Norway Student Visa Requirements
Students from India and Pakistan who will study in Norway for more than 3 months need a study permit from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI), the office that decides on permits. The study permit is the permit to live in Norway as a student. Many people call it the student visa.
Who Can Get a Norway Study Permit
You can get the permit if an approved Norwegian university has admitted you to full-time study and you can pay for your stay.
- Admission to a university college or university.
- Full-time study.
- The place of study must be on NOKUT's approved list.
- NOK 15,488 a month, or NOK 170,368 for a full study year (autumn and spring), for living costs.
- For one semester only: NOK 77,440 for the autumn semester and NOK 92,928 for the spring semester (a semester is half a study year).
- Show your tuition money as well, unless you have paid it.
- The money must be in a Norwegian bank account or your university's deposit account (an account your university holds for this money).
If you stay at least 12 months, you become a member of the National Insurance Scheme (folketrygden, Norway's public health and benefits plan) from the day you arrive.
Non-Immigrant Intent
- Your plans must make it believable that you return home after your studies.
Immigration Status
- If you apply from a country that is not your own, show you have held a residence permit there for the last 6 months.
Other Points
- UDI must believe you will go home after your studies.
- Under 18: bring a birth certificate and both parents' consent.
- Normally you cannot enter Norway before UDI decides.
Documents for a Norway Study Permit
These are the papers on UDI's checklist for students. Bring the originals and a copy of each one.
Keep the papers in the same order as UDI's checklist.
If your contract has a dwelling number (an H and four digits, such as H0101), add it.
Keep your admission letter and money proof where you can reach them at your appointment.
- Bring one passport-size photo with a white background.
- After you arrive, the police take your photo and fingerprints for your residence card (a plastic card the size of a bank card that proves you have a residence permit in Norway).
| Document Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Online application | Fill it in on the UDI application website and pay the fee there. | Required |
| Signed signature form | You get it as a PDF on the receipt page after you apply online. Print it, sign it and bring it. | Required |
| UDI's checklist | Print it, fill it in, sign it and bring it to your appointment. | Required |
| Document Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Passport | Bring the passport and a copy of every used page. | Required |
| Photo | One passport-size photo on a white background. | Required |
| Document Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Admission letter | A letter of full-time admission. It must show your name, your programme, its level and how long it lasts. | Required |
| Degree papers and transcripts | Pakistan: your matric and higher secondary certificates attested (checked and stamped) by your education board, and university papers attested by the Higher Education Commission (HEC). | Required |
| CV | A short paper about your studies and work. It shows your position when you apply, your education, your work, your employers and your references. | Required |
| Document Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Proof of living money | A Norwegian bank statement or your university's deposit receipt for your living money. Student loan or grant letters, or a part-time job offer in Norway, can also count. | Required |
| Proof you can pay tuition | A tuition receipt from your university, or your tuition money as well as the living money. If you have paid for one semester, show money for the second semester. | Required |
| Document Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Place to live | A written rental contract approved by the owner or manager. If your university gives you housing and says so in your admission letter, that is enough. | Required |
Important Document Guidelines
Which Permit Do You Need?
If you study in Norway for more than 3 months, you need a study permit from UDI. Summer school at a university needs no permit.
Key Features
Lets you live and study full-time in Norway.
Lets you work part-time while classes run, and full-time in holidays.
Your husband, wife or partner who lives with you, and your children, can usually apply to come and live with you in Norway.
Eligibility Requirements
- Admission to full-time study at a place on the approved list of NOKUT, the agency that checks the quality of universities and courses.
- Money for living costs and tuition.
- A place to live.
Restrictions
- You cannot work for yourself or run your own business.
- Time on this permit does not count toward permanent residence later.
- You must study full-time.
| Point | Study permit | Job seeker permit |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Full-time students | Graduates looking for work |
| How long | Your study period, renewable | Up to 1 year |
| Work | Up to 20 hours a week while classes run, full-time in holidays | Full-time or part-time |
| Money to show | NOK 15,488 a month, or NOK 170,368 for a full study year | NOK 28,448 a month |
Taking a whole bachelor's or master's in Norway? Apply for the study permit. After you graduate, you can switch to the job seeker permit.
Useful Links and Common Questions
Links for the study permit, and answers to the questions students from India and Pakistan ask most.
Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI)
VFS Global visa centres
More Norway guides
Get your full-time admission letter from a Norwegian university.
Put your living money and tuition money in a Norwegian bank account or your university's deposit account.
Fill in the form on the UDI application website and pay the fee.
Print UDI's checklist and the signature form, and gather your papers.
Book and attend your VFS visa centre appointment with originals and copies.
Wait for UDI's decision. Then collect your entry visa (the visa in your passport that lets you travel to Norway) where you applied.
Need More Help?
Rules and fees can change. Before you pay or book, check the UDI page for your permit, and ask your university's international office about the deposit account.
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