for up to six years, then you must live outside Norway for two years before you can apply for a new such permit.
  • It is not a requirement that you stay and work in Norway continously during the period you apply for a residence permit for.
  • The period you have this permit does not count if you later wish to apply for a permanent residence permit. 
  • If your assignment lasts for more than six months or if you are employed in an international company (and are to go on assignment for the Norwegian branch of the company), your spouse or cohabitant and your children can apply for residence permits in Norway. If your family members apply at the same time as you, you will receive the answer to your applications at the same time. 

  How to apply

• Employees of companies abroad who are going on assignment in Norway

  You must apply for this type of permit if you are employed by a company abroad that has a contract with an enterprise in Norway to carry out an assignment in Norway.

  Requirements of the employee

  • You must pay an application fee.

  Requirements relating to your education/qualifications

  You must have one of the following types of education/qualifications

  • a completed vocational training programme of at least three years at upper secondary school level, for example as a carpenter or health worker. There must be a corresponding vocational training programme in Norway.
  • completed education or degree from a university/ university college, for example a bachelor's degree as an engineer or nurse.
  • special qualifications are skills acquired through long professional experience, possibly in combination with courses and education. You must have as high competence as someone who has completed vocational education from upper secondary school. Generally, you must have at least six years of work experience. For example, suppose you have work experience as a painter. In that case, you must present detailed work certificates from previous employers that show that you have learned and can do the same as a person with a professional education as a painter. It takes a lot to get permission in such cases. Many applications are rejected.

  We have experienced many incidents where documentation submitted along with applications from certain countries is fraudulent or contains incorrect information. On this background, it may be difficult to obtain a residence permit to work as a skilled worker at a vocational level, particularly within the restaurant, automotive industry, and construction industries. This currently applies in particular to applications for work as a chef, car mechanic, carpenter, painter, bricklayer, or hairdresser where the documentation submitted to attest to educational qualifications or the like were issued in Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Kosovo, Nepal, Pakistan, Türkiye or Vietnam.

  Requirements relating to the employment relationship

  • You must be employed by an enterprise abroad that has a contract with an enterprise in Norway to carry out an assignment in Norway.
  • The enterprise in Norway must have a registered business address here.
  • The company in Norway cannot be a staffing company.
  • As a general rule, the offer of work must only be for one company in Norway.
  • The pay and working conditions must not be poorer than is normal in Norway.

  Rights and obligations

  • If you are going to carry out assignments other than that described in the contract or for another enterprise, you must apply for a new residence permit.
  • You are not allowed to work remotely unless it is part of the job you have been granted a residence permit to do.
  • You can be granted a permit for two years at a time. You can be granted this type of residence permit for up to six years, then you must live outside Norway for two years before you can apply for a new such permit.
  • It is not a requirement that you stay and work in Norway continously during the period you apply for a residence permit for.
  • The period you have this permit does not count if you later wish to apply for a permanent residence permit. 
  • If your assignment lasts for more than six months or if you are employed in an international company (and are going on assignment for the Norwegian branch of the company), your spouse or cohabitant and your children can apply for family immigration. If your family members apply at the same time as you, you will receive the answer to your applications at the same time. 

  How to apply

• Offshore workers

  Please note! Some persons do not need a residence permit in order to work offshore

  This applies to you if you meet the following requirements:

  • You are to work on a Norwegian or foreign mobile installation on the Norwegian continental shelf.
  • The installation cannot be in a fixed production phase or tied to a fixed platform.
  • Your employer must notify the police before you enter Norway, and you must report to the police no later than one week after entering the Schengen area, before you start working.
  • If you travel out of Norway, you can only re-enter the country if your total residence period in the Schengen area does not exceed 90 days during a period of six months. 

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  Offshore workers can apply for one of these types of residence permits:

  • Residence permit as a skilled worker with an employer in Norway
  • Residence permit as an employee of an international company who is going on assignment for the Norwegian branch of the company
  • Residence permit as an employee of a company abroad who is going on assignment in Norway
    
    

• Athletes or coaches

  Requirements of the employee

  • You must pay an application fee.

  Requirements relating to your qualifications

  • You must either be an athlete who is going to participate in top-level sports or a coach in top-level sports.
  • You must have received confirmation from the relevant member association of the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports (e.g. the Football Association of Norway) that you have the qualifications required, and at what level you are going to participate.

  Requirements relating to the employment relationship

  • You must have received a concrete job offer from one specific employer in Norway.
  • The sport concerned must be a top-level sport. Examples include the top two divisions in women's and men's football and the top division in basketball. We will consider whether the sport is at a high enough level in each individual case.
  • The job must normally be full-time.
  • The pay and working conditions must not be poorer than is normal in Norway. That means that your pay cannot be poorer than what Norwegian athletes or coaches are paid in your sports club. The pay must be at least 

    NOK 325 400 per year pre-tax

    .

  Rights and obligations

  • You can get a residence permit for one year at a time.
  • After three years, you can apply for a permanent residence permit in Norway.
  • Your family can usually apply to come and live with you in Norway. If your family members apply at the same time as you, you will receive the answer to your applications at the same time. 
  • You can change employers without applying for a new residence permit. You must perform the same type of work, however.
  • If you plan to carry out work of a different type, you must submit a new application for a residence permit. You may not start work of a different type until you have been granted a new residence permit.

