Living in Norway

Coronavirus

You should follow the advice of the Norwegian Government and your local authority. You can also read our Norway travel advice for our latest guidance.

Stay up to date

You should:

• sign up for email alerts on living in Norway
• follow the British Embassy in Norway on Facebook and Twitter

You can also:

• read the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration’s frequently asked questions page
• check the Norwegian government advice page
• read the EEA EFTA Separation Agreement

Visas and residency

Check the entry requirements for Norway.

Residency

If you arewere legally resident in Norway before the1 transitionJanuary period2021, endsyou onmust 31register Decemberwith 2020,the youNorwegian willDirectorate beof ableImmigration to(UDI) stay.

Ifif you movehaven’t toalready Norwaydone beforeso.

You 31 December 2020, you need to registercomplete with the Norwegianapplication Directorateform offor ImmigrationUK (UDI).nationals You’llon needUDI’s to fill in a UDI application formportal and book an appointment with the police. You must bring the completed application and any requested documents with you to the appointment.

ReadAll theUK UDInationals guidancewho onwere typeslegally ofresident in Norway before 1 January 2021, including those who have previously registered, must get a new residence permitscard andunder Brexit regulations. This card will provide proof of your rights under the documentsEEA neededEFTA toSeparation apply.Agreement.

YouRead canUDI’s Brexit FAQ page on how to apply for athe residencycard. permitThis atpage youralso localincludes serviceinformation centreabout forhow foreignto workerscomplete (SUA).the process for children.

If you do not have a permanent residence permit

OnceIf you do not have youra residencypermanent permit,residence permit (permanent oppholdstillatelse or bosettingstillatelse) already, you canmust apply for a Norwegianresidence personalpermit numberunder fromBrexit theregulations.

When localyou peoplehave registerapplied, (Folkeregister).you Readneed moreto onbook an appointment with the Norwegianpolice Directorateto ofget Immigrationa websiteresidence card. Read the UDI Brexit guidance. for more information.

If you have a permanent residence permit

AllIf UKyou nationalsalready residenthave ina Norwaypermanent byresidence 31permit December(permanent 2020,oppholdstillatelse includingor thosebosettingstillatelse), whoyou already have previouslythe registered,right to residence in Norway. You will still need to getobtain a newresidence residencycard card.to Thisprove newyour residency cardrights. isYou scheduledwill to be introducedable into Januaryrequest 2021.

Read the Norwegiancard government guidance on theUDI’s newwebsite residencyfrom permit.mid-February 2021.

IfWe therewill areupdate changesthis topage residencywith applicationfurther processes,information weon willthe updatenew thissystem guidance as soon as informationit is available. You should sign up for updates to this guidance.page and read the UDI guidance for people who have a permanent residence permit.

Norwegian ID number

If you movedo tonot Norwayhave aftera 31Norwegian Decemberpersonal 2020,ID differentnumber, immigrationyou rulesshould willapply apply.for Readone from the NorwegianNational governmentRegistry guidance(Folkeregister). onRead movingmore toon Norwaythe fromNorwegian 1National JanuaryRegistry 2021website.

UK

Additional Nationals Support Fundsupport

TheUK governmentnationals haswho announcedare fundingresident forin organisationsNorway, and need help to providecomplete practicaltheir supportresidence toapplication UKor nationalsregistration, whocan mayget havesupport difficultyfrom completingorganisations theirfunded residencyby applications. the UK Nationals Support Fund.

This support is available only available to thosepeople who need additional help.help Thisto secure their rights under the Separation Agreement. They may include pensioners, disabled people, people living in remote areas or people who have mobility difficulties.

The servicesSupport available for people who need this additional support include:includes:

• answering questions about residencyresidence applications, such as the documents requiredyou need and how the application procedureprocess works
• guiding individualsyou through the process, if necessary
• supportingsupport peopleif facingyou experience language barriers or difficulty accessing technologyonline information and services

InIf Norway,you, thisor supportsomeone isyou beingknow, providedare byhaving Thedifficulty completing residence paperwork or have any questions, contact the Aire Centre:

• email: eurobrits@airecentre.org
• visit the AIRE Centre.Centre website

Moving to Norway

Check the entry requirements for Norway.

