Please go to our guide to waiting time in family immigration cases.

Go to our guide to waiting time for residence permits for work.

How long do you usually have to wait for an answer?

Most people will receive an answer within two weeks of submitting their application to a Visa Application Centre, embassy or consulate.

Which applications will it take longer before receives a reply?

Most cases are processed by the embassy, but if the embassy is in doubt about whether you can be granted a visa, they will forward your case to the UDI.

In such cases, most applicants will receive an answer within four weeks of submitting their application to the Visa Application Centre, embassy or consulate.

In a few, very special cases, however, the case will not be processed until up to eight weeks of the application being submitted to the Visa Application Centre, embassy or consulate.

Appeals concerning rejections

Most people will receive an answer within 6 months of submitting their application to the foreign service mission.

Due to the recent summer holidays, the waiting time is unfortunately longer than normal. We will be working to reduce the waiting time throughout the autumn. 

This information was last updated on 11 September 2018. It will be updated again on 12 October.

What can you do to contribute to receiving an answer as quickly as possible?

• Make sure that your application is completed correctly and in full.
• Make sure that you enclose enclose all the necessary documents, please see our checklist.
• Make sure that your, and your sponsor’s, contact information is up-to-date.
• It is also a good idea to make sure that the person who has invited you to Norway has power of attorney from you, so that we can give important information to him or her.

Go to our guide to waiting time for study permits.

Go to our guide for waiting time for applications for permanent residence permit and permanent right of residence.

Go to our guide to waiting time for au pair permits.

Please go to our guide to waiting time for citizenship applications.

Please go to our page with waiting times for those who have applied for protection (asylum).

Go to our guide to waiting time for applications for immigrant's passport and refugee travel document.

Expulsion decision

Most people will receive a decision within 10 months of the police or the UDI opening an expulsion case and sending an advance notice.

Applications for revocation of a prohibition on entry

EU/EEA nationals: 
Most people will receive an answer within 4 months of the UDI receiving the application. 

Nationals of countries outside the EU/EEA area:
Most people will receive an answer within 4 months of the UDI receiving the application. 

If you have also applied for a residence permit, you have to add the time it takes until you receive an answer to your application for lifting of prohibition of entry to the total time you have to wait for an answer to your application for a residence permit.

Nationals of countries outside the EU/EEA area who, after they have received a prohibition on entry to Norway, are now covered by the EEA regulations

If you have handed in all the necessary documents, and the UDI believes it is obvious that your prohibition on entry should be lifted, we will process your application within 15 days. 

If the UDI has asked you to send in more documents or other information, or we need to make further investigations, you will have to wait longer for a reply. When we have received the documents from you, we will continue to process your case. 

Appeals concerning expulsions

Within 3 months of the UDI receiving your appeal, we will either reverse the decision or send your case to the Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) for consideration of the appeal.

You can find information on UNE’s website about how long it takes from UNE receives your appeal, until you receive an answer from them (eksternt nettsted).

This information was last updated on 11 September 2018. It will be updated again on 12 October.