  How to apply

• Religious leaders/teachers

  Requirements of the employee

  • You must pay an application fee.

  Requirements relating to your education/qualifications

  • In principle, you must have a master's degree in your religion or in pedagogy from a university/ university college.
  • If you do not have an education that meets these requirements, we can make exceptions in certain special cases. 

  Requirements relating to the employment relationship

  • You must have received a concrete offer of full-time employment from one specific employer in Norway.
  • The pay and working conditions must not be poorer than is normal in Norway. If, for religious reasons, it is not normal to be paid this much, we can accept that your pay will be at least 

    NOK 325 400 per year pre-tax

    . If, for religious reasons, you cannot be paid any money at all, UDI may grant your application on the condition that your employer guarantees that you will be provided with board, lodging and other necessities.

  Rights and obligations

  • You can be issued a residence permit for one year at a time.
  • After three years, you can apply for a permanent residence permit in Norway.
  • Your family can usually apply to come and live with you in Norway. If your family members apply at the same time as you, you will receive the answer to your applications at the same time. 
  • You must apply for a new residence permit if you are to change jobs or employers. You may not start work of a different type until you have been granted a new residence permit.

  How to apply

• Self-employed persons with a company in Norway

  Requirements of the employee

  • You must pay an application fee.

  Requirements relating to your education/qualifications

  You must have one of the following types of education/qualifications:

  • A completed vocational training programme of at least three years at upper secondary school level, for example as a carpenter or health worker. There must be a corresponding vocational training programme in Norway.
  • Completed education or degree from a university / university college, for example a bachelor's degree as an engineer or nurse
  • Special qualifications are skills acquired through long professional experience, possibly in combination with courses and some education. You must have as high competence as someone who has completed vocational education from upper secondary school. Generally, you must have at least six years of work experience. For example, suppose you have work experience as a painter. In that case, you must present detailed work certificates from previous employers that show that you have learned and can do the same as a person with a professional education as a painter. It takes a lot to get permission in such cases. Many applications are rejected.

  Requirements relating to the employment

  • You can get a residence permit if it is necessary for the establishment and further operation of the business that you live in Norway and actively participate in the operation of the business.
  • The business concerned must normally be your own sole proprietorship. The business cannot be a limited company. You can only work in this business. You cannot take other work, including remote work.
  • The work you will be doing in the business must require your qualifications as a skilled worker.
  • It must be likely that the business will give you a profit (business income) of at least 

    NOK 325 400 per year pre-tax

    . 
  • If the type of business you will be running requires permits from public authorities, you must hold such a permit or a confirmation from the authority that you will be granted such a permit. 

  Rights and obligations

  • You can be granted a permit for one year at a time.
  • After three years, you can apply for a permanent residence permit.
  • Your family members can apply for family immigration to come and live with you in Norway. If your family members apply at the same time as you, you will receive the answer to your applications at the same time. 

  How to apply

• Self-employed persons with a company abroad

  Requirements of the employee

  • You must pay an application fee.

  Requirements relating to your education/qualifications

  You must have one of the following types of education/qualifications:

  • A completed vocational training programme of at least three years at upper secondary school level, for example as a carpenter or health worker. There must be a corresponding vocational training programme in Norway.
  • Completed education or degree from a university / university college, for example a bachelor's degree as an engineer or nurse
  • Special qualifications are skills acquired through long professional experience, possibly in combination with courses and some education. You must have as high competence as someone who has completed vocational education from upper secondary school. Generally, you must have at least six years of work experience. For example, suppose you have work experience as a painter. In that case, you must present detailed work certificates from previous employers that show that you have learned and can do the same as a person with a professional education as a painter. It takes a lot to get permission in such cases. Many applications are rejected.

  Requirements relating to the employment

  • You must be a self-employed person with an established business abroad. 
  • The business concerned must normally be your own sole proprietorship. The business cannot be a limited company. 
  • You must have entered into a contract to carry out an assignment for a business in Norway.
  • The business in Norway must have a registered business address here.
  • The company in Norway cannot be a staffing company.
  • As a rule, the offer of an assignment must be for one specific enterprise in Norway.
  • Your remuneration must not be poorer than is normal in Norway. 
  • Your qualifications as a skilled worker must be relevant to your ability to complete the assignment.
  • If you are going to carry out an assignment in an occupation for which recognition or authorisation is required (external website), you must have such approval or authorisation.

  Rights and obligations

  • If you are going to carry out assignments other than that described in the contract or for another enterprise, you must apply for a new residence permit.
  • You are not allowed to work remotely unless it is part of the job you have been granted a residence permit to do.
  • You can be granted a permit for two years at a time. You can have this permit for up to six years, then you must live outside Norway for two years before you can apply for a new such permit.
  • The period you have this permit does not count if you later wish to apply for a permanent residence permit. 
  • If your assignment lasts for more than six months, your spouse or cohabitant and your children can apply for family immigration to come and live with you in Norway. If your family members apply at the same time as you, you will receive the answer to your applications at the same time. 

  How to apply