This section is intended for reference only. We strongly recommend that you contact the embassy directly for the most up to date information that pertains to your specific situation.
Norway is a member of the Schengen countries. The 15 Schengen countries are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. With a Schengen visa, you may enter one country and travel freely throughout the Schengen zones.
For EU and EFTA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) citizens, an officially approved ID card (or a passport) is sufficient for entry. There are no border controls between these countries. A visa granted for any Schengen member is valid in all other countries that have signed and implemented the treaty.
The limit to your stay begins as soon as you enter any country in the Schengen Area and is not reset by leaving a specific Schengen country for another Schengen country, or vice-versa.
A Norwegian visa is a stamp or endorsement placed by officials of Norway on a passport that allows the bearer to visit Norway. Visas are obtained from the Embassy or consulates of Norway for your visit. A visa takes anywhere from 2 days to 15 days to process in the Norwegian Embassy or Consulate.
As of January 2010 only the nationals of the following non-EU/EEA/Swiss countries do not need a visa for entry into the Schengen Area:
These visa-free visitors may not stay more than three months in half a year and may not work while in the EU.
NOTE:
British subjects with the right of abode in the United Kingdom and British Overseas Territories citizens connected to Gibraltar are considered "United Kingdom nationals for European Union purposes" and therefore eligible for unlimited access to the Schengen Area
British Overseas Territories citizens without the right of abode in the United Kingdom and British subjects without the right of abode in the United Kingdom as well as British Overseas citizens and British protected persons in general do require visas.
However, all British Overseas Territories citizens except those solely connected to the Cyprus Sovereign Base Areas are eligible for British citizenship and thereafter unlimited access to the Schengen Area.
Macedonian, Montenegrin and Serbian nationals need a biometric passport to enjoy visa-free travel
Serbian nationals with passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate (Serbs residing in Kosovo) still do need a visa.
A visitor's visa is valid for entry and a stay during the period of time stipulated in the visa. Entry is generally permitted only once.
The application for a Schengen visa can be accessed online at: http://www.udi.no/
Nationals of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka must have a special airport transit visa if you are to stop in Norway on your way to another country outside the Schengen area. This visa will only allow you to stay in the airport's transit zone and does not entitle you to enter Norway. This visa is not required if you have resident permit in an EEA state or belong to following countries: Andorra, Canada, Japan, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland or the USA.
If you do not satisfy the conditions for being granted a visa into the Schengen area, you may be granted a national visa for entry into Norway only. this type of visa is only granted when it is required for humanitarian reasons or national considerations or under international commitments.
If you intend to stay in Norway for more than 90 days, or if you are going to work while in Norway, a residence permit is necessary. The applicant has to stay in his/her home country until the permit has been granted by UDI.
A Residence Permit will mainly be granted for the following purposes:
Family Immigration
Work
Study
Family immigration means that a family member living abroad is allowed to come to Norway to live with his or her family. The permit is granted for one year at a time. After three years, you may apply for a full settlement permit.
There is usually a housing and income requirement (equal to pay grade 8 of the National Pay Scale). For the exact amount, check UDI's website.
Permits for citizens of EU/EEA/EFTA countries are slightly different. There are special rules for employees from Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania and Bulgaria. Consult the UDI site about these situations.
A permit is not required for nationals from EU/EEA/EFTA countries who stay in Norway for up to three months, work in Norway for up to three months, work in Norway but commute to another EU/EEA/EFTA country at least once a week or EU/EEA/EFTA nationals who are seeking employment in Norway may reside in Norway for six months.
In general, you must hold a residence permit to be entitled to work in Norway.
In order to receive this type of Visa, an individual must have a formal work agreement that is sponsoring his or her relocation to Norway. People who are in Norway with a Visitor's Visa may stay in the country while their work permit is being processed, but cannot begin work until the proper permit is processed and approved.
All documentation must be originals or certified copies with translations into Norwegian or English.
Skilled workers/specialists are persons who are trained in a particular field or have special qualifications needed in Norway. The skilled worker/specialist training must be documented by a certified translation into Norwegian or English. To apply for a work permit as a skilled worker/specialist, the applicant must have a concrete job offer, and the work permit will only be valid for a particular job and particular place of employment. The permit is normally granted for one year at a time and is renewable. Wages and terms of employment may not be less favorable than the current collective pay agreement or those that are normal within the trade or profession in Norway.
For less common examples and information about Skilled Workers, consult the UDI Skilled Worker site.
After three years, the skilled worker/specialist has the right to apply for a settlement permit. Once the skilled worker/specialist has been granted a settlement permit, they may seek other places of employment. Skilled worker/specialists may apply for other types of residence or work permit from Norway.
A settlement permit may be available if you lived in Norway for three years consecutively and currently hold a residence or work permit issued with a view to permanent residence in the country and which constitutes the grounds for a settlement permit. This applies to persons who have been granted asylum, residence on humanitarian or protection grounds, family reunification of a work permit as a skilled worker/specialist. The permit will always indicate whether or not it constitutes the grounds for settlement. Once you have been granted a settlement permit, you cannot lose it, even if the grounds for the original permit no longer pertain, for example due to unemployment or divorce.
If you are a national of an EU/EEA country and wish to apply for a settlement permit, you must satisfy the same requirements.
A request for a settlement permit can be made to the police in Norway no later than one month before your residence or work permit expires. If your application is submitted on time, you have the right to continued residence on the same terms as before until your application has been decided.
A complete checklist for documentation requirements can be found at:
http://www.norway.org.vn/
After applying, applicants will receive automatic notification in the mail that the immigration authorities have the application. This notification includes information about case processing times.
If you leave Norway after having been granted a settlement permit, a sticker is placed upon the passport to represent the settlement permit. To renew, you can go to the police station rather the re-apply.
If you live abroad for more than two years consecutively, or more than two years in total during a period of four years you may lose your settlement permit.
In order to apply for Norwegian citizenship, you must complete form GP-7053 B (Application form for Norwegian citizenship). The police and foreign service missions can provide guidance about completing the forms.
Everyone who applies for Norwegian citizenship after September lst, 2008 must be able to document that they have completed 300 hours of Norwegian language tuition or be able to document adequate knowledge of Norwegian or Sami. This applies to everyone regardless of when they were granted residence permits.
For any questions pertaining to Visas, feel free to consult your the Norwegian Embassy, or the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration.
Phone +47 23 35 16 00
Email ots@udi.no
Update 29/01/2011
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