What residence period applies to you?

To apply for a permanent residence permit, you must have lived continuously in Norway for the past three or five years, and you must also meet the other requirements.

The length of the residence period is determined by the type of residence permit you hold when applying.

Five-Year Residence Requirement

You must have lived continuously in Norway for the past five years if you

• have a residence permit based on an application for protection (asylum)
• have protection (asylum) because you are a family member of a refugee (derived refugee status)
• came to Norway as a resettlement refugee
• have a residence permit due to strong humanitarian considerations
• have family immigration with a person in one of the groups above, or with someone in these groups who has later received a permanent residence permit

Three-Year Residence Requirement

You must have lived continuously in Norway for the past three years if you have other types of residence permits than those that require five years, for example:

• Work immigration
• Family immigration with a Norwegian or Nordic citizen
• Family immigration with other foreign citizens who do not have protection or humanitarian residence

What does “lived continuously in Norway” mean?

"Lived continuously in Norway" means having a valid residence permit without long gaps and not staying outside Norway for too long during the past three or five years.

To count as continuous residence, these are the requirements:

• You must not have been without a valid residence permit for more than a total of three months during the past three or five years. Time without a valid permit is counted from the date your permit expired until the date you submitted your new application.
• If you need three years of residence, you cannot have been outside Norway for more than a total of seven months during those three years.
• If you need five years of residence, you cannot have been outside Norway for more than a total of ten months during those five years.
• If you have a residence permit as a skilled worker, you may stay outside Norway for up to 15 months, as long as you can prove that at least eight of those months were for work travel on behalf of your employer. This does not apply if you have a permit as a self-employed person.

When does the residence period start?

• If you were already in Norway when you applied for the first residence permit that forms a basis for permanent residence, the period starts from the date the permit was granted (called the “decision date”).
• If you received your first residence permit before you came to Norway, the period starts from the date you reported to the police.
• If you have been granted asylum (protection), the period starts from the date you applied for asylum.
• If you are a resettlement refugee, the period starts from the date you arrived in Norway.

Can you get an exemption from the residence requirement?

In some cases, you can be exempt from the residence requirement. If you have had a residence permit that forms a basis for permanent residence during the past year, you can get an exemption if you

• have lived in Norway for at least 8 years with a residence permits
• have lived in Svalbard for at least 8 years
• have particularly strong grounds of reasonableness

You can also get an exemption if you are the spouse or cohabitant of a Norwegian citizen who works at a Norwegian foreign service station. You must have lived in Norway and abroad (in connection with the foreign station) for a total of four years. At least one of those years must have been in Norway, and the residence permit must have formed a basis for permanent residence.