Permanent Residence in Norway: Requirements, Income, Tests and Fees

Most people on a work or family permit can get permanent residence in Norway after three years of continuous residence. You also need at least NOK 341,373 of your own income in the last twelve months, a pass in an oral Norwegian test at level A2 and a social studies test, and NOK 4,000 for the fee. Since 1 September 2025 you must still meet every requirement except the income one on the day UDI or the police decide your case.

What does permanent residence give you?

A permanent residence permit (permanent oppholdstillatelse) lets you live and work in Norway indefinitely and gives you extra protection against expulsion (UDI). In practice it means three things that matter: you no longer have to renew a permit tied to one job or one relationship, you can change employer or career freely, and your stay no longer depends on the conditions of a temporary permit.

It is not citizenship. You keep your own passport, still need to renew your residence card, and cannot vote in Storting (parliamentary) elections. If you want the red passport, permanent residence is the step before it; see dual citizenship in Norway for the longer road.

Who can apply for permanent residence?

You must hold a valid residence permit when you apply, and the permits you have held during the whole qualifying period must be the kind that "form the basis for" permanent residence (UDI).

• Count: skilled worker and self-employed permits, most family immigration permits, protection (asylum), and strong humanitarian grounds unless the permit was limited.
• Do not count: student permits, au pair permits, fiancé permits, limited humanitarian permits, and permits to provide services as a posted worker or independent contractor.

This is why years spent studying in Norway do not get you closer to permanent residence, however long you stayed. The clock starts with your first qualifying permit. Your decision letters from UDI say whether each permit counts; check them before you plan around a date. If you are still at the permit stage, start with our Norway work visa guide.

Is it three years or five?

It depends on the permit you hold when you apply (UDI, calculating the residence period).

• Three years: work immigration, family immigration with a Norwegian or Nordic citizen, and family immigration with other foreign citizens who do not have protection or humanitarian residence.
• Five years: residence based on an asylum application, derived refugee status, resettlement refugees, strong humanitarian grounds, and family immigration with someone in those groups.

When the clock starts: if you were already in Norway when your first qualifying permit was granted, it runs from the decision date. If you got the permit before arriving, it runs from the day you reported to the police. Asylum cases count from the asylum application date.

Exemptions exist but are narrow: at least eight years in Norway (or Svalbard) on residence permits, a qualifying permit in the past year, or particularly strong grounds of reasonableness. Spouses of Norwegian citizens posted to the foreign service have a separate rule.

How long can you be outside Norway while you qualify?

"Lived continuously in Norway" is where many applications fail, so read this part twice. UDI's rules (UDI):

• Three-year track: no more than seven months outside Norway in total during the three years.
• Five-year track: no more than ten months outside Norway in total during the five years.
• Skilled workers: up to 15 months abroad is accepted if you can prove at least eight of them were work travel for your employer. This does not apply to self-employed permits.
• Gaps between permits: no more than three months in total without a valid permit, counted from when a permit expired to when you applied for the next one.

Seven months over three years sounds generous until you add up summer holidays, Christmas with family and a parent who falls ill. Keep a simple log of every trip with dates from the start. The police will ask.

What is the income requirement?

If you are between 18 and 67, you must have had a total income of at least NOK 341,373 before tax in the last twelve months, and it must be your own (UDI, income requirement). The twelve months are counted back from the date you submit your application to the police, or from a later date before the decision if you only reach the threshold after submitting.

Counts: salary, business income, pensions and other regular periodic income, NAV sickness, pregnancy, parental and unemployment benefit, work assessment allowance, Lånekassen student loans and grants, and introduction programme benefit. Income from abroad counts too, but you have to document it yourself.

Does not count: your spouse's income, gifts, money in the bank, child benefit, housing support, qualification benefit and similar NAV payments. Since 18 April 2024, having received financial assistance under the Social Services Act no longer disqualifies you by itself, but you still need your own income.

Exemptions cover, among others, full-time students in Lånekassen-approved higher education, people under 25 in upper secondary school, people on NAV disability benefit, and people in a full-time job paid at least the legal minimum wage for their profession. Not sure what that is for your trade? See the Norway minimum wage guide.

A note on the number: UDI states the threshold as a fixed kroner amount and does not describe it as a multiple of the National Insurance basic amount (G) on its permanent residence pages. It is adjusted from time to time, so check the UDI page on the day you apply rather than relying on this figure.

What Norwegian level and tests do you need?

