If you have a residence permit through a spouse or cohabiting partner, a breakup may affect your application for permanent residence. Check your current basis for residence, whether the requirements still apply when your case is decided, and whether you can apply on an independent basis. Checked 2 October 2026.
What changes when you no longer live together?
UDI says that a person who received family immigration with a spouse or cohabiting partner usually cannot renew the same permit after a divorce or moving apart. For an ordinary renewal, UDI requires the family situation to remain as before, for example that the spouses are still married and live together. You must report the actual family situation. A legal separation on paper is not the only relevant date.
Read your decision letter first. Find the section or name of the permit, which family member the family immigration is based on, the expiry date and any restrictions. The guide to reading a UDI decision shows where to look. If you already have a permanent residence permit, it is not tied to the continuation of your relationship. If you have a right of residence under the EU/EEA rules, you must check the separate rules on continued right of residence and permanent right of residence; this article concerns an ordinary permanent residence permit.
| Your situation | What should you check now? |
|---|---|
| You have temporary family immigration and still live together | Whether all the permit requirements are met, and when you can apply for permanent residence at the earliest. |
| You have moved apart before applying | Whether you need to apply for a new basis for residence before, or while planning, an application for permanent residence. |
| You have submitted an application for permanent residence, and the breakup happens while you wait | Report the relevant change to UDI, and clarify whether the permit requirement can still be met when a decision is made. |
| You have been granted permanent residence | The divorce does not in itself change the permanent permit. |
Does submitting an application mean the breakup no longer matters?
No. For applications submitted to the police from 1 September 2025, UDI says that the requirements for permanent residence must generally be met when the police or UDI makes a decision. This includes continuing to meet the requirements for a temporary permit that forms the basis for permanent residence. The self-support requirement has its own timing rule: it may be met when you submitted the application to the police, or later before a decision is made. So you may have sufficient income and still need to clarify whether the family basis remains valid.
Example: Nora has lived in Norway with her spouse for three years and submits an application for permanent residence in June. In August, the spouses move apart. The police have not yet decided the application. Three years of residence and a salary above the income threshold do not decide the case on their own: UDI must also assess whether Nora meets the requirements for the relevant permit, or another permit that forms the basis for permanent residence, at the time of the decision. She should provide correct information about the breakup and ask UDI which application route is appropriate. This example is not an assessment of a real case.
Older applications may be subject to different transitional rules. Check when the documents were submitted to the police, not only when the form was registered online. The overview of permanent residence requirements explains the other requirements.
Can you get another permit after the breakup?
Yes, but it depends on your circumstances. UDI describes several possible routes. If you have children together in Norway, family immigration through the child may be possible when specific requirements for parental responsibility, the child's permanent residence or contact arrangements are met. If you or your child has been subjected to abuse, you can apply for an independent permit; UDI says the application is free and there is no self-support requirement. A work-based permit may be possible if you meet the requirements for that specific permit. A permit after a breakup is not automatically granted just because you previously had family immigration.
If there is violence or threats, seek safety first. You do not have to stay in a dangerous relationship to preserve the possibility of residence. The guide to rights after a breakup explains the independent permits and support services in more detail. Here, the question is what a new or changed basis for residence means for an application for permanent residence.
Does the residence period before the divorce still count?
A divorce does not automatically erase all the years you previously held a valid permit. UDI says that several different permits may count towards the residence period, but all periods must be covered by a permit that forms the basis for permanent residence, and your residence must be continuous under the rules for your case. You should therefore check the new basis before assuming that previous months and years can be added together. A study permit, for example, usually does not form such a basis.
Make a simple timeline: the date of your first permit, each renewal, the date of the breakup, the date of any new application and the decision date. Mark any possible period without a valid permit. UDI says that during a relevant three- or five-year period, there can generally be no more than a total of three months without a residence permit. Other requirements, including time spent outside Norway, must be assessed separately. On SamfunnPrep, you can use the residence-period tool to organise the dates, but the tool cannot determine whether a specific decision forms a basis for permanent residence.
What should you do this week?
- Find all your UDI decisions. Write down the permit type, validity dates and basis for each decision.
- Note the actual dates. When did you stop living together? When, if applicable, did you submit an application for permanent residence to the police?
- Check a possible new basis. A child, abuse or work may lead to different application routes. Choose based on your actual circumstances, not on what seems fastest.
- Contact UDI or the police about your case. Provide the permit type and dates, and ask what you should submit. Use a secure channel for personal information.
- Keep an eye on the expiry date. Check renewals and deadlines early. An application for permanent residence does not automatically solve the problem if the basis for your temporary permit ceases to apply.
SamfunnPrep can help you get an overview of your residence period and prepare for the test part of a later application. When you need to practise social studies, you can try the existing tests for free. UDI or the police must assess questions about your basis for residence.
