---
title: "Norway Work Authorisation: Skilled-Worker Permit (arbeidstillatelse) and EU/EEA Registration"
country: norway
service: arbeidstillatelse
category: immigration
difficulty: complex
estimated_time: "Skilled-worker first applications from outside Norway typically complete within a few months when documentation is complete and the employer-confirmation step has been filed before the applicant portion; EEA registration is a single in-person appointment booked with the police district of residence within three months of arrival and is normally completed the same day"
cost_range: "Skilled-worker permit application fee in Norwegian kroner per adult applicant; the EEA registration certificate is issued free of charge; family-immigration permits attract a separate fee per accompanying adult and per accompanying child"
last_verified: 2026-05-19
canonical: https://publicservices.guide/norway/arbeidstillatelse-skilled-worker-permit-and-eu-eea-route/
status: current
confidence: low
tags:
  - immigration
  - "work-permit"
  - arbeidstillatelse
  - "skilled-worker"
  - registreringsbevis
  - udi
  - expat
  - "third-country"
sources:
  - https://www.udi.no/en/want-to-apply/work-immigration/skilled-workers/
  - https://www.udi.no/en/important-messages/new-salary-levels-from-1-september-2025/
  - https://www.udi.no/en/word-definitions/pay-and-working-conditions-in-norway/
  - https://www.udi.no/en/word-definitions/fees/
  - https://www.udi.no/en/word-definitions/registration-certificate-for-eueea-nationals/
  - https://www.udi.no/en/word-definitions/income-requirement-in-family-immigration-cases-/
  - https://lovdata.no/dokument/NLE/lov/2008-05-15-35
  - https://lovdata.no/dokument/NLE/lov/2017-06-16-69
  - https://www.regjeringen.no/en/dokumenter/immigration-act/id585772
  - https://www.imdi.no/aktuelt/nyheter/ved-nyttar-endres-integreringsregelverket/
  - https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/prop.-24-l-20242025/id3081229/
  - https://www.politiet.no/en/services/residence-permits-and-protection/registration-scheme-for-eu-eea-nationals/
  - https://www.skatteetaten.no/en/contact/offices/sua/
---

# Norway Work Authorisation: Skilled-Worker Permit (arbeidstillatelse) and EU/EEA Registration

**Country:** 🇳🇴 Norway  
**Last verified:** 2026-05-19  
**Estimated time:** Skilled-worker first applications from outside Norway typically complete within a few months when documentation is complete and the employer-confirmation step has been filed before the applicant portion; EEA registration is a single in-person appointment booked with the police district of residence within three months of arrival and is normally completed the same day  
**Cost:** Skilled-worker permit application fee in Norwegian kroner per adult applicant; the EEA registration certificate is issued free of charge; family-immigration permits attract a separate fee per accompanying adult and per accompanying child

