Work permit or EU registration – who needs what to live and work in Norway in 2026
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
An EU or EEA passport lets you work in Norway without a work permit; almost everyone else needs one from UDI before they start. Here is what applies to you in 2026 – from police registration and the skilled-worker route to new fees, students, families and British citizens.
Whether you need a work permit in Norway depends on your passport. EU/EEA citizens need none but register with the police for stays over three months; Nordic citizens do neither. Everyone else needs a residence permit from UDI (the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration) to work here or to stay longer than 90 days. What changed recently:
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| 1 September 2025 | Permanent residence: oral Norwegian at A2 or higher for applicants aged 18–67 |
| 1 April 2026 | Work and study permit fee: NOK 6,300 |
| 9 April 2026 | Men aged 18 to 60 can no longer get temporary collective protection |
| During 2026 | Many British citizens' Brexit residence cards expire |
| 1 September 2026 | National ID card opens to citizens from outside the EU/EEA/EFTA, at first only in Ski |
Source: UDI, utlendingsforskriften (the Immigration Regulations) and Politiet (the Norwegian Police), read 23 September 2026.
Do I need a work permit in Norway?
| Citizen of | Work permit? | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| An EU/EEA country | No | Register with the police if staying more than three months |
| Denmark, Finland, Iceland or Sweden | No | Report your move to the National Population Register |
| The UK, living in Norway by 31 December 2020 | Covered by the Brexit separation agreement | Renew your residence card or apply for permanent residence |
| The UK, arriving now | Expect to need one | Follow the ordinary rules for non-EU/EEA citizens |
| Any other country | Yes | Apply to UDI – for a job, usually as a skilled worker |
Source: UDI, Skatteetaten and the Immigration Regulations, read 23 September 2026.
One exception: employees of a company established in another EU/EEA country, sent here on a temporary assignment for it, may under certain conditions work without a Norwegian permit.
How do EU/EEA citizens register in Norway?
You can stay for up to three months without formal steps. Beyond that, you must be an employee, self-employed, a service provider or a student, or have your own funds – and register with the police if staying more than three months. Job seekers register no later than three months after arriving.
Book the appointment via UDI. In Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim or Stavanger, choose SUA (the Service Centre for Foreign Workers), where the police, Skatteetaten (the Norwegian Tax Administration) and the Labour Inspection Authority work together – in person only, not by phone or email.
The registration certificate confirms the police registration, not a right of residence; to show that, UDI points to your employment contract, payslips or study certificate. Staying six months or more? Report your move to Skatteetaten too (part 3).
Nordic citizens get no registration certificate. According to UDI, you report your move to the National Population Register – with an ID check at a tax office within eight days of arriving if you plan to stay more than six months – and you can work with a tax deduction card.
How do I get a work permit in Norway as a skilled worker?
The main route from outside the EU/EEA is the skilled-worker permit. You need a job offer and one of three qualifications: vocational training of at least three years at upper-secondary level, a university or university-college degree, or special qualifications from long experience – generally at least six years. Some jobs also need a professional licence.
There is no fixed minimum salary for ordinary skilled workers: pay and conditions must not be poorer than what is normal in Norway. A floor of NOK 310,070 a year before tax applies to athletes and coaches, religious leaders and teachers, and the self-employed. Looking for the EU Blue Card? The Immigration Regulations' chapter on work permits has no such scheme; highly qualified applicants use the skilled-worker route.
UDI publishes estimated waiting times, updated monthly. Vocational applications – cooks, mechanics, carpenters, painters, bricklayers, hairdressers – with education documents from Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Kosovo, Nepal, Pakistan, Türkiye or Vietnam get extra checks and can take longer.
| Permit | 2026 fee | Leads to permanent residence? | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled worker | NOK 6,300 | Yes | Up to 1 year for vocational jobs, up to 3 years for degree-level jobs |
| Self-employed | NOK 6,300 | Yes | Tied to the business, which must support you |
| Student | NOK 5,400 | No | Work up to 20 hours a week in term, full-time in holidays |
| Researcher with own funding | NOK 5,400 | No | Part-time and holiday work allowed |
Source: the Immigration Regulations (sections 6-18 to 6-33 and 17-10) and UDI, read 23 September 2026.