If you orare someoneplanning youto knowmove to Norway, different immigration rules will apply. Read the Norwegian government guidance on moving to Norway.

Passports and travel

You may haveneed difficultyto completingshow proof of residency when re-entering Norway. This could happen at the paperwork,Norwegian border or at an airport outside of Norway.

If you cancannot contactshow themthat usingyou theare detailsresident belowin Norway, you may be asked additional questions at the border to discussenter howthe theySchengen area, and your passport may be ablestamped toon helpentry you.

Theand AIREexit. Centre

Email:This eurobrits@airecentre.orgwill not affect your rights in Norway.

TheThere AIREis Centrea new residence card for UK nationals living in Norway to help prove your status when travelling. Apply for the card on the UDI.no website.

Passports

Until andyou travel

Thereceive rulesthe onnew travelresidence willcard, stayyou theshould samealways untilcarry one of the transitionapproved perioddocuments endsto onprove 31that Decemberyou 2020.are Duringa thisresident timein youNorway. This can continuebe toyour:

• certificate travelof application under sections 19-33 to countries19-35 inof the SchengenImmigration areaRegulations
• certificate for job seeker
• registration certificate or elsewhereproof inof permanent residence issued under the EUregistration withscheme yourfor UKEEA passport.
  nationals
• residence card
• residence certificate from the National Population Register (bostedsattest)
• receipt for registration under the registration scheme for EEA nationals, dated before 1 January 2021

You can applyorder forresidence orcertificates renewfrom yourthe BritishNorwegian passportTax Administration via Altinn. fromYou should order this well in advance of any trips outside of Norway.

Passports

For frommore 1information Januaryread 2021the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) advice page.

Passports

Check your passport is valid for travel before you book your trip.

From 1You Januarycan 2021,apply youfor or renew your British passport from Norway.

You must have at least 6 months left on an adult or child passport to travel to most countries in Europe (not including Ireland). This requirement does not apply if you are entering or transiting to Norway, and you are in scope of the EEA EFTA Separation Agreement.

If you renewed your current passport before the previous one expired, extra months may have been added to its expiry date. Any extra months on your passport over 10 years may not count towards the 6 months needed.

You will need to renewRenew your passport before travelling if you do not have enough time left on your passport.

As a non-EEAnon-EEA national, different border checks will apply when travelling to other EU or Schengen area countries. You may need to show a return or onward ticket and that you have enough money for your stay. You may also have to use separate lanes from EU, EEA and Swiss citizens when queueing. YourYou passport may bealso stampedneed forto visitsshow toa thesereturn countries.or onward ticket.

Entry requirements

FromYou 1can January 2021, you will be able to travel to other Schengen area countries for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa for purposes such as tourism. This is a rolling 180-day period.

To stay for longer,longer than 90 days in any 180-day period, to work or study, or for business travel, you willmust need to meet the entry requirements set out by the country to which you are travelling.travelling to. This could mean applying for a visa or work permit. You may also need to get a visa if your visit would take you over the 90 days in 180 days limit.

Periods of staytime authorised underby a visa or permit will not count againsttowards theyour 90-day limit.visa-free Travel to the UK and Ireland will not change.limit.

Different rules will apply to EU countries that are not part of the Schengen Area.area. Check each country’s travel advice page for information on entry requirements.

UKTravel nationals who are legally resident in Norway will be allowed to re-enter the country when travelling but may need to show proof of residency. This could happen at the Norwegian border or at an airport outside of Norway.

There will be a new residency card for UK nationalsand livingIreland inhas Norwaynot to help prove your status when travelling. The application system is due to open in January.changed.

