5 Work permits for family members of
members of missions or consular posts
5.1 General information
Neither
the Vienna Conventions nor Norwegian legislation contain any specific
provisions prohibiting or limiting the employment of spouses or other family
members of the members of missions or consular officers. For work outside the
missions they are, however, bound by the general provisions relating to foreign
nationals who wish to work in Norway.
The
applicant must have reached the age of 15 years to apply for a work permit. If
the applicant is between 15 and 18 years of age, written consent from a parent
or other person with parental responsibility must be presented (cf. section 2
of the Immigration Regulations). Please note that there is a charge of NOK 600
for a work permit issued by the Directorate of Immigration.
It
should be noted that the general restrictions on practising certain professions
in Norway apply to holders
of work permits in the same manner and to the same extent as they apply to
Norwegian nationals and permanent residents in Norway.
5.2 Nationals of EEA and/or EFTA member
countries
Family
members who are nationals of countries party to the Agreement on the European
Economic Area (EEA) and/or countries party to the European Free Trade
Association (EFTA) Convention can choose whether to apply for a Norwegian work
permit in accordance with EEA rules or in accordance with Norway’s rules for third-country
(i.e. non-EEA and/or non-EFTA) nationals.
Family
members who are nationals of a country that was a member of the EEA prior to 1
May 2004 may work for three months without a work permit. If they wish to work
for more than three months, they must apply for a work permit (cf. section 172,
first paragraph, of the Immigration Regulations). The application should be
submitted to the applicant’s local police station or, if the applicant’s place
of work is in Oslo,
to:
Oslo
Police District
Foreign Nationals Section
Storgata 33
PO Box 8010 Dep
N-0032 Oslo
Family
members who are nationals of a country that became a member of the EEA on 1 May
2004 or later must have a work permit before they can begin working, cf.
section 172, first paragraph, of the Immigration Regulations.
5.3 Nationals of non-EEA and/or non-EFTA
countries
Family
members who are nationals of countries that are not members of the EEA or EFTA
must apply for a work permit in Norway
in accordance with the rules for third-country nationals, cf. section 160,
first and second paragraphs, of the Immigration Regulations. They must have
been granted a work permit before starting to work. The application must
include documentation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs showing that the
person in question is a family member of a member of a mission, and should include
a copy of the applicant’s passport and form GP 7028 E, which can be obtained
from the police.
The
application should be made to the police in the municipality where the
applicant is living or, if the applicant’s place of work is in Oslo, to the Foreign
Nationals Section of Oslo Police District at the address given in paragraph 5.2
above.
For
further information, please call Oslo Police District, Foreign Nationals
Section, on 22 34 21 00. (The initial recorded response is in Norwegian, but
during working hours you will be attended to personally if you hold the line.)
Immigration
Regulations
The Directorate of Immigration is
a further source of useful information.
