Residence permit for skilled workers 2026

Residence permit for skilled workers: main rules as of 6 July 2026

A residence permit for skilled workers is for people who will work in Norway in a position that requires skilled competence. The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) assesses you, your education, the job, and the pay as of 6 July 2026.

This is especially important if you cannot use the EU/EEA rules. You should read the UDI requirements together with your employment contract and your documents. SamfunnPrep also has practical tools for deadlines and documents that can help you keep track before you apply.

What kind of competence can give you the permit?

You must have skilled competence that matches the job. As of 6 July 2026, UDI accepts three main types of competence:

• Vocational upper secondary education: The education must normally be completed, last at least three years, and be comparable to a similar vocational qualification in Norway.
• University or college education: This can be a bachelor's degree, master's degree, or another completed degree that fits the position.
• Special qualifications: These are based on long work experience, sometimes together with courses and some education. As of 6 July 2026, UDI says you usually need at least 6 years of experience, and it is difficult to get a permit on this basis.

The job must require the competence you have. For example, an engineering job must require engineering competence. A health-related role may require authorisation. If the occupation is regulated, you must have the correct approval or authorisation before you can work. See also the guide to approval of foreign education.

What must the job offer contain?

You must have a concrete job offer from an employer in Norway. As of 6 July 2026, the offer must show what you will do, your employment percentage, who the employer is, and the pay and working conditions you will receive.

UDI requires as of 6 July 2026 that the position is usually full-time. If the position is at least 80 percent, UDI may approve it. A lower percentage is therefore risky for this type of permit.

The job offer must also be real. If you apply from abroad, the employer must in many cases confirm the offer before you can send the application. The scheme was published by UDI on 19 February 2026. As of 6 July 2026, you then receive a code from the employer. You must enter the code in the application form, and you cannot submit the application if the code is wrong.

The employment contract should match what UDI will assess. Check the job title, duties, salary, working hours, start date, and whether the job requires skilled competence. SamfunnPrep explains this more simply in the article about employment contracts in Norway.

If you will work through a staffing agency, the requirements are stricter. As of 6 July 2026, assignments must be planned and confirmed. The permit may then be shorter, because UDI can only issue a permit for the period the assignments cover.

What is the salary requirement?

Salary and working conditions must not be worse than what is normal in Norway. As of 6 July 2026, this means either a collective agreement, normal pay in the occupation, or specific UDI amounts for positions that require higher education.

This means there is no single fixed UDI figure for all skilled workers. A cook, electrician, or health care worker must normally be assessed against the collective agreement or usual pay in the occupation as of 6 July 2026. For master's and bachelor's positions without a collective agreement, UDI uses the amounts in the table, but may in rare cases accept lower pay if you document that this is normal for the occupation.

You must also pay an application fee. As of 6 July 2026, the fee for a work residence permit for applicants over 18 is NOK 6,300. The same fee also applies to renewals.

What rights and duties do you get?

The permit gives you the right to work in the type of job you were granted the permit for. As of 6 July 2026, it does not give you free access to all jobs or all remote work in Norway.

Important rules as of 6 July 2026:

• If the position requires completed vocational upper secondary education, you can get a permit for up to 1 year at a time.
• If the position requires university or college education, you can usually get a permit for up to 3 years at a time.
• If UDI must check the requirements more often, for example with a staffing agency, the permit can be limited to 1 year even for higher education.
• After 3 years, you can apply for permanent residence if you otherwise meet the requirements. See the requirements for permanent residence permit.
• Your family can usually apply for family immigration together with you.

You can change employer without a new application if you will still work in the same type of position and still meet the requirements as of 6 July 2026. If you will start in a new type of job, you must apply for a new residence permit. You cannot start in the new type of job before you get the new permit.

If you lose your job, you must notify the police where you live within 7 days. As of 6 July 2026, you may stay in Norway and look for a new job for up to 6 months, but only if your residence permit remains valid for the full period. If you get a new job in the same type of position, you must notify the police within 7 days after you start.

Remote work is also limited. As of 6 July 2026, you are not allowed to do remote work in Norway unless the remote work is part of the job for which you received the residence permit. You therefore cannot use this permit to work freely for another employer in Norway or abroad.

Checklist before you apply

Go through the documents before you submit the application. As of 6 July 2026, you should especially check these points:

1. Do you have the correct education, trade certificate, degree, or documented experience?
2. Does the job actually require skilled competence?
3. Do you have a concrete job offer from an employer in Norway?
4. Is the position full-time or at least 80 percent?
5. Is the salary correct according to tariff, normal pay, or UDI amounts?
6. Does the occupation require authorisation or other approval?
7. If you apply from abroad, has the employer confirmed the offer and sent you the code?

Ready to practise Norwegian rules and the words you meet in the application process? Try SamfunnPrep free.