Waiting times for permanent residence permits for convicted persons and people who have been fined
Who does not have to wait?
You do not have to wait longer to be granted a permanent residence permit if you:
- have been issued a parking ticket
- have been issued a fixed penalty notice
- have participated in mediation in the Norwegian Mediation Service
- have been suspected or charged in a criminal case and the case has been dropped, or it was decided not to bring charges.
- have been issued fines, but it has been more than two years since the judgment or two years since you were issued the fine.
- have been given a suspended sentence more than five years ago
- have been sentenced to unconditional imprisonment for up to six months, and you were either released on parole or finished serving the sentence more than five years ago
- have been sentenced to unconditional imprisonment for more than six months, and you were either released on parole or finished serving the sentence more than ten years ago
You do have to wait longer to be granted a permanent residence permit if you:
- have been issued fines and penalty notices less than two years ago
- have been sentenced to imprisonment
- have been convicted or issued penalty notices several times
- have been ordered to undergo enforced psychiatric treatment
- are under investigation by the police or have been charged in a case that has not been decided yet
Are you serving an unconditional prison sentence or are you in preventive detention?
If you have been sentenced to unconditional imprisonment or preventive detention, you must wait longer before you can be granted a permanent resident permit. The period of residence needed to be granted a permanent residence permit comes in addition.
The table below shows how long you will have to wait (in addition to the period of residence).
| Unconditional imprisonment or preventive detention | Waiting times |
|---|---|
| Up to 90 days | 2 years |
| Up to 6 months | 3 years |
| Up to 1 year | 4 years |
| Up to 2 years | 5 years |
| Up to 3 years | 6 years |
| Up to 4 years | 7 years |
| … | … |
| Up to 30 years | 33 years |
Time served in prison or in preventive custody, or the time you have served a juvenile punishment, is not included in the period of residence needed to be granted a permanent residence permit.
Have you been fined?
If you have been fined, you must wait longer before you can be granted a permanent residence permit. The period of residence needed to be granted a permanent residence permit comes in addition. The table below shows how long you will have to wait.
| Range of fines | Waiting times |
|---|---|
| From NOK 1 to NOK 3,000 | 6 months |
| From NOK 3,001 to NOK 5,000 | 1 year |
| From NOK 5,001 | 1–2 years |
If you have been issued several fines, you must wait for a maximum of two years.
Have you been given a suspended sentence?
If you have been given a suspended sentence, you must wait longer before you can be granted a permanent residence permit. The period of residence needed to be granted a permanent residence permit comes in addition.
- If you have been given an suspended sentence of up to one year, you must wait one extra year.
- If you have been given a suspended sentence of more than one year, you must wait two extra years. You will normally not be granted a permanent residence permit during the sentence period.
Have you been ordered to undergo enforced psychiatric treatment?
If you have been ordered to undergo enforced psychiatric treatment, you must wait longer before you can be granted a permanent residence permit.
After the period of enforced psychiatric treatment has been completed, your residence period starts running from the beginning again.
Have you been sentenced to community service?
If you have been sentenced to community service, you must wait longer before you can become a Norwegian citizen. The period of residence needed to be granted a permanent residence permit comes in addition.
If you have been sentenced to community service, an extra year will be added to the period of residence needed to be granted a permanent residence permit after you have completed the community service. You will normally not be granted a permanent residence permit during the sentence period.
Have you been charged or are you under investigation?
If you have been charged or are under investigation, you will not receive an answer to your application for a permanent residence permit until it has been decided whether you will be sentenced. Your residence permit can be renewed if you meet the requirements for renewal.
Have you been convicted or fined several times?
If you have been convicted or fined several times, you have to wait for an extra long time to be granted a permanent residence permit. Your waiting time will then be longer than if you had only been convicted/fined for one criminal offence.
Have you been convicted abroad?
If you have been convicted or fined abroad, you have to wait just as long as if you had been convicted in Norway.
This does not apply if the offence you have been convicted of is not a criminal offence in Norway.
If you were given a stricter sentence than the maximum sentence for the same offence in Norway, the time you have to wait will be based on the maximum sentence you could have been given in Norway.