## Required documents

- **Valid passport** *(Pass)*
  - Required: Original passport whose validity covers the requested permit period. A copy of the biographical-page spread is uploaded through the UDI application portal. The permit is not granted for longer than the passport is valid.
  - Where to get: Already issued by the applicant's home country
  - Cost: Issued by the home-country passport authority
  - _Note:_ The original passport is presented at the Norwegian embassy or consulate-general at the documentary-handover appointment for first-time applications filed from outside Norway, or at the SUA or police district for first-time applications and renewals filed from inside Norway.
- **Signed employment contract** *(Arbeidskontrakt)*
  - Required: Contract signed by both the named Norwegian employer and the applicant, stating role, gross salary in Norwegian kroner, working hours, contract duration, insurance arrangements and start date in Norway. Employment terms must satisfy the relevant Norwegian standard: where a general-binding collective agreement (allmenngjort tariffavtale) covers the sector, the collective rate is the minimum; otherwise the published skilled-worker threshold or the residual not-poorer-than-normal test under utlendingsloven § 23 fourth paragraph applies.
  - Where to get: Issued by the Norwegian employer
  - Cost: Issued by the employer
  - _Note:_ Generic offers, recruitment-agency-only relationships and undefined start-dates fail the concrete-job-offer limb. The position must normally be full-time or at least 80 per cent of a full-time equivalent.
- **Employer offer-of-employment confirmation** *(Tilbud om arbeid)*
  - Required: Online offer-of-employment confirmation submitted by the employer through the UDI employer portal before the applicant submits the personal portion of the application. The system issues a registration code that the applicant enters into the application form.
  - Where to get: UDI employer portal (the named Norwegian employer files this directly)
  - Cost: No fee for the employer-side submission
  - _Note:_ The applicant cannot submit a complete application until the employer's offer-of-employment confirmation has been registered and the registration code has been issued. Plan the timing: the employer-side submission should precede the applicant-side submission by at least a few days to allow for the code to be issued and emailed.
- **Evidence of qualifications** *(Dokumentasjon på utdanning)*
  - Required: One of: a completed vocational-training programme of at least three years at upper-secondary-school level (the Norwegian fagbrev or svennebrev, or a recognised foreign equivalent); a completed degree from a university or university college; or special qualifications acquired through at least six years of work experience demonstrating competence equivalent to a recognised three-year vocational programme.
  - Where to get: Original certificates issued by the educational institution. For foreign degrees, an academic-recognition decision from the Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (Direktoratet for høyere utdanning og kompetanse — HK-dir, the agency that absorbed NOKUT's recognition function) is often required.
  - Cost: Issued by the institution; recognition decisions are issued by HK-dir at the published fee
  - _Note:_ For regulated professions in the health, education and legal sectors, the relevant sector-authorisation body issues the operational licence and recognition decision; the academic-recognition decision and the sector-authorisation decision are distinct. The work-permit grant does not require the sector-authorisation decision to be in hand, but the position must require the qualifications and the applicant must demonstrate a credible pathway to securing the authorisation.
- **Evidence of salary and working conditions in Norway** *(Dokumentasjon på lønn og arbeidsvilkår)*
  - Required: Documentary evidence that the offered salary clears the applicable threshold: the master's-degree threshold for positions that normally require a master's degree, the bachelor's-degree threshold for positions that normally require a bachelor's degree, the collective-agreement rate where a general-binding collective agreement applies, or comparable Norwegian-occupational evidence under the not-poorer-than-normal residual test (Statistics Norway wage statistics by occupation code; employer-sector salary surveys; recruitment-agency advertised ranges).
  - Where to get: Salary letter or pay-grade evidence from the Norwegian employer; collective-agreement extract from the relevant union or employer association; published statistics from Statistics Norway
  - Cost: Issued by the employer or the union
  - _Note:_ The salary-and-working-conditions limb is the route's gating test. Borderline cases benefit from a documented salary-benchmark exercise filed with the application rather than left for UDI to investigate.
- **Evidence of accommodation in Norway** *(Bekreftelse på bolig)*
  - Required: Documentary evidence of accommodation arrangements in Norway covering the initial period after arrival: a signed rental contract, an employer-provided-housing letter, or a hotel reservation pending longer-term arrangements.
  - Where to get: Landlord, employer or hotel
  - Cost: Rental costs are commercial; employer-housing arrangements vary by employer
  - _Note:_ Accommodation evidence is part of the documentary record for the residence-permit application and is also a precondition for the post-arrival population-register registration at Skatteetaten.
- **Foreign-employer contract and secondment letter (posted-worker route)** *(Utstasjoneringskontrakt)*
  - Required: Applicants under the posted-worker / service-provider permit under utlendingsloven § 24 must additionally show: the contract between the foreign employer and the Norwegian client (for the foreign-company-on-Norwegian-contract pattern); or the corporate-group secondment letter establishing the transfer from the foreign part to the Norwegian part of an international company (for the intra-corporate-transfer pattern). The foreign employer must retain supervisory authority and primary wage liability throughout the Norwegian posting.
  - Where to get: Issued by the foreign-end employer
  - Cost: Issued by the foreign employer
  - _Note:_ An ICT permit issued by an EU member state under the EU Intra-Corporate Transferee Directive does not transfer to Norway. Norway is an EEA-only state and is not bound by the directive. A fresh § 24 application is required for any move to Norway.
- **Business plan and financial projection (self-employed-person route)** *(Forretningsplan)*
  - Required: Applicants under the self-employed-person residence permit under utlendingsloven § 25 must show a business plan covering the Norwegian sole proprietorship together with a financial projection demonstrating that the business will produce profit (business income) at or above the published threshold. The route does not cover limited companies.
  - Where to get: Prepared by the applicant, often with input from an accountant
  - Cost: Professional-advice fees vary
  - _Note:_ The self-employed-person permit is distinct from the skilled-worker permit and from the posted-worker permit. The applicant must demonstrate the proprietorship requires their physical presence and active participation.
- **Family-immigration income evidence (where family applies simultaneously)** *(Inntektsbevis)*
  - Required: Where accompanying family members apply at the same time as the principal, the sponsor must demonstrate income at or above the current family-immigration income threshold over a documented reference period, together with marriage certificates, registered-partnership documentation or cohabitation evidence for the spouse or partner, and birth certificates for accompanying children.
  - Where to get: Employment-income documentation from the sponsor's employer; civil-status documents from the home-country civil registry
  - Cost: Civil-registry document fees vary by country; translation costs vary by translator
  - _Note:_ Family-member applications follow the same UDI application portal workflow with a per-person application fee. Family rights under the EU/EEA family-of-an-EEA-national track are stronger and the residence card is issued free of charge.
- **Certified translations of non-Scandinavian or non-English supporting documents** *(Bekreftet oversettelse)*
  - Required: Translations of any supporting document (qualifications, civil-status records, supporting letters, contracts) issued in any language other than Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
  - Where to get: Authorised translator (statsautorisert translatør) — the certification stamp must be visible on the translation
  - Cost: Varies by translator and document volume
  - _Note:_ UDI accepts only translations carrying a recognised certification mark. Plain agency translations without certification are routinely rejected.

## Costs

- **Skilled-worker permit application fee — applicant aged 18 or over:** 6300 NOK — The fee covers the substantive review of the skilled-worker application under utlendingsloven § 23. The applicable amount in Norwegian kroner is subject to periodic adjustment by UDI; verify the current figure on the UDI fees page before submitting.
- **Skilled-worker permit application fee — applicant under 18 (optional):** 3150 NOK — Reduced fee for minors. Subject to periodic adjustment.
- **Posted-worker / service-provider permit application fee (optional):** 6300 NOK — Fee for residence permit to provide services as a posted worker or for intra-corporate-transfer-equivalent secondment under utlendingsloven § 24 and Immigration Regulations § 6-13.
- **Self-employed-person residence permit application fee (optional):** 6300 NOK — Fee for residence permit to establish a Norwegian sole proprietorship under utlendingsloven § 25 and Immigration Regulations § 6-18. Distinct route with its own profit-projection threshold.
- **Family-immigration application fee — accompanying spouse, partner or cohabitant (optional):** 11900 NOK — Fee per accompanying adult family member applying simultaneously with the principal work-permit holder under the family-immigration rules in utlendingsloven chapter 6.
- **Job-seeker residence permit application fee — non-EEA degree-holder (optional):** 5400 NOK — Fee for a six-month residence permit to look for skilled work in Norway, available to non-EEA nationals who have completed a degree at a Norwegian or foreign university or university college. Not renewable; permit-holders who find skilled work transition to a § 23 skilled-worker permit. Subject to periodic adjustment.
- **EEA registration certificate (registreringsbevis) (optional):** 0 NOK — Registration under utlendingsloven §§ 117-118 for EEA and Swiss nationals staying in Norway for more than three months. The certificate is issued by the police district of residence and is free.
- **Residence card for non-EEA family member of an EEA national (oppholdskort) (optional):** 0 NOK — Residence card issued under utlendingsloven § 118 to a non-EEA family member of an EEA national exercising right of residence in Norway. Card valid for five years; free.
- **Certified translation of supporting documents (optional):** 0 NOK — waived if Supporting documents are issued in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English — Documents issued in any other language must be accompanied by a translation prepared by an authorised translator (statsautorisert translatør). The translator's certification stamp must be visible on the translated document. Cost varies by translator and document volume.

