Moving from Norway: a checklist for leaving the country

A checklist for anyone moving from Norway for good or for a long time: what you need to report to Folkeregisteret, and what happens to your tax, Nav membership, health coverage and residence permit.

Hlib SuslovPublished:July 21, 2026Last updated:July 21, 20266 min read

If you're moving from Norway for good or for a longer period, you must report your move (utflytting) to Folkeregisteret (the National Registry) before you leave, clarify your tax liability, your folketrygden (National Insurance Scheme) membership and your health coverage, and — if you hold a residence permit — find out what happens to it. This checklist goes through the steps in order, along with who to contact.

Report your move to Folkeregisteret

If you're going to settle abroad, or stay there for at least 6 måneder (six months), you must report your move to Folkeregisteret before you leave. Folkeregisteret is run by Skatteetaten (the Norwegian tax authority). You can submit the notice at the earliest 31 dager (thirty-one days) before your departure date.

If you're moving to another Nordic country (Denmark, Finland, Iceland or Sweden), the requirement of 6 måneder and the 31-dagersfristen (the thirty-one-day deadline) do not apply. Nordic moves are instead regulated by a separate Nordic population-registration agreement from 1. november 2004, and the procedure may differ — check with Skatteetaten how to register a Nordic move correctly. See moving notice and population registration in Norway for forms and procedure.

Tax: your tax liability doesn't stop automatically

Reporting your move to Folkeregisteret does not end your tax liability. You're considered tax-resident until the conditions for tax emigration are met.

If you've lived in Norway for less than 10 år (ten years), your tax liability ends once you're permanently resident abroad, you don't stay in Norway for more than 61 dager (sixty-one days) in the income year, and neither you nor your immediate family have housing available in Norway. If you've lived in Norway for at least 10 år, the three-year rule (3 år, three years) applies instead: residency can end at the earliest after the third income year following the year you took up permanent residence abroad, with the same 61-dagers (sixty-one-day) and housing conditions applying in all 3 årene. You must report the emigration yourself in the skattemelding (tax return) — it does not happen automatically.

As long as you're tax-resident in Norway, you must submit a tax return every year and report all income and wealth, in Norway and abroad.

If you hold shares with a large gain, moving away can also trigger utflyttingsskatt (exit tax). For moves from and including 20. mars 2024, a basic allowance (bunnfradrag) of 3 000 000 kroner (three million kroner) applies, and the tax is paid within 12 år (twelve years). The rules have been changed several times and may change again — check the current rules with Skatteetaten before a move involving larger assets.

Nav membership and benefits that stop

If you move out of Norway, you generally lose your membership in folketrygden — the National Insurance Scheme behind sykepenger (sick pay), dagpenger (unemployment benefit) and old-age pension from Nav (Arbeids- og velferdsetaten, Norway's labour and welfare agency). If you're abroad for more than 12 måneder (twelve months), you lose membership from your departure date. If you're abroad for more than 6 måneder per year for 2 or more kalenderår (two calendar years) in a row, you lose it too, even without 12 sammenhengende måneder (twelve consecutive months) abroad. Separate coordination rules often apply within the EEA.

Without membership, you generally have no right to health services from folketrygden, do not accrue pension rights, and lose most cash benefits from Nav. Some examples:

Barnetrygd (child benefit) stops when the child moves abroad for more than 3 måneder (three months), or more than 6 måneder per year for 2 kalenderår in a row. In some EEA cases it's still kept, for example if a parent works in Norway. Always notify Nav.
Dagpenger generally requires you to stay in Norway, but you can take dagpenger with you for up to 3 måneder for job-seeking in another EEA country with the PD U2 certificate. A permanent move ends dagpenger.
Sykepenger generally cannot be taken out of Norway. Outside the EU/EEA you can apply to Nav to keep it for up to 4 uker (four weeks) per 12 måneder; the Nordic region and the EEA have their own rules.

If you want to keep your membership voluntarily, you can apply to Nav if you've been a member for at least 3 of the last 5 kalenderårene (five calendar years) and have a close connection to Norwegian society. You choose the health part, the pension part, or both, and processing takes around 6 måneder.

Health coverage: Helfo, EHIC and S1

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from Norway requires membership in folketrygden. If you've moved to another country or no longer meet the conditions, you should not use the card — even if the dates on it haven't expired yet.

If you move to an EU/EEA country or Switzerland as a pensioner or worker with Norwegian rights, you may be entitled to health services in your country of residence with the S1 entitlement document from Helfo (Helseøkonomiforvaltningen, the Norwegian Health Economics Administration). The entitlement depends on your category — contact Helfo before you move.