From 1 January until you receive the new residency card, you should always carry one of the approved documents proving residency. This can be:

• a registration certificate
• a residence permit
• a residence certificate (bostedsattest)

Residence certificates can be ordered from the Norwegian Tax Administration via Altinn. Read more about this on the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) advice page. You should order this well in advance of any trips outside of Norway.

Driving in Norway

Driving licence rules will stay the same until at least 31 December 2020.

You should exchange your UK licence for a Norwegian licence.

For information on driving in Norway, read our guidance on:

• driving licence exchange and renewal
• what you need to drive abroad
• road travel in Norway
• foreign driving licences in Norway by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration

Driving in the UK with a Norwegian licence

You can use your Norwegian licence in the UK for short visits, or exchange it for a UK licence without taking a test. We will update these pages if there are any changes to the rules, as soon as information is available.

Bringing a UK-registered vehicle to Norway

Read our guidance on taking a vehicle out of the UK.

You can read the European Union’s guidance on car registration rules and taxes in Norway. You may be exempt from some of these taxes. If so, you will need certificates of exemption.

Working in Norway

SeeIf workingyou were legally resident in anNorway EUbefore country.

Some1 jobsJanuary may2021, requireyou ahave UKthe criminalright recordsto check.work, as long as you remain legally resident.

OnceIf you haveare working in Norway as a jobposted offer,or detached worker, you need to apply for a personalwork numberpermit atto yourcontinue localworking policein stationNorway. orRead yourUDI’s localguidance serviceon centrepermits for foreignposted workers.

If you are residentplanning into Norwaycome onto orNorway beforeto 31work, Decemberyou 2020,may yourneed righta tovisa.

See workour willguidance noton changeworking asabroad.

Some longjobs asmay yourequire remaina residentUK incriminal Norway.records check.

Frontier workers

If you live in Norway and commutewere regularly commuting to work in an EU or EFTA country,country frombefore 1 January 2021 you may need a permit to proveshow that you are a frontier worker. WeYou willmust updatealso thisapply for a residence permit in Norway.

If you live in the UK or an EU or EFTA country and regularly commuted to work in Norway before 1 January 2021, you need a frontier worker permit.

You can apply on the Norwegian Immigration Directorate’s (UDI) website by completing the ‘application form under “Brexit regulations” (right of residence under the Separation Agreement). Read UDI’s guidance whenon morethe informationfrontier isworker available.permit.

Education and professional qualifications

GetYou may need yourto UKget your professional qualificationsqualification recognised if you want to work in Norwaya beforeprofession 31that Decemberis 2020.regulated in Norway. When doing this, you will be subject to the third country regulations. For help with this:

• find out where to request recognition of your qualifications on the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT) website
• read the European Commission’s guidance on recognition of professional qualifications

If youyour hold a professional qualification thatwas hasofficially already been recognised by anthe EEArelevant country,regulator itin willNorway stillbefore be1 valid after 31 January 2020.

If2021, youmake havesure not had your professional qualifications recognised, you canunderstand submitthe anterms applicationof underyour therecognition currentdecision rulesby untilchecking 31with Decemberthat 2020.regulator.

Studying in Norway

IfYou youwill arebe residenteligible infor Norwaybroadly onthe orsame beforesupport 31as DecemberNorwegian 2020,nationals, youras rightlong toas studentyou financewere willlegally remainresident unchanged,in asNorway longbefore as1 youJanuary remain2021. residentYou must apply for a residence permit in Norway.

Healthcare

SocialRead securityour coordinationguidance ison:

• continuing coveredyour bystudies in the SeparationEU
• healthcare Agreement for thosestudents residing in Norway.Norway

Healthcare

Healthcare Current healthcare arrangements will continue to apply in full to UK nationals who arewere resident in Norway before the1 transitionJanuary period2021, ends on 31 December 2020, for as long as they remain in scope of the agreement.Separation Agreement.

Read the guidance on healthcare in Norway and make sure you are correctly registered.