## Steps

### 1. (Employer) File the offer-of-employment confirmation in the UDI employer portal

- The named Norwegian employer logs into the UDI employer portal and completes the offer-of-employment confirmation: role, qualification level required by the position, gross annual salary in Norwegian kroner, working hours (normally full-time or at least 80 per cent of a full-time equivalent), contract duration, insurance arrangements and the start date in Norway.
- Where the sector is covered by a general-binding collective agreement (allmenngjort tariffavtale), the employer states the collective rate that applies; where it is not, the employer attests that the offered salary clears the applicable published threshold or, under the residual not-poorer-than-normal test, captures documented occupational and geographic norms.
- The UDI employer portal issues a registration code on successful submission. The employer transmits the registration code to the applicant (by email or directly) for entry into the applicant-side application.

> **Tip:** The employer submission is the gating action. The applicant cannot complete the personal portion of the application until the employer-side offer-of-employment confirmation has been registered and the registration code has been issued. Coordinate timing: the employer files first, the registration code is issued, and only then does the applicant complete the personal portion.

> **If this fails:** Where the employer submission omits the offer-of-employment confirmation or where the offered salary does not clear the applicable threshold, UDI returns the application or refuses substantive review until the employer corrects the filing. Common error patterns: position scope described at job-title level rather than at the level of job tasks (failing the position-matches-qualification limb); offered salary stated in gross rather than net or expressed at an annual rate rather than the per-period basis required by the portal.

_Links:_
- [UDI — Skilled-worker residence permit (English)](https://www.udi.no/en/want-to-apply/work-immigration/skilled-workers/)

### 2. (Applicant) Complete the personal portion of the application in the UDI application portal

- Receive the registration code from the employer. Log into the UDI application portal and start a new application of the appropriate type (skilled-worker, posted-worker, self-employed-person, family-immigration or job-seeker).
- Enter the registration code at the prompt; the portal links the personal portion to the employer's offer-of-employment confirmation.
- Complete the personal-information form, upload the documentary file (passport biographical-page copy; signed employment contract; evidence of qualifications including academic-recognition decision where required; evidence of salary; evidence of accommodation; foreign-employer contract and secondment letter for posted-worker route; business plan for self-employed-person route; certified translations of non-Scandinavian or non-English documents).
- Pay the application fee online in connection with submission.

> **Tip:** Run the UDI checklist generator against the specific application combination (route, applicant nationality, in-Norway vs outside-Norway) before submission. The generator produces the documentary list calibrated to the specific case; missing-document refusals are the most common reason applications stall.

_Links:_
- [UDI — Skilled-worker residence permit (English)](https://www.udi.no/en/want-to-apply/work-immigration/skilled-workers/)
- [UDI — Fees (English)](https://www.udi.no/en/word-definitions/fees/)

### 3. (Applicant and Employer) Evaluate the offered salary against the applicable threshold

- Identify whether the position normally requires a master's degree, a bachelor's degree, or a vocational qualification, and identify whether the sector is covered by a general-binding collective agreement (allmenngjort tariffavtale).
- Where the sector is covered by a general-binding collective agreement, confirm the offered salary clears the collective rate as the minimum. Where it is not covered, confirm the offered salary clears the applicable published threshold for the qualification level. For positions outside the published threshold and the collective-agreement scope, document occupational and geographic norms (Statistics Norway wage statistics by occupation code; employer-sector salary surveys; recruitment-agency advertised ranges) sufficient to satisfy the not-poorer-than-normal residual test in utlendingsloven § 23 fourth paragraph.
- Where the offered salary falls below the applicable threshold, negotiate the salary up before submission rather than file and wait for refusal.

> **Tip:** Borderline-salary applications benefit from filing a documented salary-benchmark exercise as part of the application rather than leaving it for UDI to investigate. A short benchmark memo citing the applicable published threshold or collective-agreement rate, the relevant occupation code in the Statistics Norway classification, and the comparison salary range for the position closes the salary-and-working-conditions limb cleanly.

> **If this fails:** An offered salary below the applicable threshold (or below the collective-agreement rate where one applies) is the most common refusal ground on the skilled-worker route. Recovery is to renegotiate the offered salary up to the threshold and resubmit, or to switch route if the situation supports a different basis (self-employed-person route under § 25 where the applicant is establishing a sole proprietorship; posted-worker route under § 24 where the legal employment relationship remains with a foreign-headquartered company).

_Links:_
- [UDI — Pay and working conditions in Norway (English)](https://www.udi.no/en/word-definitions/pay-and-working-conditions-in-norway/)
- [UDI — New salary levels from 1 September 2025 (English)](https://www.udi.no/en/important-messages/new-salary-levels-from-1-september-2025/)

### 4. (UDI) Review the application and issue the decision

- UDI verifies the four limbs of the skilled-worker test (qualification, concrete job offer, position-matches-qualification, salary-and-working-conditions) on the basis of the documentary file. Posted-worker, self-employed-person and family-immigration applications are reviewed against the route-specific requirements.
- Documentary completeness drives processing time. The UDI waiting-time guide tool returns an indicative median when the applicant enters case type, citizenship and application sub-type; the figure is updated periodically and is not a statutory time limit.
- Where the file is complete and the applicable thresholds are clearly cleared, UDI typically completes review within a few months. Vocational-level applications from countries on UDI's heightened-scrutiny list (notably Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Kosovo, Nepal, Pakistan, Türkiye and Vietnam for occupations in restaurants, the automotive sector and construction) face additional document-authenticity verification and may extend further.

