Persons offered work as chefs of national cuisine may be granted a work permit under the rules on work permits for skilled workers/specialists, with certain additional conditions.
This group covers chefs intending to work at restaurants offering ethnic/national cuisine and to prepare food which represents the culinary traditions of their home country. It should be noted that “ordinary” chefs do not fall into the category “chefs of national cuisine”. This group is referred to the information under the heading Skilled worker/specialist.
NB: Separate rules apply for citizens of EU/EEA countries.
- As a rule, the application must relate to full-time work
- The wages and working conditions must not be worse than the applicable tariff agreement, wage scale or normal standard for the location and profession
Persons who are offered work as nationality cooks can obtain a work permit following the rules on work permit for skilled worker/specialist. Certain requirements are demanded in addition.
Regardless of whether or not an educational system exists, the requirement for the time spent on education and practical experience is a total of ten years. As a general rule, the applicant is required to be at least 30 years old.
Special requirement for applicants from China
Education and practical experience for nationality cooks from China shall be documented with a cook’s certificate within one of the following categories:
“Senior technical cook” or “Technical cook”
The applicant must document all practical experience prior to the achievement of the certificate as senior technical cook or technical cook after having achieved a certificate as senior skill level cook. The applicant is also required to submit a copy of the results of his/her most recent examination.
Special requirement for applicants from Hong Kong
There is no formal educational system for cooks in Hong Kong. Consequently, applicants can only refer to their practical experience. The following requirements for practical experience apply: “No. 1 Cook” or “Chief Cook”. Applicants must also document that they have worked at a hotel/restaurant of high standard during their period of practical experience. The total time requirement is therefore a minimum of 10 years.
To apply for a work permit, you must complete an application form. The application must be submitted from your country of origin or another country where you have been legally resident for at least six months. You may not enter the country and start working before your permit has been granted. The application must be submitted to your nearest Norwegian foreign service mission (embassy, consulate general). You will also be informed of the decision regarding your application via the Norwegian foreign service mission.
Your employer may apply for you
Your employer may also apply for a work permit for you, if you give your employer written power of attorney. In this case, the application must be submitted to the police in the district in which the employer’s business is based.
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.
In addition to a completed application form, you must include:
- A completed “offer of employment” form or an employment contract which has the same information and has been signed by the employer/client and the applicant.
- Documentation of education and practical experience as mentioned under “What are the requirements regarding the applicants’ competence”. The documentation will be verified by the Foreign Service mission that receives the application from the nationality cook.
- Information about housing
- Copy of passport (all completed pages)
- Passport photo/other photo which meets the set requirements
- You must also pay a fee
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.
Case processing times vary. For an overview of average processing times for the various types of permit, visit
www.udi.no/caseprocessingtime. You can also
contact the Information Service (OTS) by e-mail or by calling (+ 47) 23 35 16 00.
The case processing time will be longer if the application is submitted by the employer in Norway. This is often due to the case load at the police, and it will take much longer time to make the necessary verifications in the applicants’ home county.
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 permit is linked to a particular job and work place. You are not permitted to work at another place without first, applying for a new permit.
- The validity of the first time work permit can be given for one, two or three years, but nevertheless not beyond the validity of the work situation.
- The permit constitutes 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 can be renewed. 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?
Further information on work permit for nationality cooks can be found in UDI’s circular 2003-032. If you are still unsure about anything relating to how you apply for this type of work permit, you can contact your local Norwegian embassy or consulate, or
the Information Service (OTS).
