Student residence permit for Norway

If you come from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland and want to study in Norway for more than three months, you need a residence permit for studies. Most people just call it a study permit. The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration, UDI, decides your case, and you apply after you have been admitted as a full-time student.

UK citizens need one too. Summer school at a university is the exception: UDI says you do not need a residence permit for that.

Who needs a study permit, and who does not

The rule is simple. Stay longer than three months for study, and you apply. A short course or a university summer school falls outside this.

Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland do not apply for a study permit. They register with the local police within three months of arriving. Nordic citizens who plan to stay more than six months report the move to the National Registry instead. Both groups can work alongside their studies.

Higher education in Norway is free of charge for students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland. If you are outside that group, check the tuition rules for your programme before you count your money, because UDI asks you to cover tuition as well where it applies.

What UDI asks of you

For a university or university college, UDI lists a set of conditions. You must:

• pay the application fee;
• have been admitted to a university college or university, and study full-time;
• show enough money to live on for the whole period;
• have the money for tuition as well, or show it is paid, or show an exemption confirmed by the institution, if tuition applies;
• have somewhere to live;
• be in a situation where it is likely you can return home when your studies finish.

The place of study must also appear on the list of approved institutions kept by the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education, NOKUT. Check that before you accept an offer.

Folk high schools, vocational schools, upper secondary schools and religion or belief based schools each have their own conditions on UDI's site. This page sticks to universities and university colleges.

How much money you need to show

UDI sets a monthly figure. For a full academic year you must document at least NOK 15 488 per month, or NOK 170 368 per year.

If you are coming for only one semester, the amounts are different, and UDI states them separately for the autumn and the spring semester on its study permit page. Read that page directly rather than relying on a figure someone quoted to you, because the amounts are updated.

The money can come from student loans, grants, your own funds in a Norwegian bank account, or the deposit account of the educational institution, or a mix of these. If you already have a part-time job offer in Norway, that income can count too. If you do not have a Norwegian bank account, you can use the institution's deposit account. Contact the institution for the details of how that works.

For a wider picture of costs and budgeting, see supporting yourself as a student in Norway.

Documents, appointment and waiting

You register the application online and pay the fee, then print and sign the signature form from the portal. You hand in the application and your documents at an appointment with the police in Norway, or at an embassy, consulate or Visa Application Centre abroad.

Bring originals and copies. Anything not in Norwegian or English needs a translation into one of those languages. If you apply from abroad, you also need a recent passport photo on a white background. Some embassies ask for extra documents based on local conditions.

UDI asks for a letter of full-time admission that gives your name, the programme, its level and how long it lasts. For your housing, a rental contract must be in writing and approved by the owner, manager or housing co-operative. If the institution arranges your accommodation, a line in the admission letter is enough. UDI recommends, but does not require, that the contract shows the dwelling number, an H followed by four digits.

Apply as soon as you hold the admission letter. UDI publishes estimated waiting times and says very few applications can be prioritised. You cannot ask for priority by phone, chat or email. Normally you cannot enter Norway until your application has been processed. If you need a visa to enter, UDI asks the embassy to issue an entry visa once the permit is granted, so you do not apply for that yourself. It is usually valid for 30 days. After you arrive you may need to book an appointment with the police, who take your photo and fingerprints for the residence card.

If the application is refused, you can appeal the decision. For the wider picture of arriving and settling in, read the guide for international students in Norway.

What the permit lets you do, and what it does not

With a study permit you can work part-time for up to 20 hours a week, including remote work, and full-time during the holidays. You may not start working before the permit is granted, and remote work counts too, so do not log on for a foreign employer while you wait.

You cannot be self-employed or run your own business in Norway. You can ask UDI in writing for permission to work full-time during the academic year, but only if the work is part of your education plan.

Your spouse or cohabitant and children can usually apply to come with you. UDI says it currently does not have the capacity to process a family member's application at the same time as yours, so plan for that.

The time you hold a student permit does not count towards a later application for permanent residence. UDI can also revoke a permit if, for example, you stop studying, live outside Norway for more than six months in total in a year, or work more than the permit allows.

Renewing, and what comes after

Apply well before the permit expires. If you are 18 or older and have an electronic ID, you can register online, pay and upload your documents at least one month before the permit runs out, without a police appointment. If you apply with a username and password, you also need a police appointment, and UDI advises applying two to three months ahead because appointment waits can be long.

To renew, you must still hold a full-time place and have made normal progress. You cannot be more than one year behind. You show enough money to live on again, and the fee applies again. If you apply after the old permit has expired, you do not automatically keep its rights while you wait.

After your degree, Study in Norway says graduates can stay and look for work for up to one year under the job-seeker permit. Read UDI's rules for that permit before you rely on it.

Quick comparison of the main routes

Your situation	What you apply for	Work alongside study
Outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland, studying more than three months	Study permit from UDI	Up to 20 hours a week, full-time in holidays
EU/EEA or Switzerland	No study permit; register with the local police within three months	Allowed
Nordic citizen staying more than six months	No study permit; report the move to the National Registry	Allowed
University summer school	No residence permit needed	Not covered by a study permit

Once you know which route is yours, start with the programme. You can browse options in our programme search and then check each institution against the NOKUT list.

This page is general information, not immigration advice. UDI decides your case, and the rules and amounts on its pages are the ones that count. Your institution's international office is the first place to ask when something is unclear.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a study permit for a summer school in Norway?

No. UDI says that if you attend a summer school at a university, you do not need a residence permit. The study permit applies when you study in Norway for more than three months.

How much money must I show for a Norwegian study permit?

UDI asks for at least NOK 15 488 per month, or NOK 170 368 for the academic year. If you study for only one semester, UDI lists separate amounts for the autumn and spring semesters on its study permit page, so check the current figures there.

Can I work while I study in Norway on a study permit?

Yes. The permit automatically lets you work part-time for up to 20 hours a week, including remote work, and full-time during holidays. You cannot start before the permit is granted, and you cannot be self-employed or run your own business.

Does time on a student permit count towards permanent residence?

No. UDI states that the period you hold a study permit does not count if you later apply for a permanent residence permit. After your degree, Study in Norway says graduates can stay to look for work for up to one year under the job-seeker permit.

Sources

• UDI: Study permit udi.no/en/want-to-apply/studies/studietillatelse/ Used for: Requirements, funds, work rights, family, NOKUT list, summer schools
• UDI: Residence permit for studies udi.no/en/want-to-apply/studies/ Used for: Who needs a permit and which types of study it covers
• UDI: Checklist for students udi.no/en/checklists-container/studies-au-pair/checklist-student/ Used for: Documents, copies and translations, housing proof, passport photo
• UDI: Frequently asked questions about study permits udi.no/en/answer-pages/answers-study-permits/ Used for: Waiting times, priority, travel and entry visa, residence card, revocation, appeals
• UDI: Renew a study permit udi.no/en/want-to-renew/study-permit/ Used for: Renewal deadlines, eID, study-progress rule
• UDI: Fees udi.no/en/word-definitions/fees/ Used for: Application fee of NOK 5,400 for applicants over 18
• Study in Norway: Cost and requirements studyinnorway.no/cost-and-requirements Used for: Three-month rule, UK citizens, registration for EU/EEA and Nordic students
• Study in Norway: Why Norway studyinnorway.no/why-norway Used for: One year to look for work after graduating

Last checked: 29 October 2026. Rules and amounts change; confirm them on the official page before you act on them. This is general information, not legal or immigration advice.