> **Tip:** Where a renewal is in flight close to the expiry of the current permit, the holder must file at least one month before expiry to retain continuous residence under utlendingsloven § 61. Filing after expiry breaks the continuous-residence count and can require restart of the permanent-residence eligibility clock.

### 5. (Applicant) Hand in the documentary file at the embassy, consulate, SUA or police district

- For first-time applications from outside Norway, present the original passport and the documentary file at the nearest Norwegian embassy, consulate or accepted Visa-Application-Centre partner in the country of residence.
- For first-time applications by people already lawfully in Norway and for renewals, book an appointment at one of the Service Centres for Foreign Workers (SUA) in Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger or Trondheim, or at the relevant local police district where no SUA serves the worker's address. The SUA bundle produces the residence-permit registration together with the Norwegian national identity number (fødselsnummer for stays of at least six months or D-nummer for shorter stays) and the tax-deduction card at a single appointment.
- Take fingerprints and a photograph at the documentary-handover or SUA appointment for the residence-permit card (oppholdskort).

> **Tip:** Book the SUA appointment as soon as the registration code from the UDI employer portal has been issued; SUA scheduling lead times can be material and the bundled service shortens the post-arrival onboarding chain materially (residence-permit registration plus fødselsnummer/D-nummer in a single visit, unlocking the bank-account and BankID enrolment that follow).

_Links:_
- [Skatteetaten — Service Centre for Foreign Workers (SUA) (English)](https://www.skatteetaten.no/en/contact/offices/sua/)

### 6. (UDI and Applicant) Receive the decision and the residence-permit card

- On grant, UDI produces the residence-permit card (oppholdskort) and delivers it to the Norwegian embassy, consulate or accepted Visa-Application-Centre partner where the documentary handover took place (for first-time applications from outside Norway), or to the SUA or police district where the appointment was held (for in-Norway applications and renewals).
- The card states the route (skilled-worker, posted-worker, self-employed-person, family-immigration, job-seeker), the validity period and the employer (where the route attaches to a specific employer).
- Initial skilled-worker permits are typically granted for one year when the qualification basis is vocational and for up to three years when the qualification basis is a tertiary degree. Posted-worker permits under § 24 are granted for up to two years initially. Permits are renewable; the holder applies before expiry.

> **If this fails:** Where the application is refused, the applicant may file an appeal (klage) to the Immigration Appeals Board (Utlendingsnemnda — UNE). The appeal must address the specific refusal ground in the UDI decision; resubmission with a higher offered salary, a stronger qualification record, or a switched route is an alternative path where the refusal ground supports it. Where the refusal turned on the salary-and-working-conditions limb, the cleanest path is to renegotiate the offered salary up to the applicable threshold and refile.

### 7. (Applicant — EEA or Swiss national) Register with the Norwegian Police within three months of arrival

_Applies when: Applicant is a national of an EU member state, of Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland_

- Book an in-person appointment with the police district of residence through the politiet.no portal. Some districts (notably Oslo and Bergen) operate a pre-registration digital flow where identity documents and the qualifying category are submitted online before the appointment.
- Attend the appointment with the passport or national identity card and documentary evidence of the qualifying category (signed employment contract, self-employment registration, student enrolment, or evidence of own funds and comprehensive sickness insurance), together with evidence of accommodation.
- The police issue the registration certificate (registreringsbevis) on the same day in most cases. The certificate is free and is issued indefinitely; the holder does not re-register if the qualifying category changes.

> **Tip:** The registration certificate evidences the police's record of registration; it does not by itself confirm the holder's right of residence. To evidence right-of-residence for bank-account opening, accommodation rental or public-service entitlement, present alternative documents (employment contract, payslips, student enrolment confirmation, evidence of own funds and sickness insurance) alongside the certificate. Stays under three months require no registration.

_Links:_
- [Politiet — Registration scheme for EU/EEA nationals (English)](https://www.politiet.no/en/services/residence-permits-and-protection/registration-scheme-for-eu-eea-nationals/)
- [UDI — Registration certificate for EU/EEA nationals (English)](https://www.udi.no/en/word-definitions/registration-certificate-for-eueea-nationals/)

### 8. (Applicant) Complete the post-arrival population-register and tax-card chain at SUA or Skatteetaten

- Where the SUA appointment in the residence-permit chain has already produced the fødselsnummer or D-nummer, the bundled service has already completed the population-register registration and the tax-deduction card. Where it has not, book a follow-up appointment at Skatteetaten in the city of residence to register for the population register (folkeregister) and to receive the tax-deduction card (skattekort).
- The fødselsnummer (for stays of at least six months) or D-nummer (for shorter stays) is the Norwegian national identity number; it is the gateway to the digital-administration platform stack — BankID enrolment with most Norwegian banks, fastlege enrolment under the Helfo healthcare system, NAV registration for national-insurance scheme participation, and most downstream platforms.
- Open a Norwegian bank account using the fødselsnummer or D-nummer once it arrives. The bank-account opening is the precondition for the most-issued form of BankID (BankID via bank). Pure mobile-BankID-without-bank-account exists but covers a narrow set of providers; verify the path with the bank.

