You may visit Norway and stay there for up to three months, provided you have a visa or are a citizen of one of the 63 countries for which a visa is not required. But you will need an official permit to stay for more than three months. There are three types of permits: residence permits, work permits and settlement permits, each of which is subject to a variety of conditions depending on the reason for your stay and on your nationality. Likewise, for a visit of up to three months, you may bring and use personal belongings, including a car. But for longer stays, you will be required to import belongings and in some cases pay duty, particularly on a car. The complete details of any of these matters would fill this book, so only brief summaries are given here along with addresses, telecommunications numbers and websites where you can find further information.

Asylum (Asyl)

In accordance with the UN Refugee Convention of 1951, asylum may be granted to persons having a well-founded fear of persecution because of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. If you are a refugee and wish to apply for asylum, tell the immigration officials at your point of arrival, such as at the Gardermoen gateway airport. The officials will check your identification and travel documents, make a record of your application for asylum, retain your passport or identification card(s), and issue you a certificate of your application. You will then be lodged in a Transit Reception Centre for asylum applicants. Thereafter there are two phases in your status as a refugee. The first starts when you arrive, includes initial interviews by officials of the Directorate of Immigration (Chapter 20) and formal application, and ends when you receive a decision on your application for asylum. The second involves actions taken on the decision on your application.

Asylum seekers are classified by country or origin into one of three categories: assumed well-founded applicants, ordinary applicants and assumed groundless applicants. For comprehensive details in 13 languages, including the processing of applications, procedures of rejection and return, and the measures for integrating successful applicants into society, contact the Norwegian Organisation for Asylum Seekers (Chapter 33), Torggt 22, PO Box 8893 Youngstorget, 0028 Oslo, Tel: 22365660, Fax: 22365661, www.noas.org, noas@noas.org. Two Norwegian and two international organisations that also provide extensive information are:

• The Directorate of Immigration (Utlendingsdirektoratet) processes applications for asylum, family reunification, visas and citizenship and is also responsible for settlement and integration of asylum seekers who have been granted a residence permit, Hausmannsgst 21, PO Box 8108 Dep, 0032 Oslo, Tel: 23341500, Fax: 23351501, www.udi.no, udi@udi.no.
• The Immigration Appeals Board (Utledingsnemnda) hears appeals of Directorate of Immigration decisions (rejections), Stenersgt IB, PO Box 8165 Dep, 0034 Oslo, Tel: 21085000, Fax: 21085001, www.une.no, postmottak@une.no.
• The International Organization for Migration (IOM) Norway provides assistance for voluntary return and other migration matters, Storgata 10A, PO Box 8927 Youngstorget, 0028 Oslo, Tel: 23105320, Fax: 23105321, www.iom.no, iomoslo@iomosl.org.
• The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is the principal international agency dealing with refugee efforts, PO Box 2500, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland, Tel: +41 227398111, www.unhcr.ch; the Regional Office in Stockholm is responsible for UNHCR work in the Baltic and Nordic countries, Ynglingagatan 14, S-11347 Stockholm, Sweden, Tel: +46 84574880, Fax: +46 84574897, www.unhcr.se, swest@unhcr.ch.

Customs duties (Toll)

When you move to Norway, you may import your household effects free of duty and value added tax (VAT, or merverdiavgift – MVA in Norwegian) provided you have resided abroad continuously for one year or more and can prove that all the items imported have been used and will continue to be used by yourself and your family during your stay in Norway. Your household effects will be accompanied by a written declaration that is usually submitted to the Customs Service (Tollvesenet) by the removal company working on your behalf. New articles and consumer goods (household effects, spirits, wine, beer and tobacco) may not be imported duty-free as removal goods. You will need to specify them on the importation of removal goods declaration form and duty will need to be paid on these items. Special regulations apply to car import (Chapter 4) as well as to the importation of pleasure boats and professional effects, such as dental instruments.

