--- title: "Norway Skilled job seeker requirements 2026: 6-month stay" url: https://settleanywhere.com/countries/norway/skilled-job-seeker-visa-exempt/ lang: en updated: 2026-10-12 --- Norway · Work # Norway Skilled job seeker **First stay:** 6 mo Residence permit for skilled job seekers who do not need a visa Checked against official sources on 12 Oct 2026 [Change log](https://settleanywhere.com/changes/) - **First stay:** 6 mo (Up to six months.) - **Who can apply:** Most passports (Skilled persons from countries whose citizens do not need a visa for Norway.) - **Tax residence:** Below the 183-day test (This route allows up to 6 months in total. Tax residence in Norway: more than 183 days in any 12-month period.) ## Key facts Skilled job seeker is a work route for Norway. Checked 2026-10-12 against the official source. - **Government fees:** NOK 6,300 ≈ $660 - **First stay:** 6 mo ## Cost, time and long term **Government fees: NOK 6,300 ≈ $660** - NOK 6,300 (≈ $660) Application fee under Immigration Regulations section 17-10 (work and similar permits), including renewals; applicants under 18 pay half. **Renewal: 6 months max in total** Up to six months. [Lovdata](https://lovdata.no/forskrift/2009-10-15-1286/%C2%A76-29a) ## Why this route may not fit Check this before you apply. - Time on this route is capped at 6 months in total - Not open to EU, EEA or Swiss passports ### What you'll need #### Who can apply - The applicant has skilled-worker qualifications under Immigration Regulations section 6-1. - The applicant is exempt from the visa requirement and is 18 or older. #### What you must show - Maintenance for the stay must be secured; no fixed figure is given in the regulation. - The application fee is NOK 6,300 (≈ $660). #### Steps 1. The application is filed within three months of arrival; the permit runs from the date of entry. #### After you arrive - The permit is valid for up to six months, and a new permit of this kind requires one year outside Norway. - The permit does not lead to permanent residence. ## When you become tax resident How Norway decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records. - **This route:** **Up to 6 months in total**, shorter than the 183-day test below. - **Tax residence:** - **More than 183 days in any 12-month period** Presence in Norway for more than 183 days in one or more periods makes a person resident for the income year in which the limit is passed. - **More than 270 days in any 36-month period** Presence in Norway for more than 270 days in any 36-month period also makes a person resident, except for persons resident on Svalbard. - **Foreign-source income:** Norwegian tax residents are taxed on worldwide income and wealth: 22% on general income plus bracket tax of 1.7% to 17.8% on personal income above NOK 226,100, (≈ $23,600) and employees pay 7.6% national insurance contributions. [All tax rules for Norway](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/norway/tax/) Tax records checked 12 Oct 2026 **Full official text** A person with skilled-worker qualifications who does not need a visa can obtain a permit for up to six months to look for skilled work in Norway. (sources 1, 2, 3) #### What you must show and pay - A fee of NOK 6,300 (≈ $660) · Application fee under Immigration Regulations section 17-10 (work and similar permits), including renewals; applicants under 18 pay half. (source 3) #### Requirements - The applicant has skilled-worker qualifications under Immigration Regulations section 6-1. (sources 1, 2) - The applicant is exempt from the visa requirement and is 18 or older. (sources 1, 2) - Maintenance for the stay must be secured; no fixed figure is given in the regulation. (source 1) - The application fee is NOK 6,300 (≈ $660). (source 3) - The application is filed within three months of arrival; the permit runs from the date of entry. (source 2) - The permit is valid for up to six months, and a new permit of this kind requires one year outside Norway. (source 2) - The permit does not lead to permanent residence. (source 2) #### Stay - Up to six months. - First stay: up to 6 months, decided case by case. - Not renewable according to our source. #### Nationality Skilled persons from countries whose citizens do not need a visa for Norway. Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia. #### Fine print UDI's job-seekers page, read on 12 October 2026, describes only the permit for recent graduates and researchers and says skilled workers get a job-search permit only in some exceptional cases. This record rests on section 6-29a of the Immigration Regulations, which is still in the regulations; ask UDI before relying on it. Checked 2026-10-12 ## Official sources 1. [Immigration Regulations (utlendingsforskriften), chapters 6 and 10](https://lovdata.no/dokument/SF/forskrift/2009-10-15-1286) · Lovdata (Norwegian legislation) · checked 2026-10-10 2. [Utlendingsforskriften section 6-29a (skilled job seekers who do not need a visa)](https://lovdata.no/forskrift/2009-10-15-1286/%C2%A76-29a) · Lovdata (Norwegian legislation) · checked 2026-10-11 3. [Regulation on foreigners' entry and residence (utlendingsforskriften), section 17-10: processing fees for residence permits](https://lovdata.no/forskrift/2009-10-15-1286/%C2%A717-10) · Lovdata (Norwegian regulation text) · checked 2026-10-11 ## Skilled job seeker and its alternatives | Route | Money needed | Stay | Work | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Skilled job seeker | – | 6 mo | – | | [Skilled worker permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/norway/skilled-worker/) | Needs income from NOK 545k a year ≈ $57k | 3 yr, renewable | – | | [Artist or performer](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/norway/artist-musician-performer/) | Needs income of NOK 341k+ a year ≈ $36k | 1 yr | – | | [Athlete / coach permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/norway/athlete-coach/) | Needs income of NOK 341k+ a year ≈ $36k | 1 yr, renewable | – | | [Foreign-company assignment](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/norway/foreign-company-assignment/) | – | 2 yr, renewable | Limited | ## Questions people ask ### How much money do I need for the Skilled job seeker? A fee of NOK 6,300 (≈ $660). Application fee under Immigration Regulations section 17-10 (work and similar permits), including renewals; applicants under 18 pay half. ### How long can I stay on the Skilled job seeker? Up to six months. ### Who can apply for the Skilled job seeker? Skilled persons from countries whose citizens do not need a visa for Norway. Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia. ## More in Norway [Working Holiday · Andorra](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/norway/working-holiday-ad/) [Working Holiday · Argentina](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/norway/working-holiday-ar/) [Working Holiday · Australia](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/norway/working-holiday-au/) [Working Holiday · Canada](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/norway/working-holiday-ca/) [Working Holiday · Japan](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/norway/working-holiday-jp/) [Working Holiday · New Zealand](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/norway/working-holiday-nz/) [Self-employed · Assignment](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/norway/self-employed-abroad-assignment/) [Self-employed permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/norway/self-employed/) ## Work visas elsewhere [🇵🇹 Blue Card](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/portugal/eu-blue-card/) [🇪🇸 EU Blue Card](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/spain/eu-blue-card/) [🇬🇪 IT sector permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/georgia/it-residence-permit/) [🇮🇹 Blue Card](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/italy/eu-blue-card/) [🇬🇷 Large-company director permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/greece/company-executive-b3/) [🇩🇪 Blue Card](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/germany/eu-blue-card/) ≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated. ## How this was checked **Checked on 2026-10-12 against 3 official sources.** Status: verified against the official sources. Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out. 1. [Immigration Regulations (utlendingsforskriften), chapters 6 and 10](https://lovdata.no/dokument/SF/forskrift/2009-10-15-1286) · Lovdata (Norwegian legislation) · checked 2026-10-10 2. [Utlendingsforskriften section 6-29a (skilled job seekers who do not need a visa)](https://lovdata.no/forskrift/2009-10-15-1286/%C2%A76-29a) · Lovdata (Norwegian legislation) · checked 2026-10-11 3. [Regulation on foreigners' entry and residence (utlendingsforskriften), section 17-10: processing fees for residence permits](https://lovdata.no/forskrift/2009-10-15-1286/%C2%A717-10) · Lovdata (Norwegian regulation text) · checked 2026-10-11 Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the [changes page](https://settleanywhere.com/changes/), and the [methodology page](https://settleanywhere.com/methodology/) explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email [contact@stayglobe.app](mailto:contact@stayglobe.app?subject=Correction) with a link to the official source.