> **Tip:** Plan the post-arrival sequence: fødselsnummer or D-nummer (from SUA or Skatteetaten) → tax-deduction card (from Skatteetaten) → bank account (with the Norwegian bank chosen for the salary deposit) → BankID enrolment (with the bank) → fastlege enrolment (with Helfo) → first salary deposit (from the employer). The chain is sequential and each step typically takes a few days; allowing two to four weeks from arrival to first salary deposit is realistic.

### 9. (Applicant) Renew the permit before expiry or apply for permanent residence after eligibility is reached

- Renewal applications must be filed at least one month before the current permit expires. Filing after expiry breaks the continuous-residence count and can require restart of the permanent-residence eligibility clock.
- After three years of cumulative residence on a permit that counts toward permanent settlement, the holder becomes eligible to apply for the permanent residence permit (permanent oppholdstillatelse). The application is filed through the UDI application portal and attracts a separate fee. Substantive requirements include the Norwegian-language test at the required level and the social-studies test under statsborgerloven and integreringsloven, together with the self-support requirement.
- After eight years of cumulative residence (with shorter pathways for spouses of Norwegian citizens, Nordic nationals and a small number of other categories), the holder may apply for Norwegian citizenship (statsborgerskap) under statsborgerloven, subject to the language, social-studies and self-support requirements that apply at the date of application.

> **Tip:** Where the holder has completed parts of the Norwegian-language and social-studies training as part of the Introduction Programme or through commercially-available courses, the test pass certificates feed the permanent-residence and citizenship requirements that apply across all routes. The completion outcomes are recorded in the integration plan (integreringsplan) where the holder is on the protection route, or held as test certificates where the holder is on the skilled-worker, posted-worker or family-immigration route.

## FAQ

### I am a citizen of an EU country moving to Norway to work. Do I need a permit?

No. Nationals of an EU member state, of Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland exercise a free-movement right of residence in Norway under the EEA Agreement and the EU-Switzerland Free-Movement-of-Persons Agreement. You take up employment without any prior permit. If your stay exceeds three months you register once with the Norwegian Police in the district where you reside, presenting your passport or national identity card together with documentary evidence of the qualifying category (employment contract, self-employment registration, student enrolment, or evidence of own funds and comprehensive sickness insurance). The registration is one-time and free. You do not re-register if you later change qualifying category.

### What is the salary I need to earn to qualify for a skilled-worker permit?

The skilled-worker permit salary requirement is tiered by the qualification level the position normally requires. Where the position normally requires a master's degree, the published threshold is NOK 599,200 per year pre-tax. Where it normally requires a bachelor's degree, the published threshold is NOK 522,600 per year pre-tax. These figures, set against the main collective agreement between the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities and the public-sector unions, came into force on 1 September 2025 and replaced the earlier flat reference of NOK 325,400 per year. Where a general-binding collective agreement (allmenngjort tariffavtale) covers the sector — currently construction, cleaning, ship-building, electrical contracting, road-freight transport, agriculture and horticulture, fish-processing, the hotel-restaurant-and-catering sector, passenger-transport on roads, and goods-transport over short distances — the collective rate replaces the published threshold. Where neither figure captures the occupation, the residual rule in utlendingsloven § 23 fourth paragraph applies: pay and working conditions must not be poorer than is normal in Norway.

### What is the difference between the skilled-worker permit and the posted-worker / service-provider permit?

The skilled-worker permit under utlendingsloven § 23 covers a non-EEA worker employed directly by a Norwegian employer for a concrete position in Norway; the Norwegian employer is the legal employer and pays the wages under Norwegian payroll. The posted-worker / service-provider permit under utlendingsloven § 24 read with Immigration Regulations § 6-13 covers two distinct fact patterns: an employee of a foreign-headquartered company posted to Norway to perform a defined service under a contract between the foreign company and a Norwegian client, and an employee transferred from the foreign part of an international company to its Norwegian part — the operational equivalent of intra-corporate transfer under the EU directive. In both § 24 patterns the foreign employer retains supervisory authority and primary wage liability; Norwegian payroll arrangements may be set up for tax purposes but the legal employment relationship remains with the foreign entity. The initial § 24 permit is granted for up to two years and the cumulative residence under § 24 cannot exceed six years.

### I hold an EU Intra-Corporate Transferee permit issued by an EU member state. Can I transfer to Norway under that permit?

No. Norway is an European Economic Area (EEA) state, not an EU member state, and the EU Intra-Corporate Transferee Directive (Directive 2014/66/EU) is not extended to Norway through the EEA Agreement. Workers holding an ICT permit issued under the directive by an EU member state do not acquire mobility rights into Norway under the directive's intra-EU mobility provisions. A move to Norway requires a fresh application for a Norwegian posted-worker permit under utlendingsloven § 24 read with Immigration Regulations § 6-13, with the substantive requirements (skilled-worker qualifications; pay and working conditions not poorer than is normal in Norway) assessed afresh on the basis of the Norwegian filing.

### I am establishing my own business in Norway. What permit do I apply for?

A non-EEA national establishing a Norwegian sole proprietorship that requires their physical presence and active participation applies for the self-employed-person residence permit under utlendingsloven § 25 read with Immigration Regulations § 6-18. The business must be projected to produce business income at or above the published threshold of NOK 325,400 per year pre-tax. The route does not cover limited companies — non-EEA nationals establishing a Norwegian limited company use the skilled-worker route on the basis of their employment relationship with the company. A non-EEA national working as an independent contractor for a Norwegian client under a contract that meets the test for an employment relationship uses the skilled-worker route on the basis of that relationship.

### How long is the skilled-worker permit valid for and when can I apply for permanent residence?

Initial skilled-worker permits are typically granted for one year at a time when the qualification basis is vocational and for up to three years at a time when the qualification basis is a tertiary degree. Both are renewable. The maximum aggregate duration on the skilled-worker route is six years. After three years of cumulative residence on a permit that counts toward permanent settlement the holder becomes eligible to apply for the permanent residence permit (permanent oppholdstillatelse); after eight years of cumulative residence (with seven-year and other shorter pathways for spouses of Norwegian citizens, Nordic nationals and a small number of other categories) the holder becomes eligible to apply for Norwegian citizenship (statsborgerskap) subject to the language, social-studies and self-support requirements that apply under statsborgerloven.

