Travelling abroad: You need a valid residence card

If you are travelling outside of Norway, you must bring a valid passport and residence card. If you have applied for an immigrant’s passport, travel document or a new residence permit and have not received an answer yet, we unfortunately cannot prioritise your application even though you have made plans. When travelling abroad, please bring: If you don’t have a valid passport/immigrant’s passport/refugee travel document and a valid residence card, you should not travel out of Norway. If you do, you might experience problems at the airport, when you try to enter another country, or when you try to travel back to Norway. You should also not book any trips abroad until you have both a valid passport/immigrant’s passport/refugee travel document and a valid residence card. Unfortunately, your application cannot be prioritised even though you have planned and paid for a trip. It is the residence card that documents that you have a residence permit in Norway. The police are responsible for border control. The UDI cannot answer questions about how Norway or other countries practice border control. Nor can we write confirmations that can be used for travel and which airlines or other countries' authorities will accept. All travels without a residence card will therefore be at your own risk. This does not apply to Nordic citizens and citizens of EU/EEA countries. However, we encourage you to check the ID requirements in the country you are visiting. You will find this information from the country issuing your passport/ID card with travel rights. Suppose you are a family member of an EU / EEA citizen and have an application for a residence card/permanent residence card for processing. In that case, you should not leave Norway when you do not have a valid residence card. Travelling from Norway without a valid residence card may have problems entering and stopping in other countries. You must also expect to spend a long time at the border control in Norway when you return. UDI cannot answer questions about how border control practises in Norway or other countries. Nor can we write confirmations that can be used for travel and which airlines or other countries' authorities will undoubtedly accept. All travel without a residence card will therefore be at your own risk. If you are from a country subject to a visa and do not have a valid residence card in Norway, you must have a visitor's visa (Schengen visa) to return to Norway. When applying for a visitor's visa, you must submit documentation of your family relationship to the EU/EEA citizen and that they are an employee, self-employed, service provider, sufficient funds or a student in Norway. You are basically entitled to a visa, entitled to priority processing of the visa application and do not have to pay a fee. You must check the visa waiting times at the relevant foreign service mission on their website. Here you will find more information about visitor visas. Our normal waiting times apply. We update the information about waiting times every month. There are very few applications that can be given priority. To request priority, you must send us a detailed explanation and documentation, such as a doctor’s certificate. Unfortunately, your application can not be prioritised even if you have planned and paid for a trip. If you have been granted a residence permit and are staying in Norway, you in most cases must book an appointment at your local police district to order your residence card (external website). Please note that normally it will take 20 days from when you meet at the police until you receive your residence card by post. You may also have to wait for a long time before you get an appointment with the police. If you applied for a residence permit after 16 April 2021 and gave your fingerprints and a photograph of your face when you handed in the application, the card will, in many cases, be sent to you by post without you having to meet at the police station again. If you have been granted a residence permit, you are abroad and need a visa to enter Norway, the embassy responsible for your case will issue an entry visa. It varies from country to country how long it takes before the embassy or VFS application centre contacts you, and you get your entry visa to Norway. If you are going to live outside of Norway for more than two years you will normally lose your permanent residence permit, but you can apply to keep it. You can read more about the regulations regarding who can lose their permanent residence permit. Requirements for you, the applicant You have a permanent residence permit in Norway. You are going to move back to Norway after your stay abroad The reason why you are going to live outside Norway for more than two years is that: you are going to serve your military or civilian national service or other equivalent service in your home country, or you are going to work abroad, or you are going to study at a higher level than upper secondary school abroad, or you are staying abroad with your spouse, cohabitant or parent who is going to work or study How to apply Apply at least six months before you have stayed abroad for two years If you have applied more than six months before the expiry of the two-year deadline, you will not lose your permanent residence permit even if your application is rejected and you have stayed abroad for two years, if you return to Norway within two weeks of receiving the rejection. If you applied less than six months before the expiry of the deadline, you will lose your permanent residence permit if your application is rejected and you have stayed abroad for two years.

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