The residence permit: what happens if you're away for a long time

If you hold a permanent residence permit, it lapses if you stay continuously outside Norway for 2 år (two years) or more, or have several stays abroad that together add up to 2 år or more within a 4-årsperiode (four-year period). Stays under 2 måneder (two months) per calendar year don't count, and if you've stayed continuously in Norway for 15 måneder (fifteen months), you can again be away for up to 2 new years. Read more about the rules in the overview of how long you can stay abroad with a residence permit.

If you're going to be outside Norway for more than 2 år and still want to keep the permit, you must apply to UDI (Utlendingsdirektoratet, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration) at least 6 måneder before the 2-årsfristen (two-year deadline) runs out, and have an approved reason: work, education beyond upper-secondary level, national service, or accompanying a spouse, cohabiting partner or parent who works or studies abroad.

If you haven't yet been granted a permanent residence permit, moving away normally breaks the qualifying residence period (botiden) you're building up toward it: under the three-year requirement (3 år), you cannot have been outside Norway for more than 7 måneder (seven months) in the last 3 årene, and under the five-year requirement (5 år, five years), not more than 10 måneder (ten months). If you move away for good, you no longer meet the requirement. If you're later planning to apply for citizenship, stays abroad of up to 2 måneder per calendar year don't count against your residence time, while a longer stay in one calendar year deducts the whole period.

The pension you've earned, you keep

Old-age pension you've earned in Norway is not lost, and it can generally be paid out abroad. Outside the EEA and countries with a social security agreement, at least 20 års (twenty years) residence is normally required for full payment of the guarantee-pension part, while the income pension is paid regardless of residence period. Remember to notify Nav when you move. Read more in the overview of pension and qualifying residence period for immigrants.

Practical wind-down before you leave

Housing: check the notice period in your tenancy agreement, and give written notice on your lease well before the move.
Electricity and insurance: cancel or transfer your electricity contract and your insurance policies directly with the providers.
Car: if you're exporting the car for good, the vehicle registration document follows the car, and the plates are handed in to the registration authority in the new country or to a traffic station (trafikkstasjon) in Norway. Send documentation of the foreign registration to Statens vegvesen (the Norwegian Public Roads Administration), check possible refund of the one-off registration tax (engangsavgiften) with Skatteetaten, and cancel the car insurance once it's deregistered.
Student loan: Lånekassen (Statens lånekasse for utdanning, the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund) must still be paid from abroad — use avtalegiro/eFaktura from a Norwegian account or a transfer from a foreign bank (account details from Lånekassen), and you cover the bank fees yourself. If you apply for interest exemption or debt cancellation, you must document your income yourself.
Mail: Posten (the Norwegian postal service) can forward letter mail abroad — order the service well before departure. It only covers letters, not parcels or goods, because such shipments require a customs declaration.
Bank and BankID: many people keep their Norwegian bank account and BankID after moving, but banks have their own requirements for identification and contact information, and practice varies. Ask your bank before you leave.
Digital mail: check and update your contact information with Norwegian authorities before you move, so you don't miss mail from public bodies while you're abroad.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to report my move to Folkeregisteret if I'm moving to another Nordic country?

Not in the same way. The usual requirement — that you must report your move if you're going to stay abroad for at least 6 måneder (six months), and that the notice can be submitted at the earliest 31 dager (thirty-one days) before departure — does not apply to a move to another Nordic country. Moving to Denmark, Finland, Iceland or Sweden is instead regulated by a separate Nordic population-registration agreement from 1. november 2004 — check with Skatteetaten how to register the move correctly.

Do I stop being tax-liable to Norway when I report my move?

No. Reporting your move to Folkeregisteret does not end your tax liability. You're considered tax-resident in Norway until the conditions for tax emigration are met, including the 61-dagersregelen (the sixty-one-day rule) and — if you've lived in Norway for at least 10 år — the three-year rule (3 år).

What happens to my folketrygden membership if I move away?

If you stay abroad for more than 12 måneder, you lose membership from your departure date. If you stay for more than 6 måneder per year for 2 or more kalenderår in a row, you lose it too. Without membership, most Nav benefits and pension accrual fall away.

Do I lose my permanent residence permit if I'm abroad for a long time?

A permanent residence permit lapses on continuous stays outside Norway of 2 år or more. If you're going to be away longer, you can apply to UDI to keep the permit at least 6 måneder before the 2-årsfristen runs out, if you have an approved reason.

Do I keep the pension I've earned in Norway after I move away?

Yes, earned old-age pension is not lost, and it can generally be paid out abroad. Outside the EEA and countries Norway has a social security agreement with, at least 20 års residence is normally required for full payment of the guarantee-pension part.

Can I use my European Health Insurance Card after I've moved out of Norway?

No. The card requires membership in folketrygden, and you should not use it after you've moved or no longer meet the conditions, even if the dates on the card haven't expired.