This changed in 2025. From 1 September 2025 there is no longer a requirement to have completed hours of Norwegian and social studies courses. Instead, everyone aged 18 to 67 must have passed (UDI, test requirements):

• an oral Norwegian test at level A2 or higher, and
• a social studies test (samfunnskunnskapsprøve) in a language you understand.

If your police appointment was before 1 September 2025, the bar was an oral test at A1 (UDI, 2025 change). The rule applies regardless of when you arrived or which permit you hold. Approved oral tests include the HK-dir oral Norwegian test, Norwegian Test 2 or 3, and the Bergen Test.

A2 is basic conversational Norwegian: you can handle everyday topics in simple sentences. For most people taking regular classes it is a realistic first goal. Our Norwegian language learning guide covers courses and apps. Exemptions exist if you have Norwegian school grades or university credits in Norwegian, or if health reasons make the test impossible. Aim higher than A2 if you can, because citizenship requires oral Norwegian at B1.

Why does the decision date matter now?

Since 1 September 2025, all requirements except the income requirement must be met on the day UDI or the police make the formal decision, not just on the day you apply (UDI).

UDI gives the example that matters most to readers of this site: if you hold a skilled worker permit, which normally requires full-time employment, you must still be in full-time employment when the decision is made. Lose your job while the case is pending and you will not get permanent residence, even though you qualified when you applied. If you are between jobs, UDI's advice is to renew your current permit and wait. Our page on unemployment benefits in Norway explains the NAV side.

How do you apply, and what does it cost?

1. Register the application online through UDI's application portal and pay the fee.
2. Book an appointment with the police to hand in your documents and have your photo taken for the residence card.
3. Bring everything on UDI's checklist for your case, including your passport, test results and proof of income.
4. Wait for the decision. Keep meeting the requirements of your current permit until it arrives.

The fee is NOK 4,000 for adults and NOK 2,000 for children under 18 (UDI, fees). Processing times vary by police district and case type; UDI publishes current waiting times on its site. For how the agency itself works and how to reach it, see inside the UDI.

Once granted, the residence card is your proof. UDI says you must renew the card every other year (UDI). The permit itself does not expire; the card does.

How does it work for EU and EEA citizens?

EU/EEA nationals do not need a residence permit, so they do not apply for a permanent residence permit. Instead, after five years of continuous residence with a right of residence (as an employee, self-employed person, student, person with sufficient funds, or family member of one of those), you can apply for permanent right of residence (UDI). It is free of charge.

• Absence rule: no more than six months abroad per year, with some longer exceptions such as childbirth, serious illness, studies or military service.
• Earlier routes: workers who retire after more than three years and twelve months of work, or who become permanently unable to work after more than two years, can qualify sooner.
• Losing it: more than two continuous years outside Norway ends it, and you generally need another five years to requalify (UDI).

British citizens covered by the Brexit rules have their own permanent residence arrangement, with a longer allowance for time abroad; check UDI's Brexit pages if that is you.

How can you lose permanent residence?

The main risk is living abroad. Your permit may lapse if you (UDI):

• stay outside Norway for a continuous period of two years or more, or
• have several stays abroad that add up to two years or more within a four-year period.

Stays of under two months per calendar year are not counted. If you then live in Norway continuously for 15 months, the clock resets and you can be abroad again for up to two years. If you know you will be away longer, check with UDI before you go: only a few groups can keep the permit beyond two years, and once it has lapsed you must apply for a new temporary permit to keep living here. The permit can also be revoked if you gave incorrect information in your case.

What comes after permanent residence?

For many people permanent residence is the finish line: you can live, work and retire here. If you want to vote nationally, carry a Norwegian passport, or protect yourself against long periods abroad, the next step is citizenship. Norway has allowed dual citizenship since 2020, and you must hold permanent residence (or meet its requirements) when your citizenship case is decided. Read how to get dual citizenship in Norway.

Practical housekeeping while you wait: get your tax card and tax return right every year (UDI looks at your income), and exchange your driving licence early, since a foreign licence only works for a limited time once you live here. Americans can find the full sequence in moving to Norway from the USA.

Sources

UDI: permanent residence permit for adults, calculating the residence period, income requirement, test requirements, 2025 language and social studies change, decision-date change, permits that form the basis, fees, permanent right of residence for EU/EEA nationals, losing the EU/EEA right, losing a permanent residence permit and after your permit is granted. All checked November 2026.