If you are a Nordic citizen, you may travel freely to Norway without a residence permit. The only thing you need to do is to register in the National Population Register.

If you are an EU/EEA citizen, you are eligible to work in Norway without a residence permit. If you plan on staying longer than 6 months, you need to register your move to Norway with the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) within 3 months after your arrival, as well as booking an appointment with the police. For the meeting with the police, you need to show up in person.

Non-EU/EEA citizen will need to apply for a visa or a resident permit, which allows you to work in Norway. A visa will make you eligible to enter Norway for a specific period of time, whereas a resident permit will give you citizenship for residence on a permanent basis.

Type of residence permit

There are several different permits available to apply for, so “keep your tongue straight in your mouth”, as we say in Norway - and take it step by step.

If you have completed higher education or vocational training, you will most likely be applying for a residence permit as a skilled worker. In order to obtain this, you will need to have received a job offer or have your own business.

Skilled workers who have not yet obtained a resident permit, can apply for an entry visa. You can read more about visa and permits at the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI).

Some exceptions apply, for instance if you are an artist (lucky you!) or if you are working for an organization who carries out international humanitarian work (well done!). In these cases you can stay for a total of 14 days or less without a working visa.

There are also separate rules for athletes, continental shelf workers and seafarers. You can read more about the exceptions to the visa rules at the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI).

For Ukranian asylum seekers, read more information here in English, Ukranian or Russian.