All international airports have red and green channels. You enter through the green channel if the goods you are carrying are bought duty – and tax-free, the amount of spirits, wine and tobacco allowed depends on your point of departure. If you have more than the specified duty-free quota (Chapter 46), you should enter through the red channel. A comprehensive leaflet explaining the allowances is available at ports, airports and on board ferries travelling to Norway. If you live in Norway and travel abroad frequently with expensive items like a portable PC or camera equipment, upon leaving the country, you should request an identification certificate from customs. On it, you can list the items you will carry out of and back into the country, and thereby be able to prove ownership should it be questioned at customs. Import of spirits of more than 60% of alcohol is prohibited. If you have been out of the country for 24 hours or more, you may bring in goods for a total of NOK 6,000, including spirits, wine and tobacco duty-free. If you have been out of the country for less than 24 hours, you may bring in goods for a total of NOK 3,000, including spirits, wine and tobacco, provided that they were not bought duty-free and you can show receipts proving that they were bought in an EEA country and that all applicable taxes were paid.

You may bring with you into Norway notes and coins, in Norwegian and foreign currency to the value of NOK 25,000 without declaration. For a greater amount, fill in and hand over the Customs and Excise form RD-0026B.

There are special requirements on pet import (Chapter 35). Norway is a signatory of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). Consequently, the import or export of endangered species is regulated by the Directorate for Nature Management, 7485 Trondheim, Tel: 73580500, Fax: 73580501, www.naturforvaltning.no, postmottak@dirnat.no.

Antiques or old objects of Norwegian origin that have artistic, cultural or historical value cannot be exported without special permission. Similarly, if you are moving to Norway and intend to bring back into the country an object of interest, obtain documentation beforehand to prove that the item has come into the country with you. Call the closest office of Customs, Tollvesenet in the Pink Pages, for further details. If you order items abroad and have them sent to you directly you will be charged import duties, VAT and an administration fee. Gifts sent from abroad are delivered duty-free, provided they are not tobacco products, wine or spirits and have a value of NOK 500 or less. Updated customs and import information are available online at the Customs website www.toll.no.

Family reunification (Familiegjenforening)

If you are a close family member of a Norwegian citizen or resident, you may apply for family reunification, which is valid for one year at a time. After three years, you may apply for a settlement permit. Close family members are a spouse or a registered partner, a cohabitant with whom you have lived for at least two years, and all children under the age of 18. Other family members may be granted residence permits, but in all cases, your family member in Norway must be capable of supporting you, and you must submit your application from your country of origin or a country in which you have resided for at least six months. For details, contact the Directorate of Immigration (Chapter 20). For help, contact one of the five offices of Self help for Immigrants and Refugees (Chapter 33), head office at Langes gate 1, 0165 Oslo, Tel: 22034830, Fax: 22110515, www.seif.no, seif@seif.no.

Immigration (Innvandring)

From the 1860s through to the 1920s, so many Norwegians emigrated to other countries that the overall population grew more slowly than normal and even declined in some years. That trend has now reversed. Net migration – the number of persons immigrating to Norway minus the number emigrating to other countries – has been positive since the late 1960s. Current statistics indicate that without immigration, the population would decline. Despite bearing more children per capita than the women of most countries in Europe, Norwegians are not reproducing rapidly enough to sustain the population. With immigration at the current rate, the population is expected to rise from its current level of about 4.6 million (in 2005) to as much as 6.6 million by the year 2050. If you are a refugee and wish to immigrate to Norway, you may seek asylum. If you are a citizen of another country and wish to live, study or work in Norway, you will need official permission, as granted by residence permits and work permits. If you wish to settle permanently, you may apply for Norwegian citizenship. Simplified citizenship rules apply for citizens of other Nordic countries: Denmark, The Faroes, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the Åland Islands.

Norwegian citizenship (Norsk statsborgerskap)

Citizenship is based on descent, which means that children have their parents’ citizenship. This means that you can acquire citizenship by birth (one or both of your parents are Norwegian citizens) or by application in one of three principal ways. You may apply for citizenship to the Directorate of Immigration (Chapter 20) if you:

• are over 18
• have lived in Norway consecutively for the past seven years
• have no criminal record
• have no appreciable significant outstanding maintenance payments.