### What is the Service Centre for Foreign Workers (SUA) and how does it speed things up?

The Service Centre for Foreign Workers (Servicesenter for utenlandske arbeidstakere — SUA) is a co-located one-stop centre operated jointly by UDI, the Tax Administration (Skatteetaten), the Labour Inspection Authority (Arbeidstilsynet) and the Police. SUA centres operate in Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger and Trondheim. A single SUA appointment can produce both the residence-permit registration (UDI), the Norwegian national identity number (fødselsnummer for stays of at least six months or D-nummer for shorter stays — Skatteetaten), and the tax-deduction card (Skatteetaten); the appointment also routes through Arbeidstilsynet for working-conditions guidance and the Police for identity verification. For first-time applications by people already lawfully in Norway and for renewals, SUA is the recommended channel. Worker addresses outside the SUA catchment areas are served by the relevant local police district.

### I will be sent to Norway by my foreign employer for less than three months. Do I need a residence permit?

Short stays under three months for tourism, family visits and business meetings do not require a residence permit. Whether a Schengen Type-C visa is required for the entry depends on the worker's nationality: nationals of EEA states and Switzerland enter without a visa under free-movement; nationals of countries on the EU's Schengen-visa-exemption list (Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 — the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and a substantial list of others) enter without a Schengen visa for stays up to 90 days in any 180-day period; nationals of visa-required countries apply for a Schengen Type-C visa. The Schengen-visa-exemption covers entry only and not the right to work — taking up paid employment in Norway during the short stay requires a residence permit regardless of the entry-visa status. For posted-worker secondments at the short-stay end, the foreign employer typically files a § 24 application even where the planned posting is brief, to ensure clean status from the start.

### My family will join me in Norway. What is the income I must show?

The family-immigration income requirement applies to most family-reunification routes under utlendingsloven chapter 6. As of 1 February 2025 the threshold is NOK 416,512 per year pre-tax (raised from NOK 351,432 with effect from that date). The sponsor must demonstrate the required income over a documented reference period; in some cases the requirement is satisfied through a combination of recent income, ongoing employment and projected future income. Exceptions apply for children under 15 and for applications filed within six months of the sponsor's grant of refugee status. Where the family member is a non-EEA family member of an EEA national exercising right of residence in Norway, the family member applies for a residence card under utlendingsloven § 118 on the basis of the EEA reference person's status; the residence-card route does not impose the family-immigration income test.

### I am a refugee or have been granted humanitarian protection. Do I take part in the Introduction Programme?

Yes. The Introduction Programme (introduksjonsprogrammet) under the Integration Act (integreringsloven) is the standard onboarding scheme for refugees, persons granted humanitarian-status protection, and their family members. The programme is administered at municipal level under coordination from the Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDi). Participants receive an introduction benefit equal to twice the National-Insurance basic amount (grunnbeløp, G) per year, together with Norwegian-language tuition and social-studies training. Following the amendments in force from 1 January 2026 (royal resolution of 20 June 2025 implementing Proposition 24 L for parliamentary session 2024-2025), the upper age limit for the right and obligation to participate is 60 (raised from 55), the temporary chapter 6A provisions for collective-protection holders are repealed, and programme duration is extended for participants undertaking formal education. The programme attaches to protection-route holders; it is not the route for skilled-worker permit holders, but the language and social-studies completion outcomes feed the permanent-residence and citizenship requirements that apply across all routes.

### What is the registration certificate for EEA nationals and what does it confirm?

The registration certificate (registreringsbevis) is the police's record that an EEA or Swiss national has registered their stay in Norway under utlendingsloven §§ 117-118 within three months of arrival. The certificate evidences the police's record of the registration — it is not itself a document that confirms the holder's right of residence. To evidence right of residence for purposes such as opening a bank account, renting accommodation or proving entitlement to public services the holder presents alternative documents such as the employment contract, payslips, student enrolment confirmation or evidence of own funds and comprehensive sickness insurance. The registration is one-time and indefinite; the holder does not need to re-register if the qualifying category changes. After five years of continuous lawful residence in Norway under the EEA regulations the holder is eligible for permanent right of residence (varig oppholdsrett) — a separate decision applied for to UDI, which is also free.

### I am a seasonal worker. Is there a specific permit for that?

Yes. The seasonal-worker permit under utlendingsloven § 23 second paragraph read with Immigration Regulations § 6-3 covers up to six months in any rolling twelve-month period for work that is intrinsically seasonal. Sectors recognised as seasonal include forestry, agriculture, the fish-processing industry, and during the May-to-September peak the restaurant, hotel and tourism industries. The position must require an identified competence and the pay-and-working-conditions standard is the same as the skilled-worker route. After the six-month maximum, a disqualification period of six months outside Norway applies before a new seasonal permit can be granted. Seasonal-worker permits are distinct from au-pair permits, and the au-pair scheme was discontinued for new applicants from 15 March 2024.