You’ll pay into the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme (NIS) through your income tax. The NIS covers basic medical services, although you will sometimes have to pay a small fee. Children under 16 get free medical care.

You can only change your GP twice in a year. Find English-speaking doctors and dentists in Norway. Ask your doctor about a health insurance receipt card at your first GP visit.

If your UK employer has sent you to Norway temporarily, your access to healthcare is different. Find out how to access healthcare as a posted worker.

State healthcare: S1

If you have a registered S1 form and arewere living in Norway before the1 endJanuary of2021, 2020, your rights to access healthcare willremain stayunchanged the same from 1 January 2021 if you are either:

• receiving a UK State Pension
• receiving some other ‘exportable benefits’
• a frontier worker who lives in Norway and commutes to work in the UK

Read our guidance on using an S1 form in Norway to ensure you are correctly registered for healthcare.

European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

If you are resident in Norway, you must not use your UK-issued EHIC for healthcare in Norway.

WhenIf you travellive fromand Norwaywork forin aNorway, temporaryyou staymay inbe anotherable Europeanto Economicget Areaa (EEA)Norwegian countryEHIC orto Switzerland,get youhealthcare canwhen useyou antravel EHIC to accessEEA statecountries healthcareand Switzerland. Apply for freea orNorwegian atEHIC aon reducedthe cost.Helfo website.

If you’reyou awere UKliving student in Norway orbefore have1 aJanuary registered2021, S1 you may be eligible for a new UK-issued EHIC.EHIC Thisif EHICyou’re:

• a willUK remainstudent validin fromNorway
• a 1UK JanuaryState 2021.Pensioner with a registered S1
• a frontier worker with a registered S1

Apply now for a new UK EHIC.

An EHIC is not a replacement for comprehensive travel insurance.

For more information read our guidance on healthcare when travelling in Europe and advice on foreign travel insurance.

You should also check your prescriptions are legal in Norway.

You can only change your GP twice in a year. Find English-speaking doctors and dentists in Norway. Ask your doctor about a health insurance receipt card at your first GP visit.

Money and tax

The UK has a double taxation agreement with Norway to ensure you do not pay tax on the same income in both countries. Ask the relevant tax authority your questions about double taxation relief.

Existing double taxation arrangements for UK nationals living in Norway have not changed.

You can read our guidance on:

• tax if you leave the UK to live abroad
• tax on your UK income if you live abroad
• paying income tax in Norway
• Norwegian Tax Administration

We recommend you get professional advice on paying tax in Norway. Find an English-speaking lawyer in Norway.

If you’re working on the Norwegian continental shelf, it’s compulsory to become member of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme. You must pay National Insurance contributions to Norway even if you don’t pay taxes to Norway.

National Insurance

YouFind mayout beif ableyou need to pay National Insurance while abroad in orderthe toUK protector yoursocial Statesecurity Pensioncontributions andin entitlement to other benefits and allowances.Norway.

Banking

IfWhether youUK arebanks employedcan orprovide self-employedservices in the EU or EEA and you have a UK-issued A1/E101 form, you will remain subject to UKcustomers legislation until the end date on the form.

Banking

Most people living in Europethe shouldEEA notis seea anymatter changeof tolocal theirlaw bankingand afterregulation. 31 December 2020. Your bank or finance provider should contact you if they need to make any changes to your product or the way they provide it. If you have any concerns about whether you might be affected, contact your provider or seek independent financial advice.

Read the Money and Pension Service guidance on banking, insurance and financial services changes for more information on cross-border banking.

Pensions

Read our guidance on entitlement to UK benefits and pensions while you are living in Norway.

You will need to tell the UK government offices that deal with your benefits, pension and tax if you are moving or retiring abroad.

If you retire to Norway, you can claim:

• your UK State Pension or new UK State Pension. Contact the International Pension Centre to claim
• your pension from the Norwegian Pension Department, if you have worked in Norway
• pensions from working abroad, if you have worked in other EU countries

Read the Money and Pension Service guidance on pension and retirement changes for more information on cross-border pensions.