You may acquire Norwegian citizenship by notifying the nearest office of the County Governor (Fylkesmann) where you live (there are 18 Governors in the country), provided that you:

• have lived in Norway for more than five years before the age of 16 and permanently from age 16 to 21
• are between 18 and 21 years of age and have lived in Norway for 10 years, and for at least five consecutive years at the time of application
• were born in and lived in Norway until you were 18 years old, but subsequently lost your Norwegian citizenship.

You may apply for Norwegian citizenship at the nearest office of a County Governor (Fylkesmann) for:

• an adopted child less than 12 years old, provided that you and your spouse are Norwegian citizens and that the child lives in Norway.

Dual citizenship is not permitted. Consequently, if your application for Norwegian citizenship is granted, you must give up your former citizenship. However, there are exceptions, if you:

• have dual citizenship because you inherited two nationalities from your parents
• were born of Norwegian parents in a country where citizenship is based on the territorial principle (you are a citizen of the country in which you were born)
• have applied for Norwegian citizenship, but cannot be released from your previous citizenship
• have been granted Norwegian citizenship by notification through a County Governor’s Office, as described above.

As a dual citizen, you will:

• have the right to hold two passports
• be entitled to the protection of both countries
• be considered a Norwegian citizen, equal to other Norwegian citizens in every respect
• be called into military service in the country where you permanently reside, if you are a young man subject to National Service (Chapter 11). Normally, you will not be required to serve in the other country of your citizenship.

The rules described above are the basic conditions affecting citizenship. There are many variations to them. For further details, contact The Directorate of Immigration.

Relocation services (Relocation tjenester)

Relocation services provide assistance in moving to and settling in a new country. Services vary from providing local orientation and contacts to comprehensive packages of familiarisation, training, guiding and housing location services. Typically, services are offered by specialist companies, usually with offices in major international business cities. They range in size from global networks to local bureaux.

The global giant is Cendant International Assignment Services, whose GlobalNet™ destination services network spans almost 100 countries. For further details concerning Norway, contact the European head office, Landmark House, Hammersmith Bridge Road, London, W6 9EJ, UK, Tel: +44 2087626500, www.cendantmobility.com, advantage@cendantmobility.co.uk.

Many multinational companies have their own relocation services or outsource services to international bureaux. If you are an employee being sent to Norway, your employer or a specialist company in your home country may offer relocation and orientation, either before you leave your home country or after you arrive in Norway. In Oslo and Stavanger, the two major international business cities in Norway, the principal independent relocation services are:

• Oslo area: Oslo Relocation, Halstoppen 54/55, 1397 Nesøya, Tel and Fax: 66980283, www.oslorelocation.no, postmaster@oslorelocation.no.
• Stavanger area: Spin, located near Stavanger, Risavika, PO Box 40, 4098 Tananger, Tel: 51693210, Fax: 51693030, www.spin.no, spin@shell.com.

Removals (Flyttetjenester)

The removal business is competitive, so you can shop around for both prices and services offered. In moving to Norway, be sure to engage a company that has a liaison agreement with a Norwegian removals company. Likewise, in moving from Norway, engage a company that has a liaison agreement with a company in your destination country. For further information on the Norwegian companies and their international liaison agreements, contact the Norwegian Removal Companies Association (Norske Flyttebeforbund), PO Box 206 Skøyen, 0213 Oslo, Tel: 81001111, Fax: 23011451, www.flytteforbund.no, nff@flytteforbund.no.

Most removal companies with international business now standardise on containers (Chapter 46), particularly whenever sea transport is involved. The contents of a typical house will fill a 20-foot container, though the 40-foot size may be needed for the contents of a large house. The removal company will bring the container to your house, most often on a truck fitted with a hydraulic lifter that can place the container alongside the truck bed, on the ground, and lift it back again when it is filled. The standard container is about 2.5 m wide, so the truck will need a width of at least 6 m to drive in and manoeuvre the container. In Norway, the lifter is on the left side of the truck bed; in some countries, it is on the right.