## Local tips

- The employer initiates the application chain. Before the applicant can submit the personal portion of the skilled-worker application, the named Norwegian employer submits an offer-of-employment confirmation through the UDI employer portal; the system issues a registration code that the applicant enters into their own application form. Confirm the employer has filed and that the registration code has been received before completing the applicant side.
- Application channel splits by location. First-time applications from outside Norway are filed through the UDI application portal and finalised at the nearest Norwegian embassy, consulate or accepted Visa-Application-Centre partner in the applicant's country of residence. First-time applications by people already lawfully in Norway, and renewals, are filed via the portal and finalised in person at one of the Service Centres for Foreign Workers (Servicesenter for utenlandske arbeidstakere — SUA) in Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger or Trondheim, or at the relevant local police district where no SUA serves the worker's address.
- SUA co-locates four agencies. The Service Centre for Foreign Workers bundles UDI (residence-permit registration), Skatteetaten (national identity number and tax-deduction card), Arbeidstilsynet (Labour Inspection Authority guidance) and the Police at a single appointment. A single SUA visit produces the residence-permit record together with the fødselsnummer or D-nummer that unlocks downstream platforms (bank account, BankID, fastlege enrolment).
- Renewals must be filed before expiry. The holder must submit the renewal application at least one month before the current permit expires to retain continuous residence under utlendingsloven § 61; filing after expiry breaks the continuous-residence count and can require restart of the permanent-residence eligibility clock.
- EEA nationals do not need a permit. A national of an EU member state, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland takes up employment in Norway without any prior application; the only formality is a one-time registration with the police if the stay exceeds three months. The registration is free.
- The position must match the qualification. A worker with a tertiary degree taking a vocational-level position fails the position-matches-qualification limb of the skilled-worker test regardless of how high the offered salary is; a worker with a vocational qualification taking a tertiary-level position likewise fails. Position scope is judged at the level of the job tasks, not the job title.
- Permit-holders who already work in Norway under the EU Intra-Corporate Transferee Directive issued by an EU member state do not acquire mobility rights into Norway under the directive's intra-EU mobility provisions. The directive is not binding on Norway and is not extended through the EEA Agreement. A move to Norway requires a fresh application for a Norwegian posted-worker permit under utlendingsloven § 24.

