Applying for jobs in government follows written rules, not personal preference. The law requires that the most qualified person is hired. Some applicants have the right to an interview, and all applicants can after a rejection demand to see what competitors had in terms of education and work experience. For free.
Applying for jobs in government: the qualification principle decides
The most qualified applicant shall be hired. This is stated in statsansatteloven § 3, and it applies to all government organisations.
The law also defines what "most qualified" means: weight shall be given to education, experience and personal suitability, measured against the requirements in the job posting. None of the three automatically counts the most.
Statens personalhåndbok, the ministry's guidance to government employers, establishes that "experience" covers more than paid work: organisational work and voluntary work also count. Education from abroad often counts only after it has been assessed in Norway, so get your foreign education recognised before you apply. Your application should follow Norwegian format — here is how you write a Norwegian CV and application.
"Overqualified" is not a legal grounds for rejection in government. An employer cannot choose another applicant based on this reason (Statens personalhåndbok 2.3.3.1).
Statsansatteloven applies to government: ministries, directorates and agencies. Municipalities, county governments and health trusts follow arbeidsmiljøloven. The qualification principle also applies there, but without its own law text; the interview obligations below apply only to government.
Do you have the right to an interview if you have immigrant background?
Yes, but only if four conditions are met. The regulation to statsansatteloven § 4b states: "The employer shall invite at least one qualified applicant who reports having immigrant background to an interview." The rule came into force on 1 January 2020.
- The background must be from the right part of the world. The regulation mentions "Europe outside EU/EFTA, Asia including Turkey, Africa, Latin America and Oceania outside Australia and New Zealand". Immigrants from EU/EFTA countries are not covered: if you are from Poland, Lithuania or Germany, § 4b gives you no right to an interview. If you are from Ukraine, Syria, Somalia or Turkey, it does.
- If you were born in Norway, both parents must have immigrated from these areas. One parent is not enough.
- You must state it yourself. The regulation says "who report having". The obligation arises only when you check a box in the job portal or write it in your application.
- You must be qualified according to the requirements in the job posting.
Note that some job postings and guidance pages omit the country limit; it is the regulation text that applies. In 2024, 14.2 per cent of government employees had immigrant background, compared to 4.9 per cent in the ministries.
The same right applies to applicants with disability (§ 4) and applicants with gaps in their CV (§ 4a): at least two of the last five years outside work, education or training because of substance abuse, serving a sentence or illness — or because you were actively job-seeking. The rule does not apply if you already have permanent work or a temporary position of over one year. At least one applicant in each of the three groups shall be invited, not one in total.
§§ 4 and 4a also say that such applicants can be hired if they are "almost equally well qualified" as the best. § 4b has only one clause and says nothing about this, but Statens personalhåndbok 2.3.3.1 assumes that the same applies. The interview right is thus in the regulation; the preference rests on the personnel handbook.
If you are invited, it is the organisation that decides which travel expenses are covered. If you have a long journey, it shall arrange travel and any accommodation in the cheapest way, and expenses along the way are refunded against receipt (Statens personalhåndbok 2.3.4.1). Meals and travel insurance you cover yourself.
Your name ends up on a public applicant list
When the application deadline expires, the organisation sets up a public applicant list. According to offentleglova § 25, it shall show name, age, position or professional title and place of residence or work municipality for each applicant. The law only says that the list shall be set up "as soon as possible"; Statens personalhåndbok 18.3 assumes that it is normally available two to three working days after the deadline.
You can request an exemption in your application, with a concrete reason. The organisation has discretion, but not an obligation to say yes, and the threshold is higher for management positions. It is not enough that you find it unpleasant that it becomes known that you have applied (Sivilombudet's guide "Ansettelser fra A til Å").
If you get no, you shall be notified and given the opportunity to withdraw your application before the list becomes public (Statens personalhåndbok 18.3). No one can promise you confidentiality in advance.
Did you get rejected? This is what you can demand to see
As an applicant you are a party to the case and have the right to access information. The access is free and also applies after someone is hired.
According to forvaltningslovforskriften § 15, you can demand an extended applicant list: the names and ages of all other applicants, and complete information about their education and work experience. According to § 19 you have the right to know who was recommended, in what order, whether there was dissent and how many votes each recommended person received. The assessments the body has made of you, you do not have the right to (§ 16).
If you believe you have been passed over in violation of the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act, § 31 also gives you the right to written information about "education, work experience and other clearly verifiable qualifications" of the person who got the job.
Compare your own education and experience with the person who was hired. If you had more of what the job posting required, you have grounds to complain.
Your right, the legal basis and how to use it
All four rights below are free, and all have a paragraph you can refer to.
| Your right | Legal basis | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Interview with immigrant background | regulation § 4b | Check the box in the job portal when you apply |
| Extended applicant list after rejection | forvaltningslovforskriften §§ 15 and 19 | Ask the contact person in the job posting for it |
| Information about the person who was hired | Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act § 31 | If you believe you were passed over in violation of the law, demand a written reply |
| Exemption from public applicant list | offentleglova § 25 | Ask for it in your application, withdraw your application if you get no |
How the hiring process works, from job posting to probation
Vacant government positions shall be advertised publicly (statsansatteloven § 4), and the application deadline shall not be shorter than two weeks. You can find the job postings at arbeidsplassen.nav.no at Nav (the Labour and Welfare Administration), at jobbnorge.no and on the organisations' own websites.
- The immediate supervisor writes a recommendation, usually of three applicants in order (§ 5). A hiring committee with equal numbers from the employer and employee sides makes the decision (§ 6).
- All applicants shall be notified of the decision.
- If you get the job, six months' probation applies as a general rule directly after statsansatteloven § 15. It does not need to be agreed upon, as it must be in the private sector (arbeidsmiljøloven § 15-6).
Norwegian citizenship is generally not required in government. Exceptions apply to, among others, senior civil servants (Grunnloven § 114), employees with general police authority, judges and military personnel. On SamfunnPrep you can find everything about Norwegian citizenship compiled in one place.
Where can you complain if you believe the wrong person got the job?
There is no ordinary right to appeal the hiring decision itself. Hiring decisions are exempt from the administrative procedures act rules on reasoning, complaint and revision (forvaltningsloven § 3 second clause).
- Sivilombudet assesses the case handling. The deadline is one year, and it is free. The ombudsman cannot revise the hiring decision.
- Diskrimineringsnemnda handles allegations of discrimination, free of charge. The board can reject cases older than three years, and can award compensation. Against the ministries it can only give an opinion.
- The courts. There is no formal deadline for legal action, but a lawsuit should be brought within a reasonable time.
In cases of discrimination, the burden of proof is shared: if circumstances give reason to believe that discrimination has occurred, the employer must prove that it did not occur. Read more about discrimination in working life and where to complain. A new administrative procedures act was passed in June 2025, but has not come into force as of 7 August 2026.
If you have had many rejections, free career guidance in your county can help you forward. Working life is among the topics you encounter on the society knowledge test — on SamfunnPrep you can practise them for free.
