Residence permit

As a rule, everyone is entitled to stay in Norway for three months without a residence permit. However, the regulations vary for those foreign nationals who require a visa and those who do not, and there are also specific rules which apply to EU/EEA citizens.

Nordic citizens are exempted from the requirement of a residence permit.

Foreign nationals who require a visa must apply for a visa in order to stay in Norway/the Schengen area. The visa may be granted for up to three months, but the length of the stay may also be limited.

Foreign nationals with no visa requirement may stay in Norway/the Schengen area for up to three months, within any six-month period, without any form of permit. During this period, you may enter and leave Norway freely, but it is your responsibility to ensure that you do not exceed the total limit of three months.

There are various types of residence permit, each of which has different requirements. Two categories of residence permits concern researchers only. These are:

Residence permit for researchers with own means
As a rule, a researcher must have a work permit, but if your stay in Norway is to be financed with your own means, a residence permit is sufficient. To be eligible, the researcher must be intending to carry out research at a university, research institute etc. and subsistence and housing must be ensured.

For more information and details about residence permit for researchers with own means, please see this information from the Norwegian Directorate of Immagration.

Residence permit for researchers under the auspices of the Research Council of Norway
In order to qualify for this type of residence permit, you must be under the auspices of the Research Council of Norway as part of a cultural agreement between Norway and another country or be on a scholarship programme under the auspices of the Research Council of Norway.

For more information and details about residence permit for researchers under the auspices of the Research Council of Norway, the Norwegian Directorate of Immagration gives more information.

NOTE: For more information and details about residence permit and how to apply, please go to this web page of the Norwegian Directorate of Immagration.