Moving to Norway – your first 30 days, step by step and in the order that works
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
Police, tax office, bank, BankID: when you are moving to Norway, the order of your first weeks decides how quickly the rest follows. Here is the sequence that works for EU/EEA, Nordic and non-EU newcomers, and what changed in 2026.
Moving to Norway in 2026 comes with some new landmarks. The official Work in Norway portal closed on 2 March 2026, and some of its content moved to Ny i Norge (New in Norway), run by IMDi (the Directorate for Integration and Diversity). Since 1 September 2026, citizens of countries outside the EU/EEA/EFTA who have a fødselsnummer can get a Norwegian national ID card, at first only in Ski. And the flat-rate PAYE (Pay As You Earn) tax scheme is open to you if you earn less than NOK 725,050 in 2026.
The order of your first month has not changed. It hangs on a Norwegian identification number – a fødselsnummer (national identity number) or a D-number – which you need for a skattekort (tax deduction card), a bank account and BankID.
What should I do first when moving to Norway?
That depends on your passport. EU/EEA citizens can stay for up to three months without formal tasks, but if you work in that time, you still need an identification number and a tax deduction card. Nordic citizens need neither a permit nor police registration. Everyone else needs a residence permit to work in Norway or to stay longer than 90 days.
| You are | Before you start work | In your first weeks |
|---|---|---|
| An EU/EEA citizen | No permit needed | Police registration if staying more than three months; report your move to Skatteetaten (the Norwegian Tax Administration) if staying six months or more |
| A Nordic citizen | No permit needed | ID check at a tax office and your move reported within eight days of arrival, if staying more than six months |
| From outside the EU/EEA | A residence permit from UDI (the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration) | A police appointment, booked via UDI, for your residence card immediately after arrival |
Source: IMDi, UDI and Skatteetaten, read 23 September 2026.
Your first 30 days in Norway, step by step
IMDi's checklist for labour immigrants has four core steps: an identification number, police registration or a residence permit, a tax deduction card if you work, and an electronic ID. Add a bank, a doctor and NAV (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration), and your month looks like this:
| Step | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Police registration (EU/EEA) or residence card (outside the EU/EEA) | Book via UDI; in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger, EU/EEA citizens use SUA (the Service Centre for Foreign Workers) |
| 2 | Report your move and attend the ID check, if staying six months or more | Skatteetaten, at one of 42 tax offices, by appointment |
| 3 | Apply for a skattekort; with no fødselsnummer, you get a D-number automatically | Skatteetaten |
| 4 | Open a bank account | A Norwegian bank: bring a passport or national ID card and your identification number |
| 5 | Get an electronic ID | BankID from your bank; MinID by activation letter |
| 6 | Get a fastlege (GP) once registered as resident | Helsenorge, the health portal: +47 23 32 70 00 |
| 7 | Check National Insurance; register as a jobseeker if needed | NAV |
| 8 | Declare household goods | Tolletaten (Norwegian Customs), form RD0030 |
Source: IMDi, UDI, Skatteetaten, Helsenorge, NAV and Tolletaten, read 23 September 2026.
Week one: the police, the tax office and your ID number
Everything is booked. EU/EEA citizens staying more than three months register with the police at an appointment booked through UDI – job seekers no later than three months after arriving. The registration certificate only confirms that the police have registered you, not a right of residence, so keep your employment contract, payslips or study certificate. Part 2 explains who qualifies.
From outside the EU/EEA, book your police appointment via UDI for right after you arrive. You need no separate appointment with Skatteetaten: UDI notifies it once you have a permit, and you get a letter when it has assessed whether to register you as resident.
EU/EEA citizens staying six months or more book an appointment with Skatteetaten to report their move; with an electronic ID, you can send the notification online first. ID checks happen at 42 selected tax offices, with no walk-in service. Nordic citizens report within eight days of arriving. Part 3 covers the fødselsnummer, the D-number and processing times of 2 to 25 weeks.
Weeks two to four: skattekort, bank account and BankID
Everyone who works in Norway needs a tax deduction card and an identification number. Without the card, your employer must deduct 50 per cent of your income. If you have no fødselsnummer, Skatteetaten gives you a D-number when you apply. Processing generally takes up to five days, often longer for foreign workers, partly because of the ID check.
