Glad you're enjoying your visit!

The tourism industry here is relatively active all year long. Some are of course seasonal workers and will perhaps go to another country in the winter, but there's also many tourists here during winter. Some things you can't really experience during summer, for example is it near impossible to see the northern lights during summer because of the light nights, so northern lights tours are very popular in the winter when it's dark. Skiing, snowboarding and dog sledding are other popular winter activities, while many other may have activity around the year, like whale safaris etc.

We can't close down large parts of society for winter (else we'd be closed a lot!), so it's important to diversify and take advantage of the different seasons. Hiking tourists in the summer turns into skiing tourists in the winter!

Important links

UDI – This is your first and last stop for immigration.

UDI Waiting Times – Constantly changing and are usually quite long.

Immigration Act - In case you want to really learn the laws. This is in Norwegian, but a translation tool will work well enough.

Norwegian Customs: Moving to Norway – Some items may be taxed if they are brought into Norway. Generally personal items are not taxed, however some may be. This applies to new items, food products, alcohol/tobacco, weapons, work-related equpiment, etc...Cars are also taxed on import.

Study in Norway for information about studying in Norway

Nokut - which allows you to check to see if your education satisfies the entry requirements

Bringing your pets to Norway – This link helps you learn which animals are allowed and which are not, including which dog breeds are banned, and the steps you'll need to follow to import your pet including the vaccines and documents you’ll need to make sure your pet is accepted at the border.

If you are going to bring your pet, I cannot stress enough how important it is that you know the rules inside and out and that you make sure your pet is 100% compliant with the rules. If you arrive at the border without meeting the requirements your pet may be quarantined, returned to its point of departure, or euthanized (and you will incur those costs).

If you are flying with your pet, double check that your airline will accept pets in the cargo hold or if they'll need to be shipped separately. Pets may only travel during certain times of the year (there are temperature restrictions that vary based on airline). Additionally, Third-Country Nationals (non EU/EEA) pets can only arrive at two airports in Norway (Oslo, Kirkenes -- Tromsø allows pets travelling from Svalbard).

Altinn – an over view on how to start and operate a business in Norway. NB: Altinn is your dialogue with the business, private citizens, and government services such as tax returns/statements and other digital forms.

NAV – a good place to look for jobs; also the place to find services and benefits.

FINN – the classifieds section for the modern Norwegian. This is where you can look for jobs and buy or sell items/services.

New In Norway - A useful site to guide you through the process of moving to Norway and the first steps of getting settled in Norway.

IMDi – where you can find all the information on language classes and the introduction act. (Note: the Norwegian page is more comprehensive).

Directive on Free Movement – applicable for EEA/EU citizens/family members of EU/EEA citizens only. Very good for Norwegians to also know your rights to free movement in the EEA/EU!!

Statens Vegvesen – Norwegian Road Authority where you deal with all things related to your vehicle including licencing, EU control, registration, etc... Some countries have an agreement with Norway that will allow you to exchange your foreign licence (with or without a road test). For those countries that do not have such agreements, you will need to go through the same process as Norwegians to get your licence, which includes mandatory driver training through an accredited traffic school. If you can exchange your licence, you usually only have one year from the time you were granted your residence permit, so it is wise to do that as soon as possible.

Norwegian Tax Office – You will need to get in touch with these folks if you’re going to work in Norway.

Helse Norge - A place to see your health information including your patient journal, your electronic prescriptions, change your doctor, etc...

You can read about banking here and here. The pages are a little old, but it will get you started. Most common banks include Sparebank1, DNB, Handelsbanken Norway, Sbanken as well as many other smaller savings banks.

Once you get a bank account, you'll need to get BankID which is critical to accessing many Norwegian services including Statens Vegvesen, Helse Norge, Altinn, etc... BankID serves as a digital signature.

The most popular telecom companies include Telenor, Telia, OneCall, TalkMore. You will need a person number (granted to you once you have a residence permit) in order to get any subscription based phone plan. EU phones will work in Norway and with the EU’s “roam like home” directive. Non-EU folks may need to get a pre-paid phone card (kontantkort) until you can get a subscription.

No matter where you are coming from, I recommend that anyone considering a move to another country look into culture shock. Lots of immigration attempts fail in part because a failure to recognize and address culture shock.

There was a good discussion about the difficulties of moving to Norway (or any other new country) that you can read here. You can learn about culture shock here, and here, and here, and also here.

While it may not be required for most applications, from experience, it is a good idea to get a certified copy of some important documents from back home. Getting certified (and potentially notarized) copies of diplomas/transcripts, your birth certificate, divorce proceedings, etc... will potentially save you a lot of time, money, and annoyance as trying to get these things while you are abroad is much, much harder.

Workers

There are many types of working permits. UDI’s webpage will outline all the possibilities available to you but the most common are skilled worker and seasonal worker.

Skilled workers are those who:

• Completed a vocational training programme of at least three years at upper secondary school level. NB: there must be a corresponding training programme in Norway.
• Completed a degree from a university or college (BA, BSc, BE, etc...)
• Special qualifications that you have obtained through long work experience, if relevant in combination with courses etc. A permit is only granted in such cases in exceptional circumstances. Your qualifications must be equivalent to those of someone who has completed vocational training.

Additionally, you must have received a concrete job offer from an employer in Norway, the job must normally be full-time (UDI will, at the time of writing, accept 80%), the job must have the same pay/conditions that is normal in Norway, and the job you are offered must require the qualifications as a skilled worker (and you must be qualified for the job).

If you do not fall into this category, you may qualify as a seasonal worker; however this route is considerably more difficult, usually temporary (<6 months), and your employer must prove that they cannot fill the position with a worker from Norway or the EEA/EU. You will need to be employed 100%, you will need a concrete job offer before you apply, and the job must be deemed season or holiday stand-in.

Those citizens who qualify as a skilled worker and who are coming from a country with a visa-free agreement with Norway you may be allowed to come to Norway as a skilled job seeker.

NB: You cannot work while you are searching for a job. This means that once you have a concrete job offer, you will need to apply for a residence permit as a worker and you cannot start working until your application has been approved.

It is very advantageous to have a grasp on the Norwegian language before you arrive. There are some fields which may accept a lower proficiency in Norwegian; however, these careers are few and far between and knowledge of the local language will help with both applying for jobs and acclimatizing to living in Norway.

Some international companies may post workers in Norway. You will still need a resident permit for workers; however, many companies will help with this process.

edit: New rules exist for UK citizens living in Norway. Formerly, UK citizens would be allowed to apply for residency under EEA/EU regulations. Post-Brexit, UK citizens are no longer allowed to apply for this immigration route. Certain citizens may be allowed to excise EEA treaty rights if they arrived and registered by a certain date. For more information, please see UDI's Brexit Information page.