Information about getting married and applying for a residence permit

• Getting married when one of us is a foreign citizen

  You do not need to have a residence permit in Norway or to be a Norwegian citizen to get married in Norway, but your stay in Norway must be legal. In this case, a legal stay can for example mean that you have a residence permit, residence as an EU/EEA national, a visitor visa or a valid visa-free stay.

  Before you can get married in Norway you must get a certificate which shows that you fulfil the conditions for entering into marriage (prøvingsattest), which is valid for 4 months. You must present this certificate to the person who is officiating the marriage.

  On the Norwegian Tax Administration website you can find information about (external website) what documents you must send to the Tax Administration in order to obtain the certificate. (external website)

  There is a waiting time for being issued a certificate, so please make sure you leave plenty of time before the wedding.

• Getting married when both of us are foreign citizens

  You do not have to have a residence permit in Norway or be a Norwegian citizen in order to get married in Norway, but you must have legal stay. In this case, legal stay can for example mean that you have a residence permit, residence as an EU/EEA national, a visitor visa or a valid visa-free stay.

  Before you can get married in Norway you must get a certificate which shows that you fulfil the conditions for entering into marriage (prøvingsattest), which is valid for 4 months. You must give this certificate to the person who is officiating the marriage.

  On the Tax Administration website, you can more information about what documents you must send to the Tax Administration in order to get the certificate (external website).

  There is a waiting time for being issued a certificate, so please make sure you leave plenty of time before the wedding.

• Do I need to apply for a residence permit in order to get married?

  If you are getting married to a person who lives in Norway, and you wish to marry in Norway, you can apply for a residence permit in order to do so. It is however not a requirement that you have exactly this type of residence permit when you get married in Norway. You can also get married in Norway if you have a different type of legal stay.

  It is possible to get this type of residence permit if you are coming to Norway to get married, and it is therefore often called a “fiancé permit”. You cannot get this type of residence permit if you wish to come to Norway to find out whether you wish to get married, or in order for you to get to know your boyfriend/girlfriend better.

  There are some requirements you and your fiancé must fulfil, and there are many documents you must hand in with the application. Before you hand in the in the application you must check that you fulfil these requirements.

  What do we have to do if we have been granted a residence permit in order to get married (fiancé permit)?

  This residence permit is valid for a maximum of six months. You must hand in the application for a residence permit with your spouse at least one month before the residence permit for getting married expires.

  This means that you have less than five months to get married. On the Tax Administration's website you get an overview of what you have to do to get married (external website). There is a lot you need to do during these five months, therefore it is important that you start the formal processes surrounding the marriage as early as possible.

  Rights and obligations

  • You cannot get an extension or renewal of this residence permit if you for example postpone the wedding.
  • You can work in Norway.
  • You do not have the right to free training in the Norwegian language and social studies.
  • You can travel in and out of Norway while the residence permit is valid.
  • If you hand in the new application for a residence permit with your spouse at least one month before the old one expires, you still have the right to work while you wait for an answer to your application for the new residence permit.
  • The time you have this residence permit does not count towards your residence period if you later apply for a permanent residence permit or Norwegian citizenship.
  • While you have this type of residence permit your family members (for example your children) cannot apply for family immigration to move to you in Norway.

• How do I apply for a residence permit with my spouse?

  If you marry someone who lives in Norway or is a Norwegian citizen, you do not automatically get a residence permit in Norway.

  In order to live in Norway, you must apply for a residence permit through family immigration with your spouse. There are some requirements you and your spouse must fulfil, and there are many documents you must hand in with the application. Before you hand in the in the application you must check that you fulfil these requirements.

  Rights and obligations if you get a residence permit to live with your spouse in Norway

  • You can work in Norway
  • You have the right to free training in the Norwegian language and social studies
  • You and your spouse must live together in Norway.
  • You can travel in and out of Norway while the residence permit is valid.
  • The residence permit will have an expiry date, and you must apply to renew it.
  • If you hand in the application for renewal of your residence permit, you still have the right to work while you wait for an answer to your application for the new residence permit
  • With this type of residence permit your family members (for example your children) can apply for family immigration to move to you in Norway, if you fulfil the requirements.
  • The time you have this residence permit counts if you later apply for a permanent residence permit or Norwegian citizenship. 

• Is it possible to apply for a residence permit with my cohabitant?

  If you have a child with, are expecting a child with, or have cohabited for at least two years with a person who lives in Norway, you can apply for a residence permit through family immigration without being married.  

  You and your cohabitant must fulfil several requirements, and there are many documents you must hand in with the application. Before you hand in the in the application you must check that you fulfil these requirements.

  Rights and obligations if you get a residence permit to live with your cohabitant in Norway

  • You can work in Norway.
  • You have the right to free training in the Norwegian language and social studies.
  • You and your cohabitant must live together in Norway.
  • You can travel in and out of Norway while the residence permit is valid.
  • The residence permit will have an expiry date, and you must apply to renew it.
  • If you hand in the application for renewal of your residence permit, you still have the right to work while you wait for an answer to your application for the new residence permit
  • With this type of residence permit your family members ( for example your children) can apply for family immigration to move to you in Norway, if you fulfil the requirements.
  • The time you have this residence permit counts if you later apply for a permanent residence permit or Norwegian citizenship.

• How do I show confirmation of a legal stay?

  You do not have to have a residence permit in Norway or be a Norwegian citizen in order to get married in Norway, but your stay in Norway must be legal. In this case, a legal stay can for example mean that you have a residence permit, residence as an EU/EEA national, a visitor visa or a valid visa-free stay.

  If those who are officiating the marriage or the Tax Administration ask you for confirmation which shows that your stay in Norway is legal, you can do the following

  • If you have a valid residence permit and a residence card, you must show them your residence card.
  • If you have a visitor visa you must show them your passport with the visa sticker.
  • If you are a citizen of an EU/EEA country you must show them your passport.
  • If you are a citizen of a visa-free country you must show them your passport and documentation which shows that you entered Norway less than 90 days ago.
  • If you are an asylum seeker or in a situation where you have not been issued a residence card yet, but are staying legally, you can contact us. We can then give you confirmation which shows that your stay is legal for the purpose of getting married in Norway. Please contact us by using the contact form for requesting confirmations.

• Can I hand in the application for a residence permit in Norway, or do I have to apply from abroad?

  Even if you got married in Norway, or have married someone who is Norwegian citizen or have a residence permit in Norway, the main rule is that you cannot hand in your application for a residence permit in Norway. You must instead hand it in in a country where you are a citizen or have had a residence permit for the past six months.

  In some cases, it is possible to hand in the application in Norway. In order to find out whether you can hand in the application in Norway, you must go the pages for applying for family immigration and continue until you get an answer as to whether you can hand in the application in Norway or not.

  If the answer you are given is that you cannot hand in the application in Norway, but you do so anyway, you must be aware that the application will be rejected and that your application fee will not be refunded. You must then hand in a new application in a country where you are a citizen or have had a residence permit for the past six months.

• What should I do if I want to get married in a country other than Norway?

  Are you getting married abroad?

  If you are getting married abroad, you must check with the authorities in that country what documents you must submit.

  Before you leave Norway, you should for example check whether you must have any documents translated, and whether the documents from Norway must have an apostille stamp from the County governor.

  Have you already married abroad?

  Please see the Norwegian Tax Administration website for information about how to proceed to get your marriage approved in Norway. (external website)

  In some countries the validity of the documents may be so questionable that the Norwegian Tax Administration will not register the marriage until after UDI has granted the application for family immigration.