Visa and Resident Permits
Students who plan to study for more than 3 months in Norway must apply for a residence permit. You should apply at least 2 months in advance of their arrival as this is the minimum processing time for the application.
The residence permit is always linked to a specific course of study. The permits are granted for the same length of time as the duration of the education, but not for more than one year. The permit may be renewed.
Students from countries outside the EU/EEA/EFTA
Bilateral Exchange Students from countries exempted from the Norwegian visa regulations are recommended to apply for a residence permit before arrival to Norway. If the application runs the risk of not being accepted in time before you travel, you can also present your application for a residence permit to the police within 7 days after arrival in Norway. To avoid practical inconveniencies after arrival in Norway, it is however recommended that you apply from your home country. The application for residence permits must be submitted through the Norwegian Embassy/Consulate in your home country.
Bilateral Exchange Students from countries covered by the Norwegian visa regulations (link til landliste) must have a visa to enter Norway and must always apply for a residence permit from their home country. If students from these countries come to Norway without a valid visa, they will not be able to remain in Norway. The application for residence permits must be submitted through the Norwegian Embassy/Consulate in your home country. A first-issue residence permit must be granted before entry to Norway.
Documentation requirements
You will get an application form at the Norwegian Embassy or Consulate where you apply. The application must be accompanied by:
- Your letter of admission from OUC
- Study plan – information about the course of study to be taken in Norway and the date of completion
- Documentation that accommodation has been obtained (this will be stated in the admission letter from OUC)
- Documentation of financing
- Valid passport
Financing and documentation
The minimum requirement is that the applicant has an amount corresponding to that which constitutes full funding by the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund for full time students. This is today NOK 80,000 per academic year (10 months) or NOK 40,000 per semester (5 months).
If you are going to finance your stay in Norway yourself, the general rule is that you must transfer the full amount corresponding to the length of your stay (1 – 2 semesters) to an account in a Norwegian bank in your own name. In order to help international students to present documentation of sufficient financial means, OUC has opened a deposit account for international students to which you can transfer the required amount. A receipt of the transfer will be sent to you, as documentation of financing when you apply for the residence permit. You will receive complete information about the deposit account and how to use it together with your admission letter from OUC.
If your studies in Norway will be financed by public funding or a grant from your home country, documentation of this must be enclosed with the application. It must be clearly stated where the funds come from, the amount in question and how the transfer to Norway will be done (including monthly amounts or single transfer).
Financial guarantees from third parties are generally not accepted as sufficient documentation.
Quota Scheme students
If your study in Norway is funded through the Quota Scheme , this will be stated in your admission letter from OUC, which you can present as documentation of financing.
Students from EU/EEC/EFTA countries
The students from these countries may apply for the residence permit after arrival in Norway. The following documentation must be submitted:
- Application form with photographs
- ID-card or valid passport
- Certified copy of the admission letter to OUC
- Plan of study
- Health insurance (private, E128-form or European Health Insurance Card) valid for the entire period of studies
- Declaration or documentation showing that subsistence is ensured. If you document that you will be studying within the framework of an exchange scheme under the auspices of the EU, like i.e. Erasmus, you do not need to document subsistence.