The Norwegian customs procedures for personal belongings brought when you move to the country are straightforward. You may import your household effects free of duty and value added tax (VAT), provided that they are used and will continue to be used by you. However, you must declare and pay duty and VAT on any new items bought duty – and tax-free for export from the country of shipping. Alcoholic drinks or tobacco can be imported but are subject to customs duties. But if you arrive at an international airport, you may bring in your duty-free quota provided that you hand carry it through customs. A television set may be included in your duty-free household effects, but it must be registered for a TV licence (Chapter 44). Special regulations apply to car import (Chapter 4) and to pet import (Chapter 35), as well as to the importation of leisure craft (motorboats and sailboats) and professional effects, such as dental instruments. For any international removal to or from Norway, you should complete a Descriptive Inventory List (Inventar liste) of all goods handled by the removal company. For a removal to Norway, this list will be attached to an import declaration entitled “Importation of removal goods, Declaration” (Innførselsdeklarasjon), form RD-0030, available in the two Norwegian languages and in English, printed and online from Signform, Østensjøveien 79, PO Box 74 Bryn, 0611 Oslo, Tel: 22755150, Fax: 22755154, www.signform.no, info@signform.no. You may, but need not, be present to clear your goods through customs, because the Norwegian removals company will act on your behalf.

Residence permit (Oppholdstillatelse)

You will need a residence permit if you intend to stay in the country for more than three months without working. You may be granted a residence permit if you:

• are the spouse, registered partner, cohabitant or child of a citizen or resident and qualify under the provisions of family reunification
• are a student; see resident permits for students
• are a competitive athlete seeking to train or further your skills
• are a scientist who will conduct research at an academic or research institute
• are a professional creative artist seeking to develop your skills
• seek expertise about and in-depth knowledge of Norway that you will employ to enhance the image of the country abroad
• are the child of Norwegian parents
• have worked for a Norwegian shipping company on board a ship registered in the Norwegian Domestic Ships Register (NOR) for at least six years
• qualify under humanitarian measures or have particular ties to the country.

The general rule is that you must apply for a residence permit from abroad, but under exceptional conditions, you may apply from Norway. Contact one of the Norwegian Embassies or Consulates General (Chapter 20) for information and application forms.

The application fee for a residence permit is NOK 800. In general, permits are valid for one or two years and may be renewed, while some permits, such as for spouses, children of Norwegian parents and seamen, are the bases for settlement permits.

The rules for citizens of the EU, EFTA and EEA (Chapter 20) area are more liberal, principally in that residence permits are included in work permits, which are more easily granted and that there is no application fee.

As soon as your residence permit is issued for the first time, you should apply for a National Identity Number (Chapter 38).

Residence permits for students (Oppholdstillatelse som student)

You may apply for a residence permit for study at an upper secondary school, private school, college or university, provided that you:

• have been admitted to an educational institution
• can finance your studies
• have a place to live during your stay
• are a full-time student
• submit a complete plan for your studies in Norway.

For further details, contact one of the Norwegian Embassies or Consulates General (Chapter 20), the Directorate of Immigration (Chapter 20), the local police station or in larger cities, the aliens office (Utlendingsseksjon) at the main police station.

Your immediate family – spouse or cohabitant and children – may accompany you as long as you can provide for them financially and show that they have health insurance. Permits are issued for no more than one year at a time and are renewable provided that your studies progress according to plan. You may work up to half time, and your accompanying family members may have a general permit to take employment.

As soon as your residence permit is issued for the first time, you should apply for a National Identity Number (Chapter 38).

