To apply for a settlement permit, you must submit an application. You must also include the required documentation.
To apply for a settlement permit, you must complete an application form (GP-7111). The application must be submitted to the police in the district where you live, and at least one month before your residence or work permit expires. If the application has been submitted in time, you are entitled to remain in Norway under the same conditions as before, until your application has been processed.
When you are applying for a settlement permit, the following documents must accompany the application:
The police have the authority to grant a settlement permit in cases where there is no doubt that the terms for the permit have been met. In practice, this means that the police handle most applications for a settlement permit.
If the police have any doubt as to whether the terms for the permit have been met, the case must be passed on to the UDI for a decision. Circumstances which could cause doubt as to whether the terms for the permit have been met may include numerous or long trips abroad during the past three years, lack of clarity regarding the grounds for various permits or late submission of applications. It is up to the police in each individual case to determine whether the application should be processed by them or referred to the UDI.
When you apply for a settlement permit, you will receive automatic notification in the mail that the immigration authorities have received your application. This letter will contain information about how long processing may take.
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 settlement permit is represented by a sticker in your passport. The sticker functions as a return-visa to Norway and the other Schengen area. It is valid for two years, and must therefore be renewed after this time. You must go to the police to have the sticker inserted in your passport, but it is not necessary to apply for renewal in advance. You can renew the sticker no more than six months before it expires.
An expired sticker does not mean that you have lost leave to settle. However, without a valid visa sticker, as a foreign national who requires a visa, you will require your own visa to re-enter Norway. It is therefore important to ensure that an expired sticker is renewed before leaving the country.
EU/EEA citizens who have a settlement permit do not require a sticker, as they can enter Norway without a visa.
The settlement permit provides you with a general entitlement to live, work or operate a commercial enterprise in Norway for an indefinite period. The permit also gives you stronger protection against deportation than a permit with a time-limit. The permit entitles the holder to repeated entry into Norway.
If your application for a settlement permit is rejected, you may appeal against this decision. Unless the UDI reverses its decision, it is the Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) that will make the final decision regarding the appeal. The processing of the appeal is free of charge.
Although a settlement permit entitles you to stay in Norway indefinitely, it is a requirement that you actually live in the country. If you live abroad for two or more years after being granted a settlement permit, you will lose your permit.
In some cases, you may apply for an exemption to this rule if you have a good reason for living abroad for an extended period of time. You must apply for such an exemption in plenty of time before the end of the two-year limit. Decisions on the loss of a settlement permit and on entitlement to live outside Norway for longer than two years are made by the UDI.
More questions?
If you have more questions about how to apply for a settlement permit, you can contact the Information Service (OTS).