Life certificates for UK State Pensions

If you get a ‘life certificate’ from the UK Pension Service, you need to respond as soon as possible – your payments may be suspended if you don’t.

Pensions after 31 January 2020

Benefits

SocialRead securityour co-ordinationguidance ison coveredentitlement by the Separation Agreement for those residing in Norway. Current benefit arrangements will continue to applyUK inbenefits fulland topensions UKwhile nationalsyou who are residentliving in Norway before the transition period ends on 31 December 2020, for as long as they reside in an EEA EFTA state (Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway). This includes the right to an uprated UK State Pension.Norway.

Benefits

You will need to tell the UK government offices that deal with your benefits, pension and tax if you are moving or retiring abroad.

YouCheck maywhich still be able to claim some UK benefits like child and disability benefits if you live in Norway. You can:

• read our guidance on which benefits you can claim ifwhile you live, move or travel abroad
• use and ourhow tool to check which benefits you can claim while abroad

them.

Many income-related benefits such as Pension Credit and Housing Benefit cannot be paid to you if you’re abroad for more than 4 weeks.

You may be eligible to claim some Norwegian social security benefits after you’ve worked 6 months continually – see Norwegian social security benefits.

You can request proof of the time you’ve worked in the UK from HMRC if you are asked for this.

Benefits after 31 January 2020

Social security coordination is covered by the Separation Agreement. Current benefit arrangements will continue to apply in full to UK nationals who are resident in Norway before the transition period ends on 31 December 2020, for as long as they reside in Norway.

Voting

If you’re resident in Norway, you can vote in local elections.

You may be able to vote in some UK elections. You can:

• check if you are able to vote
• register as an overseas voter to vote

Births, deaths and getting married

If your child is born in Norway you will need to register the birth abroad.

If someone dies in Norway you can:

• read our guidance on what to do after someone dies abroad
• find English-speaking funeral directors in Norway
• read our bereavement information for Norway

Find out how you can get married abroad.

You may also need:

• English-speaking lawyers in Norway
• English-speaking translators and interpreters in Norway
• notary services for Norway

Accommodation and buying property

Read our guidance on buying a property abroad.

Pets

ForIf you have a pet passport issued by Norway or an EU member state, you can use it to travel with your pet to EEAGreat Britain and EFTAthe countriesEU.

A fromGB-issued EU pet passport is not valid for travel to the UK,EU petor ownersNorthern Ireland. You should checkspeak to your vet before you travel to get the requirementsnecessary ofpet theirtravel destinationdocuments country.

Readand guidanceensure onyou’re travellingcompliant with petsthe EU Pet Travel Regulations.

IfRead you’reguidance on:

• bringing your pet to GB
• travelling to Northern Ireland with your pet

Check forthe rules of the firstcountry timeyou’re youtravelling mustto visitfor yourany vetadditional torestrictions getor arequirements petbefore passport.you travel.

Read guidance travelling with pets across Norwegian borders from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.

Emergencies

Norway’s emergency numbers are:

• 110 for fire brigade
• 112 for police
• 113 for ambulance
• 120 for emergency at sea

If you’re the victim of crime, have been arrested, or are affected by a crisis abroad, contact the British Embassy Oslo.

Returning to the UK

Tell the UK and Norwegian authorities if you are returning to the UK permanently.

To move your pension to the UK, contact the International Pension Centre.

If you get healthcare in Norway through the S1 form, you must contact the Overseas Healthcare Team on +44 (0)191 218 1999 to make sure your S1 is cancelled at the right time.

Read the guidance on returning to the UK permanently which includes information on, amongst other things, tax, access to services and bringing family members.

Disclaimer

PleaseThis note that this information is provided as a guide only. Definitive information should be obtained from the Norwegian authorities. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office will(FCDO) is not be liable for any inaccuracies in this information.