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.