## Sources

- [UDI — Skilled-worker residence permit (English canonical)](https://www.udi.no/en/want-to-apply/work-immigration/skilled-workers/) — accessed 2026-05-19 — _T1_ — UDI confirms the four-limb skilled-worker test under utlendingsloven § 23 read with Immigration Regulations § 6-1 and § 6-2: a qualification limb (three-year upper-secondary vocational programme; university or university-college degree; or six-year experience-based equivalence); a concrete-job-offer limb requiring a written offer from a specific named Norwegian employer for a specific position with the employer's offer-of-employment confirmation filed through the UDI employer portal before the applicant submits the personal portion; a position-matches-qualification limb requiring the position to need the applicant's qualifications; and a salary-and-working-conditions limb that operates against the published threshold, the general-binding collective-agreement rate where applicable, or the residual not-poorer-than-normal test in § 23 fourth paragraph.
- [UDI — New salary levels from 1 September 2025 (English important message)](https://www.udi.no/en/important-messages/new-salary-levels-from-1-september-2025/) — accessed 2026-05-19 — _T1_ — UDI's important message announces the tiered skilled-worker salary thresholds that came into force on 1 September 2025: NOK 599,200 per year pre-tax for positions that normally require a master's degree and NOK 522,600 per year pre-tax for positions that normally require a bachelor's degree, derived from the main collective agreement between the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities and the public-sector unions. These thresholds replaced the earlier flat reference of NOK 325,400 per year pre-tax that had applied across the skilled-worker route. The transition rule applies the new thresholds to applications registered and paid for on or after 1 September 2025.
- [UDI — Pay and working conditions in Norway (English word-definition)](https://www.udi.no/en/word-definitions/pay-and-working-conditions-in-norway/) — accessed 2026-05-19 — _T1_ — UDI's pay-and-working-conditions word-definition explains the operation of the salary-and-working-conditions limb: where a general-binding collective agreement (allmenngjort tariffavtale) covers the sector the collective rate replaces the published threshold and operates as the minimum, currently in force across construction, cleaning, ship-building, electrical contracting, road-freight transport, agriculture and horticulture, fish-processing, the hotel-restaurant-and-catering sector, passenger-transport on roads, and goods-transport over short distances; where no collective agreement is in force the published threshold applies; where neither captures the relevant occupation the residual not-poorer-than-normal rule in utlendingsloven § 23 fourth paragraph applies, and UDI accepts documented occupational and geographic norms (Statistics Norway wage statistics by occupation code; employer-sector salary surveys; recruitment-agency advertised ranges).
- [UDI — Fees (English word-definition)](https://www.udi.no/en/word-definitions/fees/) — accessed 2026-05-19 — _T1_ — UDI's fees word-definition lists the application-fee schedule across residence-permit categories: NOK 6,300 per adult for the skilled-worker permit, NOK 3,150 per applicant under 18, NOK 6,300 for the posted-worker permit under § 24, NOK 11,900 for family-immigration applications, NOK 5,400 for the job-seeker residence permit and for the researcher-on-own-funds permit, NOK 4,000 for the permanent residence permit, and NOK 6,500 for citizenship. The EEA registration certificate is issued free of charge.
- [UDI — Registration certificate for EU/EEA nationals (English word-definition)](https://www.udi.no/en/word-definitions/registration-certificate-for-eueea-nationals/) — accessed 2026-05-19 — _T1_ — UDI's registration-certificate word-definition confirms the three-month deadline for EEA and Swiss nationals to register under utlendingsloven §§ 117-118 if their stay in Norway exceeds three months; the registration is one-time and indefinite; the certificate evidences the police's record of the registration but does not itself confirm right of residence; alternative documents (employment contract, payslips, student enrolment, evidence of own funds and sickness insurance) are used to evidence right-of-residence; the certificate is issued free of charge; after five years of continuous lawful residence the holder is eligible to apply to UDI for permanent right of residence (varig oppholdsrett).
- [UDI — Income requirement in family-immigration cases (English word-definition)](https://www.udi.no/en/word-definitions/income-requirement-in-family-immigration-cases-/) — accessed 2026-05-19 — _T1_ — UDI's income-requirement word-definition records the family-immigration income threshold of NOK 416,512 per year pre-tax that came into force on 1 February 2025, raised from the earlier figure of NOK 351,432. Exceptions apply for children under 15 and for applications filed within six months of the sponsor's grant of refugee status. The requirement is satisfied through a combination of documented recent income, ongoing employment and projected future income over a documented reference period.
- [Lovdata — Immigration Act (utlendingsloven, LOV-2008-05-15-35) English consolidated text](https://lovdata.no/dokument/NLE/lov/2008-05-15-35) — accessed 2026-05-19 — _T1_ — Lovdata publishes the consolidated English text of the Immigration Act (utlendingsloven). Chapter 3 governs work-immigration: § 23 covers admission for employment with an employer in the realm with the salary-and-working-conditions limb in § 23 fourth paragraph; § 24 covers residence permits for posted workers and service providers; § 25 covers residence permits for self-employed persons; § 26 covers exchange programmes, culture and organisational work (including the discontinued au-pair scheme). Chapter 6 governs family immigration. Chapter 13 (§§ 109-125a) sets out special provisions for foreigners covered by the EEA Agreement, including the registration scheme for EEA and Swiss nationals (§§ 117-118), the right-of-residence categories (§§ 112-114) and the residence card for non-EEA family members of an EEA national (§ 118).
- [Lovdata — Professional Qualifications Act (LOV-2017-06-16-69) English consolidated text](https://lovdata.no/dokument/NLE/lov/2017-06-16-69) — accessed 2026-05-19 — _T1_ — Lovdata publishes the consolidated English text of the Professional Qualifications Act (Lov om godkjenning av yrkeskvalifikasjoner, LOV-2017-06-16-69). The Act establishes the Norwegian rules for recognition of qualifications obtained in another EEA state for the regulated professions and transposes the EU Professional Qualifications Directive 2005/36/EC as incorporated through the EEA Agreement. The Act allocates authorisation and licensing functions to the relevant sector authority — including for the regulated health professions and the regulated education professions — and operates alongside the residence-permit regime administered by UDI.
- [Regjeringen — Immigration Act English-translation publication anchor](https://www.regjeringen.no/en/dokumenter/immigration-act/id585772) — accessed 2026-05-19 — _T1_ — The Ministry of Justice and Public Security publishes the English-translation reference for the Immigration Act on regjeringen.no. The publication anchors the official English-translation reading of the statutory regime that UDI administers, including the work-immigration provisions of chapter 3 and the EEA-special-provisions of chapter 13.
- [IMDi — Integration Act amendment summary (Norwegian, authoritative IMDi news)](https://www.imdi.no/aktuelt/nyheter/ved-nyttar-endres-integreringsregelverket/) — accessed 2026-05-19 — _T1_ — The Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDi) authoritative news item summarises the three substantive changes to the Integration Act (integreringsloven) §§ 8, 13 and 37c that came into force on 1 January 2026: the upper age limit for the right and obligation to participate in the Introduction Programme is expanded from 55 to 60 years; the temporary chapter 6A provisions that had governed Introduction-Programme rights for persons granted collective protection are repealed and the standard regime applies to collective-protection holders aged 18-55 from 1 January 2026; programme duration is extended for participants undertaking formal education as part of their integration plan. The amendments implement Proposition 24 L for parliamentary session 2024-2025 brought into force by royal resolution of 20 June 2025.
- [Regjeringen — Proposition 24 L (2024-2025) on Integration Act amendments](https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/prop.-24-l-20242025/id3081229/) — accessed 2026-05-19 — _T1_ — The Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion proposition to Parliament (Prop. 24 L for parliamentary session 2024-2025) records the legislative basis for the 1 January 2026 amendments to integreringsloven §§ 8, 13 and 37c. The proposition was adopted by Parliament and brought into force by royal resolution of 20 June 2025. The substantive scope covers the age-band expansion from 55 to 60 for the right and obligation to participate in the Introduction Programme, the repeal of the temporary chapter 6A provisions for collective-protection holders, and the duration extension for formal-education participants.
- [Politiet — Registration scheme for EU/EEA nationals (English canonical)](https://www.politiet.no/en/services/residence-permits-and-protection/registration-scheme-for-eu-eea-nationals/) — accessed 2026-05-19 — _T1_ — The Norwegian Police canonical page on the registration scheme for EU/EEA nationals confirms the operational detail of the registration under utlendingsloven §§ 117-118: appointment booking through the police district of residence; documentary requirements (passport or national identity card, plus documentary evidence of the qualifying category — employment contract, self-employment registration, student enrolment, or evidence of own funds and comprehensive sickness insurance); same-day issuance of the registration certificate in most cases; co-location at SUA in Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger and Trondheim where the worker's address falls within the SUA catchment area.
- [Skatteetaten — Service Centre for Foreign Workers (SUA) (English canonical)](https://www.skatteetaten.no/en/contact/offices/sua/) — accessed 2026-05-19 — _T1_ — The Norwegian Tax Administration (Skatteetaten) canonical page on the Service Centre for Foreign Workers (Servicesenter for utenlandske arbeidstakere — SUA) confirms the co-located one-stop-shop model: UDI (residence-permit registration), Skatteetaten (national identity number — fødselsnummer for stays of at least six months or D-nummer for shorter stays — and tax-deduction card), Arbeidstilsynet (Labour Inspection Authority guidance) and the Police are present at SUA centres in Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger and Trondheim. Bundled service produces both the residence-permit registration and the Norwegian national identity number at a single appointment.

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Verification pending — see the canonical page for the latest trust state.
Canonical: https://publicservices.guide/norway/arbeidstillatelse-skilled-worker-permit-and-eu-eea-route/