Newcomers are automatically placed in PAYE, a voluntary scheme with a flat tax of 25 per cent, or 17.4 per cent if you are exempt from National Insurance contributions. In 2026 it applies below NOK 725,050, up from NOK 697,150 in 2025, and means no tax return. Part 7 covers tax.
To open a bank account, you must be resident in Norway and have a valid passport or national ID card plus an identification number. The most common electronic IDs are BankID, which you order from your bank, and MinID, which needs an activation letter that arrives by post after a few days. Part 4 covers ID, banking and Vipps.
Healthcare, NAV and the things you bring
Everyone living in Norway is entitled to emergency healthcare, whatever their residence status. Once registered as resident in a municipality, you have the right to a fastlege and can change GP up to twice per calendar year; with only a D-number, you are normally not entitled to one. Call 113 when life is in danger and 116 117 for legevakt (the out-of-hours medical service).
NAV runs the National Insurance Scheme. If your stay lasts, or is intended to last, at least 12 months, you are a member from the day you arrive; anyone who works in Norway is a member regardless. Registering as a jobseeker online requires an electronic ID – otherwise, visit your local NAV office.
Household goods come in free of duty and other taxes if you have lived abroad continuously for at least a year, owned and used them there, and import them within a year of moving. Declare them to Tolletaten on form RD0030, using your identification number or a TRK-number from Customs. Vehicles are never exempt.
Which mistakes cost newcomers time or money?
| Mistake | What happens | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Starting work without a skattekort | Your employer deducts 50 per cent of your income | Apply as soon as you have the job |
| Treating the registration certificate as proof of residence | It only confirms police registration | Keep your contract, payslips or study certificate |
| Turning up at a tax office unannounced | There is no walk-in service | Book the ID check |
| Moving flat without telling Skatteetaten | Official letters go to your registered address | Report moves within Norway within eight days |
| Shipping your car with the furniture | Vehicles are not exempt from duty and taxes | Check the cost with Tolletaten first |
Source: Skatteetaten, UDI and Tolletaten, read 23 September 2026.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Check which group you belong to (part 2) | Before you book the move |
| 2 | Book the police appointment via UDI | As soon as you know your arrival date |
| 3 | Book the tax office appointment for your move and ID check | Staying six months or more; Nordic citizens within eight days |
| 4 | Apply for your skattekort | Before your first payday |
| 5 | Open a bank account, then order BankID | Once you have an identification number |
| 6 | Sort out GP, NAV and customs | First weeks; household goods within a year |
| 7 | Questions: Skatteetaten, 800 80 000 (free) or +47 22 07 70 00 from abroad | Weekdays 09:00–15:00 |
Source: IMDi, UDI and Skatteetaten, read 23 September 2026.
Official sources
The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.
- IMDi – Ny i Norge / New in Norway · nyinorge.no
- IMDi – New in Norway, Checklist for Labour Immigrants · nyinorge.no
- IMDi – New in Norway, Electronic ID · nyinorge.no
- Skatteetaten (Norwegian Tax Administration) – National Population Register · skatteetaten.no
- Skatteetaten / IMDi – New in Norway, Settlement in Norway and Norwegian identity numbers · nyinorge.no
- Skatteetaten – Move to Norway · skatteetaten.no
- Skatteetaten – National identity numbers · skatteetaten.no
- Skatteetaten – ID checks / Tax offices that carry out ID checks · skatteetaten.no
- Skatteetaten – Applying for a tax deduction card when you're a foreign worker · skatteetaten.no
- Skatteetaten – PAYE (Pay As You Earn) for foreign workers · skatteetaten.no
- Skatteetaten – Case processing time · skatteetaten.no
- NAV – Membership of the National Insurance Scheme · nav.no
- IMDi – New in Norway, Healthcare entitlement · nyinorge.no
- NAV – Register as a jobseeker · nav.no
- Norwegian Customs (Tolletaten) – Household goods, import when moving to Norway · toll.no
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.