Settlement permit (Bosetningstillatelse)

Once you have lived in Norway for at least three years consecutively, you may apply for a settlement permit which allows you to permanently live and work in the country. You may apply for a settlement permit at the local police station or, in larger cities, the aliens office (Utlendingsseksjon) at the main police station. Make your application on the form available at the police station and include a passport-size portrait photograph, copy of your current passport and any other passports you may have held while residing in the country and an overview of any trips abroad during the previous three years.

A settlement permit is permanent as long as you reside in Norway: you cannot lose it even if the original grounds for issuing it no longer exist, such as your being divorced or unemployed. But, if you reside abroad for more than two years, you may lose your residence permit unless you apply for continuation of it before the two years have passed.

Verification of permit (Bevis på tillatelse)

Residence, settlement or work permits are verified by an official stamp or sticker in your passport, popularly called “Schengen stamps or stickers” because they certify that you reside in Norway, a country within the Schengen space (Chapter 20). When your first application is granted or whenever your permit must be renewed, you will receive a notice from the local police station or, in larger cities, the aliens office (Utlendingsseksjon) at the main police station, to bring in your passport to have a stamp or sticker put in it. The stamp or sticker is valid for two years, so you will need to renew it at least every two years or perhaps before if you renew your passport.

Visa requirements (Visumplikt)

Visas are intended for visitors and consequently are valid for up to three months. If you wish to reside and work in Norway, you will need a residence permit or a work permit. When you apply for a visa, you must have a valid passport or other identity document, be able to return to the country where the visa was issued and have enough money to cover your travel and living expenses for your trip to Norway. Special rules apply to refugees and to seamen. If you have been granted a residence permit or a work permit, you will automatically be granted a visa for seven days, to allow you time to have the verification of permit entered in your passport.

Visas are not required for citizens of the following 63 countries: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda (BDTC), Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong (SAR), Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau (SAR), Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Vatican City State and Venezuela. Moreover, visas are not required for holders of diplomatic passports issued by Albania (only the Ambassador to Norway, with immediate family), Macedonia, Morocco, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia (only the Ambassador to Norway, with immediate family), South Africa, Thailand and Turkey. For further information, including updates of the list of countries for which visas are not required, contact one of the Norwegian Embassies or Consulates General (Chapter 20).

Work permit (Arbeidstillatelse)

Unless you are a citizen or hold a settlement permit, you will need a permit to work in the country. The relevant rules divide the permits into two groups: ordinary work permits and work permits for EU, EEA and EFTA (Chapter 20) citizens.

You must have a concrete job offer before you apply for an ordinary work permit. There are six types of work permits:

• Specialists who have expertise needed in Norway. A permit is valid for a specific job, is issued for one year at a time and is renewable. After three years, a specialist may apply for a settlement permit.
• Seasonal workers engaged for typical seasonal tasks, such as berry picking or harvesting. A permit is valid for up to six months and cannot be renewed until you have been abroad for at last six months.
• Au pair (Chapter 17), usually a young person, 18 to 30 years old, who works for and lives with a Norwegian family in exchange for room, board and pocket money. A permit is valid for up to two years and cannot be renewed.
• Trainee who intends to pursue a specific trade upon returning home. A permit is valid for up to two years.
• Guest worker who aims to gain familiarity with Norwegian agriculture and culture and who usually lives with a farm family. A permit is valid for up to three months and is not renewable.
• Fish processing worker, such as Russian citizens from the Barents regions, who has an advance offer of a job in a fish processing plant. A permit is valid for up to one year.

If you are a citizen of an EEA country, you do not need a work permit if you work in Norway for no more than three months, or work in Norway but commute to another EEA country at least once a week, or are looking for work in Norway for up to six months. You will need a work permit if you are an employee of a company doing business in Norway, are self-employed, are a service provider or recipient, are a student, have financial support amounting to at least twice the basic amount (Chapter 2), are a member of the immediate family of citizen of a EEA country, or have retired after working in Norway.

In Norway, you may apply for a work permit at a local police station or, in larger cities, at the aliens office (Utlendingsseksjon) at the main police station. If you are in your home country, you may apply at one of the Norwegian Embassies or Consulates General (Chapter 20).