This form of work permit may be granted to persons from Australia or New Zealand who wish to take a long holiday in Norway and supplement their spending money with odd jobs/temporary work.
- You must be a citizen of Australia or New Zealand. If you are a citizen of a third country but are a permanent resident of Australia or New Zealand, you are not covered by the working holiday scheme.
- You must be at least 18 years old at the time of application. There are no exemptions to the age requirement. This means that under age applicants who have the consent of parents or others exercising parental responsibility are not covered by the working holiday scheme. The upper age limit for a working holiday is 30, i.e. you must not have turned 31 years old at the time of application.
- You must be able to fund your stay in Norway. This means that you must document your ability to fund your living expenses for the first three months of your stay. The requirement for funding for the remaining part of your stay can be met through income from temporary work.
- If you are an Australian citizen, you must provide a health certificate.
- If you are from New Zealand, you must have in place the necessary medical insurance and full hospital insurance before you enter Norway.
There is no requirement for you to have a concrete offer of employment or employment contract.
Applications should be submitted to a Norwegian foreign service mission. You can choose which Norwegian foreign service mission you wish to apply through. Where there is no doubt that the conditions for a working holiday permit have been met, the embassy in Canberra is able to grant the permit.
The work permit must be granted before entry into Norway. However, you may apply for a work permit from Norway if you are a legal resident in Norway, and can document your qualifications as a skilled worker/specialist.
It is also a condition that you are not living in Norway while applying for asylum or while waiting to leave the country following a failed asylum application.
Applications made from within Norway must be submitted to the police in the district in which you live.
Temporary permit
You may not start working until you have received a work permit.
The police may, on request, issue a
temporary permit, if they believe it is likely that your application will be granted. In this case, you must meet the conditions for submitting an application from within Norway.
When you are applying for a working permit, the following documents must accompany the application:
As a main rule, it is sufficient that copies of the documents are sent with the application. However, you have to produce the original documents when you hand in your application.
All documents attached to the application have to be translated into English or Norwegian.
NB: The requirement for documentation varies from country to country, and may change over time. You should therefore check what requirements currently apply by contacting the Norwegian embassy in the country from which you are applying.
In order to avoid unnecessary case processing delays, it is important to take care when completing the application form and to include all the requested documentation.
- The work permit provides general entitlement to take on work, but only temporary work/odd jobs which do not last longer than three months with the same employer.
- A permit for a working holiday is generally granted for one year.
- The permit does not constitute grounds for a settlement permit.
- Family members may come to Norway under the rules for family immigration. If the family’s application is submitted at the same time as the application for the principal person, these will be processed together.
The permit may be renewed, but the overall duration of the permit must not exceed two years. An application for renewal of the work permit must be submitted at least one month before the current permit expires. The application must be submitted to the police where you live.
You must also pay a fee when applying for renewal.
If your application for a work permit is rejected, you may appeal against this decision. If you appeal, your application will be re-examined by the UDI. The UDI may overturn the decision and grant the requested permit. If the UDI upholds the decision, the case is sent on to the Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) for new consideration.
Any questions?
If you are still unsure about anything relating to how you apply for a work permit, you can contact your local Norwegian embassy or consulate, or
the Information Service (OTS).
