How To Move To Norway

Do you dream of living in historic Bergen or in an isolated cottage overlooking a fjord? Moving to Norway isn’t straightforward, but it may not be as difficult as you think, either. Of the 5.37 million people presently living in Norway, almost 15% were born in another country.

The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) is responsible for processing residence permit applications. The immigration process is broadly split into two categories depending on your country of citizenship. If you’re a citizen of an EU/EEA country, the process is easier.

Moving from within the EU/EEA

After its population turned down membership twice in national referendums, Norway is not a member of the EU. But the country maintains very close ties with Europe through its membership of the European Economic Area (EEA). This ties together all EU members along with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein into the European single market. With that, comes freedom of movement of goods and people.

Under these regulations, citizens of all member countries have the right to live and work in Norway. To stay beyond three months, registration is required in one of the following categories: employed, self-employed, a posted worker or student. You’re also able to register if you have enough money to support yourself.

These rules continue to apply for British citizens during the EU transition period, which ends on December 31, 2020. After this date, British citizens will have to follow the same rules as the rest of the world.

Moving to Norway from the rest of the world

A common misconception among those with Norwegian heritage is that their background entitles them to residence or even citizenship in Norway. While there is a family immigration permit, this is intended to reunite immediate family. It allows a spouse of someone holding a work permit to join them in Norway, or for a foreigner to join their Norwegian spouse, for example, although conditions apply.

The most common way to move to Norway is to obtain a work permit. Typically, these are given to people with a concrete job offer who hold higher or vocational education and meet minimum salary requirements. The offered salary must be at least NOK 397,100 ($44,000) for jobs that require a bachelor degree, and NOK 428,200 ($47,500) for jobs that require a master degree.

If you don’t have a job offer, skilled workers may be granted a six-month permit in order to seek work, although these are harder to obtain.

There are also specific categories of work permit for certain trades, including seafarers, offshore workers, sports athletes and coaches, ethnic cooks, au pairs and religious teachers. You can also gain a self-employment permit but this requires proof of likely income, which is assessed by local authorities.

Asylum in Norway

Norway still accepts asylum applications from anyone persecuted or fearing persecution or inhumane treatment in their home country. However, the numbers applying for asylum in Norway have fallen significantly as regulations have been tightened since the European refugee crisis of 2015. Asylum can only be applied for in person in Norway or at the Norwegian border.

Temporary border restrictions

There are temporary border restrictions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic. At the present time, tourism is essentially banned from outside Europe, while those arriving from many European countries must undergo a quarantine period.

However, in most cases you can enter Norway from anywhere in the world if you have a work permit, although you may be required to serve a quarantine period upon arrival. Bear in mind that there are also delays to the application process for some categories of work permit.