You can be denied a residence permit if UDI thinks it is likely that the main reason you married a person living in Norway is to get a basis for a residence permit in Norway.

A circumvention marriage is a marriage where the main reason you got married is that you want a residence permit in Norway. However, the marriage can be real and formally valid.

A pro forma marriage is a marriage that you get married only to obtain a residence permit in Norway. A pro forma marriage is a marriage without any actual basis in reality.

To investigate whether a marriage is a circumvention marriage or a pro forma marriage, UDI will consider:

• how long you have been together
• how much contact you have had
• what you know about each other
• age difference
• whether marriage is unusual in the culture of the country you come from
• if you have previously applied for a residence permit in Norway or another country.

If UDI considers that the marriage is a circumvention marriage or a pro forma marriage, UDI can reject your application and may consider expelling you from Norway and other Schengen countries for at least two years.