Your renewal application has one hard deadline that matters more than any other: submit it at least one month before your current permit expires. If you do, you keep the rights your current permit gives you while UDI decides. If you don't, you don't automatically keep those rights, and you risk being registered as moved from Norway in the National Population Register.
That single rule shapes everything else about renewing, how you apply, when you book a police appointment, and how you plan travel while your new card is being made. Here's how the process actually works.
How to apply: electronic ID vs username and password
The route you take depends on whether you have an electronic ID. UDI sets out two different paths, and they have different timing advice.
- With an electronic ID (and you are 18 or older): log into udi.no, register the renewal, pay the fee and upload your documents online. No police appointment is needed. Do this no later than one month before your permit expires.
- With a username and password: register and pay well before your permit expires, UDI says preferably two to three months in advance, and book a police appointment to hand in your documents.
The police appointment is the part that catches people out. Slots fill up, so the two-to-three-month advice for the username-and-password route is not padding. It's the gap you need to get an appointment and still land inside the one-month window. For the wider picture of how permits work, see our residence permit guide.
What UDI checks when you renew
Renewal is not a formality. UDI reassesses your situation against the study permit requirements. As of the current UDI guidance, you need to meet all of the following:
- Pay the application fee.
- Be a full-time student at a university college or university.
- Still have a place on a study programme.
- Show normal study progression, you cannot be more than one year behind.
- Show you again have enough money to live on.
Progression is the one students underestimate. If you have fallen more than a year behind, UDI can refuse the renewal even if you are still enrolled. The full set of requirements is laid out in our student residence permit guide.
The money requirement, in numbers
You must again document enough to live on: NOK 15,488 per month, or NOK 170,368 per year. If you are documenting by semester, it is NOK 77,440 for the autumn semester or NOK 92,928 for the spring semester. These are the figures UDI currently states. Our proof of funds guide explains how the documentation works in practice.
The fee
UDI lists the study permit fee at NOK 5,400 for applicants over 18, renewals included. Pay it when you register. Keep the receipt.
Work rights: what renewal means for your job
When you renew, UDI considers whether you should continue to be entitled to work part time. That entitlement is not automatic on renewal. The practical test is whether your place of study thinks you can manage work in addition to your studies. If your grades have slipped, expect the question to come up.
There is also a separate route: you can apply for a permit to work full time during the academic year if the work is part of your education plan. You must ask for it in writing. It is not something that gets added because you mentioned it at the counter.
What happens if you apply late
Applying after your previous permit has expired has real consequences, and they are not just administrative:
- You do not automatically keep your rights while you wait.
- You must contact UDI to ask for permission to work.
- You risk being registered as moved from Norway in the National Population Register.
- UDI warns you may have trouble travelling in and out of Norway while waiting, because you do not have a valid residence card once the old permit has expired.
That last point matters if you had planned a trip home mid-semester. Build the renewal into your calendar early, not around your travel.
Renewal in context: your degree timeline
It helps to know roughly how long you will need permits for. A bachelor's degree takes three years (180 ECTS) and a master's takes two years (120 ECTS) after a bachelor's. A doctoral degree takes three or four years. A year of full-time study is generally worth 60 ECTS.
That is usually at least one renewal, often two. If you are still choosing where to study, our list of all universities in Norway covers the 27 institutions in our catalogue. We list 353 programmes imported from the Study in Norway register, admission to English-taught bachelor's degrees goes through the institutions' own systems, Norwegian-taught bachelor's degrees go through NUCAS, and master's applicants apply directly through each institution's website.
One financial point worth planning for: degree-seeking students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland normally pay tuition fees at Norwegian institutions, and the fees vary by institution and programme. Students from EU/EEA countries and Switzerland are normally exempt from tuition fees at public institutions. The Norwegian government offers no individual scholarships to degree students, so budget for the full period, including each renewal year.
Tuition fees, application deadlines and programme details on this site are shown as listed in the Study in Norway register. Always confirm them with the institution before you rely on them.
Sources
- UDI, renewing a study permit
- UDI, fees
- Study in Norway, the Norwegian education system
- Study in Norway, admission to degree programmes
- Samordna opptak, English home page
- Study in Norway, tuition fees
- Study in Norway, cost and requirements
- Study in Norway, scholarships for degree students
Frequently asked questions
When is the deadline to renew my Norwegian student residence permit?
UDI says you should register your renewal no later than one month before your permit expires if you apply with an electronic ID. If you use a username and password, register and pay two to three months in advance so you can book a police appointment. Applying at least one month before expiry is what lets you keep your current permit's rights while you wait.
What happens if I renew my student permit late in Norway?
You do not automatically keep the rights from your old permit. You must contact UDI to ask for permission to work, and you risk being registered as moved from Norway in the National Population Register. UDI also warns you may have trouble travelling in and out of Norway while you wait, because your residence card will have expired.
How much money do I need to show when renewing a Norwegian study permit?
You must again document enough to live on: NOK 15,488 per month, or NOK 170,368 per year. If you document by semester, it is NOK 77,440 for the autumn semester or NOK 92,928 for the spring semester. These are the figures UDI currently states.
Can I keep working while my Norwegian study permit renewal is being processed?
If you applied at least one month before your permit expired, you keep the rights your current permit gives you while UDI decides, including part-time work. On renewal, UDI also considers whether you should stay entitled to work part time, and you can only work if your place of study thinks you can manage it alongside your studies.