The First Weeks in Norway

Orientation Week for New Students, Spring Semester 2008

To welcome all new students to the University of Oslo and provide you with the necessary information to get started at the University and in a new country, there will be an orientation week in the very beginning of the semester.

The first week of the spring semester 2008 will have the following schedule:

Monday 7 January:
The Information Packet can be collected on the first floor of the Administration Building at the International Student Reception. Extended opening hours on this day are from 10 - 18. 

Map of Blindern campus 

Tuesday 8 January
At 10:00 there will be a Placement Test for the Norwegian language courses, for those students who have prior knowledge of Norwegian and would like to apply for intermediate or advanced level course. The test will be held in Auditorium 1, Georg Sverdrups House.

At 13:00 students will  participate in the Welcome Ceremony, General Information meeting, Groupe Orientatnion meeting and meet  with their Buddy Group directly after these meetings

Wednesday 9 January 
From 10:00 there will be information meetings at some faculties, i.e. Faculty of Humanities.

From 12:15 to 13:00 the information meeting for Norwegian language courses will be held in Auditorium 1, Georg Sverdrups House.

Thursday 10 January

From 10:00-12:00 there will be registration help for StudentWeb at Sophus Bugges House for those who do not manage to sign up from home or who need to speak to a student adviosor before signing up.
 
From 12:00-14:00 there will be registration help for the Norwegian language courses, also held at Sophus Bugges House.

Friday 11 January
The first International Coffee Hour will take place at Chateau Neuf in the afternoon Friday 11 January from 16 to 18.

Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 January
Special Events will be taking place during the weekend.

Please follow this link to the registration page for information about other important deadlines.

All new students will receive detailed information about the Orientation Week in their information packets after arrival.

Semester Registration, Semester Fee and Student ID Card

Semester Registration
Students at UiO must sign up for subjects and exams every semester. Students on study programmes must register a study plan in the StudentWeb. The study plan also contains the student's and UiO's mutual agreements.

Students who do not register a study plan, proceed through the normal semester registration in the StudentWeb.

Read more about this: StudentWeb - Study plan and semester registration

Semester Fee
All students (except ERASMUS, Nordplus and Bilateral students) must pay the semester, paper and copy fee of approx. NOK 540. You will receive a giro in your welcome package. 

Obtaining Student ID Card or an Access Card

Student ID Cards are issued to students who are staying more than 6 months and who have:

1. Completed the semester registration
2. Received a permanent Norwegian ID number.
3. Reported their permanent Norwegian ID number to the International Student Reception. 

Notification of Move to Norway from Abroad and National ID number

Does not apply to Nordic students and other students staying less than 6 months in Norway.

A Norwegian personal number is an 11 digit number consisting of your date of birth plus a 5 digit personal number. The number is required for obtaining a multifunctional student card, opening a bank account and applying for a loan from the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund (Quota Students). It is therefore imperative that you follow the procedure below and inform your international student advisor as soon as you receive this number, about four weeks after you have delivered the form to the National Registry (NR). The NR is situated at the following address:

Oslo likningskontor og folkeregister (NR)
Hagegata 23, Tøyen
0653 Oslo
Telephone: 815 444 55

Opening hours: 9:00 - 15:00 Monday-Friday.
The National Registry is located on the other side of the road from Tøyen subway station. All subway lines are going to Tøyen.  

• EEA students: when you receive the EEA ID card (your residence permit) you must fill in the form Notification to the National Registry (NR) of Move to Norway from Abroad, enclose a certified copy of your EEA ID card and send this to the above address.

• Other students: After you have been to the police and received the residence permit stamp in your passport, you must go directly to the National Registry to fill in the form Notification to the National Registry (NR) of Move to Norway from Abroad. Students whose complete date of birth, i.e. day, month and year, does not appear in the passport must bring along a copy of their letter from the Directorate of Immigration granting a residence permit. This will be your proof of your date of birth.

Nordic students and other students staying less than 6 months in Norway
If you plan to open a bank account in Norway the bank will give you a D-number which is a special number designed for persons who are not entitled to a Norwegian personal number.

Residence Permit - Registration with the police

Within a week after your arrival you must take your passport to the police to receive a residence permit stamp in your passport. 

Nordic citizens and EU/EEA citizens who have already obtained a residence permit in Norway are exempted. 

Bilateral exchange students and Scandinavian Urban Studies may apply for a residence permit within 7 days after arrival in Norway. 

Oslo Politidistrikt
Foreign Section
Storgata 33B
Telephone: 22 34 21 00

Regular Opening Hours is 8:15-13 am Monday to Friday. 
Try to be there by 8:15 when the office opens, as the queue is shortest at that time. You must take a queue number before 11:00.

EU/EEA students must bring certified copies of the following: 

1. Letter of Admission
2. ID-Card or ID-page of passport,
3. European Health Insurance Card or proof of other private health insurance coverage
4. Two passport-sized photos. 

See also: First Time Residence Permit (Before Arrival)
Renewal of Residence Permit for non-EEA Students (First Year)
Work Permit (First Year)

Norwegian Language Courses

Health Insurance

Students from the European Economic Area (EEA)
Students from EU/EEA countries must have health insurance coverage from their home country. The European Health Insurance Card covers expenses for medical treatment in accordance with the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme. For further information about the form please contact the nearest health insurance office in your home country.

Students working in Norway may be entitled to membership in the National Insurance Scheme

Students from countries outside the European Economic Area
If the duration of your stay in Norway is more than one year you automatically become insured under the National Insurance Scheme when you register as a student at the University of Oslo and as a resident in Norway.

If the duration of your stay in Norway is between 3 and 12 months you should fill in a special form entitling you to social security coverage with regard to health services in accordance with the National Insurance Scheme. The form must be sent to the insurance office in the municipality in which you are staying. For students living at Sogn or Kringsjå studentby the address is:

Nordre Aker trygdekontor  
Postboks 320, Alnabru
0614 Oslo
Telephone: 21066700

Students who do not fill in this form or students who stay in Norway less than three months should have a social security coverage from their home country.

All students
Your semester card which you receive by semester registration basically allows you free medical treatment at the Student Health Services.

This does not apply to medicines or to medical tests taken off Blindern campus. The cost of medicines is only covered if you are hospitalised or suffer from a serious disease and are member of the National Insurance Scheme or have the European health insurance card or other form of social security which covers these costs.

For further information please contact Student Counselling.

See also: Health Insurance (Before arrival)