Children under 18 pay half the fee. Intra-company transfers are granted two years at a time, up to six in total. If you are granted a new permit on a different basis, the old one lapses.
Students, researchers and families: which permit do I need?
Students
From outside the EU/EEA, you need a study permit for full-time study at a university, university college or vocational college, or at a Bible school or folk high school. You must be at least 15 when UDI decides. According to the City of Oslo, degree students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland pay tuition fees at public universities. A permit for more than nine months brings resident registration and a fødselsnummer.
Researchers
Self-funded researchers can get a permit to stay at a university or institute but, as with a study permit, it does not count towards permanent residence. Many research posts use the skilled-worker route instead.
Family immigration
Applicants are usually the spouse, cohabitant or child of someone living in Norway; parents of children here, fiancé(e)s, foster children and full siblings can apply too. You apply and pay online with UDI, then attend an appointment at a VFS Global application centre.
The sponsor must meet an income requirement set by the Storting (the Norwegian parliament), which can change. Under section 10-8 of the Immigration Regulations, that means funds of at least 3.2 times grunnbeløpet (the National Insurance basic amount, G) – about NOK 436,957, with G at NOK 136,549 from 1 May 2026. The sponsor's last tax settlement is checked against the same threshold. Spouses and children of recognised refugees are among those exempt.
| Family immigration in 2026 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee | NOK 11,900 |
| Renewal applied for before the permit expires | NOK 4,400 |
| Sponsor with an asylum-based permit, not yet permanent | NOK 7,800 |
| Applicant under 18 | Half fee |
| Sponsor's income requirement | 3.2 × G – about NOK 436,957 |
Source: the Immigration Regulations (sections 10-8 and 17-10) and NAV, read 23 September 2026.
Once a permit is granted, the residence card takes at least 20 working days from your police appointment to arrive by post.
What about UK citizens, refugees and permanent residence?
British citizens living in Norway under EEA rules by 31 December 2020 are covered by the Brexit separation agreement; applications closed on 31 December 2021. Their permit lasts up to five years, is renewable, free and counts towards permanent residence. UDI said in January 2026 that many of these cards expire this year, and most holders must now apply for permanent residence or renew. Later arrivals are not covered, so expect the ordinary non-EU/EEA rules.
To apply for protection (asylum), you must be in Norway or at the border, and you can apply for a temporary work permit while UDI decides. Since 9 April 2026, men aged 18 to 60 cannot be granted temporary collective protection.
Permanent residence generally takes three or five years of continuous lawful residence, with at most seven months abroad in the standard three-year case, oral Norwegian at A2, a passed social studies test and proof that you support yourself. The fee is NOK 4,000; part 15 has the details.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Find your row in the work permit table | Before anything else |
| 2 | EU/EEA: book police registration via UDI | Staying over three months; job seekers within three months |
| 3 | Outside the EU/EEA: job offer, qualification documents, NOK 6,300 fee | Before you travel |
| 4 | Sponsors: check your income against 3.2 × G | Before the family applies |
| 5 | British residents: renew your card or apply for permanent residence | Before your card expires |
| 6 | Report your move to Skatteetaten (part 3) | After arrival, if staying six months or more |
Source: UDI, Skatteetaten and the Immigration Regulations, 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.
- UDI – FAQ, EU/EEA · udi.no
- UDI – word definition, Registration certificate for EU/EEA nationals; UDI FAQ EU/EEA · udi.no
- UDI – Students who are EU/EEA nationals · udi.no
- UDI – EU/EEA national with own funds · udi.no
- IMDi – New in Norway, Residence permit in Norway · nyinorge.no
- UDI – Want to apply: Skilled workers · udi.no
- UDI – FAQ, Skilled worker · udi.no
- UDI – FAQ, Family immigration · udi.no
- UDI – FAQ, Permanent residence and travel documents · udi.no
- HK-dir – prøve.hkdir.no (tests in Norwegian, social studies and citizenship) · prove.hkdir.no
- UDI – FAQ, Citizenship · udi.no
- Skatteetaten – Move to Norway · skatteetaten.no
- Skatteetaten – ID checks · skatteetaten.no
- UDI – Want to apply: Studies · udi.no
- Helsenorge – Employee from a country outside the EU/EEA · helsenorge.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.