When does the requirement apply?
The full-time activity requirement applies if the applicant is:
- a spouse, and you got married after the reference person moved to Norway
- a cohabiting partner and you have children together, and the child or children were conceived after the reference person moved to Norway
- a cohabiting partner who is expecting a child with you
- a fiancé(e) and you are planning to get married
NB: For cohabiting partners with children, the requirement does not apply if the child was conceived while both had a residence permit in Norway.
In addition, the reference person must have one of the following residence permits:
- a residence permit as a resettlement refugee
- a residence permit on the grounds of protection, asylum, or protection against being returned to their home country
- a residence permit on the grounds of strong humanitarian considerations or a particular connection to Norway
- a residence permit through family immigration with another person in Norway
- a permanent residence permit, after previously holding one of the other residence permits listed above
The reference person may also meet the full-time activity requirement through a sufficiently high income
The reference person does not need to document full-time work or education for a calendar year if the income has been high enough. For a calendar year to count, the reference person must have had an income of at least 3.2 times the National Insurance basic amount (G).
For 2025, this means an income of at least NOK 409,972 before tax. The requirement can also be met month by month.
A month counts if the reference person has had an income of at least 1/12 of the annual amount.
The income threshold is calculated based on the average National Insurance basic amount for the relevant year. You can find an overview of the basic amount for previous years at nav.no (external website).
What does this mean in practice?
If the reference person has had a high enough income, the period can be counted even if they have not been in full-time employment.
If the income is not high enough to meet the requirement, the reference person must document that they have been in full-time employment or education in Norway for the part of the four-year period that is missing.
What counts as full-time activity?
The following activities count towards the requirement:
- paid work
- participation in the Introduction Programme
- education (primary and lower secondary school, upper secondary school, and higher education)
- participation in the Qualification Programme or qualification measures through the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Organisation (NAV)
- parental leave of up to 46 weeks after the birth or adoption of a child, if you are entitled to parental benefit
- sickness absence with sickness benefit
- disability pension or retirement pension
Can the activities be combined?
Yes. You may combine several activities, but together they must be equivalent to full-time activity. Each month in which your combined activities amount to full-time activity will count towards the requirement.
Examples:
- You studied 50 percent and worked 50 percent at the same time for four years.
- You participated in the Introduction Programme for two years and then worked full-time for two years.
- You participated in the Qualification Programme for 1.5 years and then studied full-time for 2.5 years.