Renewal of residence permit and permanent residence
Processing time for all types of work permits can be long. Please make sure to plan ahead so you do not risk losing your work permit in Norway.
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Renewal of residence permit - Non EU/EEA citizens
UDI recommend you register the application in their online portal and book an appointment with the police at the Service Centre for Foreign Workers (SUA) well in advance, at least three months before your residence permit expires. At the latest you must have an appointment with the police 1 month before expiration or you may not be allowed to work while your application is being processed and you should not travel.
Start the process on UDI's webpages 'Want to renew'.
PhD candidates
Please be aware that you should have a valid residence permit until you have delivered your dissertation AND held the public defence. If you notice that your residence permit will expire before this time, you will need an extended work contract to apply for renewal of residence permit. Contact HR at your faculty as soon as possible.
Permanent residence permit
With a permanent residence permit you can live and work in Norway indefinitely. In order to apply for a permanent residence permit, you must have held a residence permit in Norway for at least three years and meet certain other requirements, depending on your nationality and circumstances. Read more on UDI's webpages about permanent residence. For non EU/EEA citizens, please be aware that there is a limitation to how many months you can be outside of Norway in the last three years.