Can you work before your residence permit is granted?

The main rule is that you must wait for the decision. Skilled workers can still start early with a confirmation of early work start from the police. Here are the rules, the conditions and who cannot begin.

Hlib SuslovPublished:July 17, 2026Last updated:July 23, 20266 min read

Important. This article gives general information, not individual advice. Always check your specific case with the responsible authority before acting.

See the official source: udi.no

The main rule is no: If you come from a country outside the EU/EEA and have applied for a residence permit in order to work, you usually cannot begin working before your permit has been granted. There is one important exception. If you have applied as a skilled worker (faglært arbeidstaker) with an employer in Norway, and your employer has already received a confirmation of early work start (bekreftelse om tidlig arbeidsstart) from the police, you can begin before the decision is ready. If you do not have such a confirmation, you must wait. UDI (Utlendingsdirektoratet, the Directorate of Immigration, which processes residence applications) is clear that working without a permit is illegal, so it is important that you know which rule applies to you.

Main rule: you usually cannot work before you get an answer

As a main rule, you cannot start working before your application for a residence permit has been granted. This applies to you if you are a citizen of a country outside the EU/EEA and are applying for a permit to work in Norway. So you must wait for the decision – even if you have received a job offer, have signed an employment contract or have submitted a complete application.

This rule is strict on purpose. Working without a valid permit is illegal, both for you and for the employer. If you are unsure whether you are allowed to start, the safe rule is simple: wait until your permit has been granted. If you are a citizen of an EU/EEA country, other rules apply, and you can start working right away – that is not the topic of this article.

The exception: early work start for skilled workers

You can still begin working before you receive the decision if two things are met at the same time. First, you must have applied for a residence permit as a skilled worker (faglært arbeidstaker) with an employer in Norway. Second, your employer must already have received a confirmation of early work start from the police. If you have both, you can start the job while UDI processes the application.

This is the only exception in ordinary labour immigration. The right to let you start follows from utlendingsforskriften § 6-8 (the Immigration Regulations), which places the responsibility on the employer. The most important thing to remember is the order: the confirmation must exist before you begin. If the employer has applied for early work start but has not yet received the confirmation, you are still not allowed to work.

What counts as a «skilled worker» is a separate question with its own requirements. In short, it means that you are qualified through education or a trade certificate, for example at least three years of completed education from a university or university college. You will find the exact requirements in the guide on residence permit for skilled workers.

The conditions for getting early work start

For the employer to be able to request early work start, several conditions must be met. All of them must be in place at the same time – it is not enough that one or two of them are true.

The application must be submitted with all necessary attachments, that is, be complete.
You must be a skilled worker, for example with at least three years of completed education from a university or university college.
The employer must request early work start when the application is submitted to the police.

The employer can only let you start early if the employer themselves is not excluded from the scheme under utlendingsforskriften § 6-34 (the Immigration Regulations), and no administrative decision has been made against the employer under utlendingsloven § 27 femte ledd (the Immigration Act, fifth paragraph). This is a check of the employer, not of you, but the result is the same: if the conditions are missing, you cannot start early.

Who cannot use early work start

Some groups cannot use the early work start scheme, even if they apply as skilled workers. Then the main rule applies: you must wait until the permit is granted.

You cannot use early work start if you submit the application at an embassy abroad instead of to the police in Norway. The scheme also does not apply if you apply as a religious leader or teacher. In addition, citizens of Iran and North Korea (Nord-Korea) cannot use early work start. If you are in doubt about whether you belong to one of these groups, you should check with the police or UDI before you do anything – do not start working and hope it goes well.

Restrictions while you work on early work start

Even when you are allowed to start early, two important restrictions apply. They are good to know before you say yes.

First, you are bound to the employer in the application. You cannot change employer or client while you work on a confirmation of early work start. Second, there is a time window: the confirmation must be arranged when the application is submitted to the police. After the police have sent the case on to UDI for processing, it is no longer possible to get a confirmation of early work start. Then you must wait for the decision.

What you and the employer must do

Early work start is something the employer must initiate, not something you arrange alone. In practice, it is therefore important that you and the employer talk together early in the process.

Submit a complete application for a residence permit as a skilled worker, with all necessary attachments.
Ask the employer to request early work start when you submit the application to the police.
Wait for the employer to receive the confirmation of early work start from the police – and do not start working before it is in place.

Be aware that you do not receive a confirmation of early work start at the Service Centres for Foreign Workers (SUA) in Bergen, Oslo, Trondheim, Kirkenes and Stavanger. The confirmation comes from the police. It can also be wise to have the employment contract ready; read more in the guide on employment contracts in Norway.

What happens if you work without a permit

If you begin working without being allowed to, you are working illegally. This applies if you start before the permit is granted without having a confirmation of early work start, or if you belong to a group that cannot use the scheme.

Working without a valid permit is illegal in Norway, and it can have consequences both for your application now and for the chance to get a residence permit later. The employer can also be held responsible. If you are in doubt about whether you are allowed to begin, do not guess – contact the police or UDI and get it clarified first. You can read more about why work without a permit is considered illegal in the article on undeclared work in Norway. If you want to understand the application process itself from the start, see how to apply for a work permit.

Examples

Example 1 – can start early: Amir has applied for a residence permit as a skilled engineer at a company in Bergen. The application has been submitted with all attachments, and the employer requested early work start when the application was submitted to the police. The employer has now received the confirmation. Amir can begin working at this company while he waits for the decision, but he cannot switch to another employer along the way.

Example 2 – must wait: Nadia has received a job offer and has submitted a skilled-worker application, but her employer has not received a confirmation of early work start. Even though she would like to start right away, Nadia must wait until the residence permit is granted before she can start the job. If she begins before that, she is working illegally.

Sources

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can I start working while I wait for a residence permit?

As a main rule, no. If you come from a country outside the EU/EEA, you must wait until the permit is granted. The exception is if you have applied as a skilled worker and your employer has received a confirmation of early work start from the police.

What is early work start?

It is a scheme that lets a skilled applicant begin working before the decision is ready. It requires a complete application, that you are a skilled worker, and that the employer requests early work start when the application is submitted to the police and then receives a confirmation.

Is it enough that the employer has applied for early work start?

No. The confirmation from the police must be in place before you begin. If the employer has applied but has not yet received the confirmation, you are still not allowed to work.

Can I change employer while I work on early work start?

No. You are bound to the employer in the application and cannot change employer or client while you work on a confirmation of early work start.

Who cannot use early work start?

Among others, those who apply at an embassy abroad, those who apply as religious leaders or teachers, and citizens of Iran and North Korea. Then the main rule of waiting for the decision applies.

What happens if I work without a permit?

It is illegal and can have consequences both for your application and for the chance to get a residence permit later. The employer can also be held responsible. If you are in doubt, clarify it with the police or UDI before you begin.