When a family moves, the new municipality of residence must ensure the child receives primary education. Contact the municipality early, including when you move in the middle of the school year. Confirm the school place, first day, and how any support will continue.
Who should you contact first?
Start with the school office in the new municipality of residence. Give the child’s name, grade, current school, new address, and planned moving date. Ask how the municipality allocates school places, whether you must submit an application or move form, and who confirms the start date. Also notify the old school of the last day and ask the schools to coordinate.
The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training (Udir) says the old municipality is not required to notify the new one when a child moves. So do not wait for the schools to make contact without following up yourself. The guide to children’s right to education covers a child’s first experience of Norwegian school; here, the goal is a safe transition between schools.
| Before moving day | Who to ask | What needs to be clarified? |
|---|---|---|
| New address and school place | New municipality/school office | Which school, decision or confirmation, and start date |
| Leaving the old school | Contact teacher/principal | Last day and practical transfer of information |
| After-school programme (SFO) | New and old SFO | New application, start date, and ending the old place |
| Special support or school transport | New municipality and school | Who assesses the need, which documents are needed, and what happens on the first day |
Is the nearest school always the right one?
Children have the right to attend a school in their local area. Udir explains that the municipality may assign pupils using school catchment rules or an individual decision. Geography matters, but the route to school, capacity, and local factors can also play a part. Check the municipality’s own information instead of assuming that the nearest building will automatically be your child’s school.
If you want your child to stay at the old school or attend a school other than the one offered by the municipality, ask about a school transfer. The municipality must consider such an application and issue a decision that can be appealed. It is worth explaining a wish to stay with old friends, but that alone does not guarantee a place. If the school is in another municipality, ask both municipalities how to proceed.
Oslo Municipality gives a specific example: when a family moves outside a school’s catchment area, the pupil is assigned a place based on the new address. The family must apply if the child is to keep the old school place. Other municipalities may have different forms and practical routines; read the information for the municipality you are actually moving to. Updating your address in the National Population Register is a separate task that should also be done correctly.
How can you avoid a break in your child’s support?
Tell the new school early if your child receives special language instruction, individual accommodations, school transport, or other support. Ask the old school to explain what has been arranged and which documents the new school needs. These may include decisions, assessments from the educational-psychological service (PPT), plans, and contact details. Share health information through the school’s secure channel, not in an open email.
An earlier decision contains important information about your child’s needs, but after a school transfer the municipality must reassess the arrangements and issue a new decision. Ask who will meet your child on the first day and how teaching will be organized while the case is being processed. Schools may share relevant information when a pupil transfers under data-protection rules; check how they will do this securely. For a child who recently arrived in Norway, also ask how the new school will assess the need for language instruction; the transfer should not make that need invisible. Read the explanation of PPT and individual accommodations before the meeting if useful.
SFO has its own application and payment arrangements. Do not assume that a place, cancellation, or discount automatically follows your child to the new municipality. For example, Bergen Municipality’s SFO page describes a separate application. Ask the new municipality about the start date and the old municipality about cancellation terms so the family knows what applies during the transition week.
Example: moving in November
Amir’s family moves from Trondheim to Bergen on 15 November. Amir is in fourth grade, has an SFO place, and receives extra reading support. His parents notify the authorities of their move, but also contact Bergen Municipality directly before moving day. They find out which school will receive Amir and when he can start. They tell the old school his last day, ask for the safe transfer of relevant information, and apply for SFO in Bergen. They specifically ask who will assess the existing reading support and what the school can do from the first week.
If the family would prefer Amir to remain at his old school for the rest of the term, they must apply to do so and clarify the route to school and any costs. This example is a checklist, not a promise of a particular school place.
Short message to the new municipality
We are moving to [address] on [date]. Our child, [name], is in grade [grade] at [school] in [municipality]. Which school should we contact about a place and starting date, and do we need to submit a separate form? Our child has [SFO / language instruction / accommodations / transport], and we would like to plan the transfer before moving day. Which documents do you need, and who is our contact person?
Before closing the matter, get written confirmation of the school and first day, a contact person, a plan for transferring support, and an answer about SFO and any transport. Ask for reasons and appeal information if you disagree with a school-place decision. If the child risks missing school days, contact the municipality immediately. Save the replies with the moving date and note whom you spoke with. This makes follow-up easier if you later need to explain why your child could not attend on the expected first day.
Sources checked 2 October 2026: Udir guidance on local schools, moving, and municipal responsibility; Udir on new decisions and sharing information when changing schools; Oslo Municipality on school transfers; Bergen Municipality on SFO.
