Residence Permit and Visa

All international students who are going to study for more than 3 months in Norway must apply for a student residence permit (non-EU/EEA citizens) or register with the police (EU/EEA-citizens).

Visa and residence permits

Students from EU/EEA do not have to apply for residence permit. If they are going to stay in Norway for more than 3 months, they must register with the Police.
Students from countries outside the EU/EEA must apply for visa and student residence permit. Students from visa waiving countries must apply for residence permit if they are going to stay in Norway for more than 3 months. Students from countries where visa are required must apply for visa in order to enter Norway, and also for residence permit if they are going to stay in Norway for more than 3 months.

Students who need to apply for visa and residence permit must submit the application as soon as possible after receiving the Letter of Admission from HiOA.

For information about Norwegian visa regulations: http://www.udi.no/Norwegian-Directorate-of-Immigration/Central-topics/Visa/

For online application, you need the following information:

HiOA organization number: 997 058 925
E-mail address: international@hioa.no

EU/EEA citizens
How to register with the Police:
Register online before coming to Norway on the Application Portal Norway https://selfservice.udi.no/

Upon arrival in Norway you must submit certified copies of the following documents to the Police or Service Center for Foreign Workers for registration:
•    Valid identity card or passport
•    Admission letter
•    Private health insurance or European health insurance card

Pilestredet campus: Service Center for Foreign Workers, Schweigaards gt 17, Monday–Friday 0900–1500 (15. September–14. May), Monday–Friday 0900–1430 (15. May–14. September)

Kjeller Campus:  Nedre Romerike Police (Foreign Section), Jonas Lies gate 20, Lillestrøm, Monday – Friday 08:00 – 15:30

You will receive the registration certificate from the Police by mail.

Further information will be given at the information meetings for new students at the start of each semester.

Non-EU/EEA citizens
How to apply for visa and residence permit:
Register your application online on the Application Portal Norway https://selfservice.udi.no/

It is not mandatory to send the application to the reference person. It will not have any relevance for your application.
Please note that you do not need an address in Norway in order to register your application.

Some countries have not yet been integrated in the Application Portal Norway. In this case you will receive an application form at the nearest Norwegian Embassy or Consulate, or you may download it here:  http://www.udi.no/Norwegian-Directorate-of-Immigration/Oversiktsider/Application-forms/Application-forms-for-students/

Documents to submit with your application
•    Certified copy of a valid passport, all used pages
•    Certified copy of Letter of Admission
•    Confirmation to the UDI
•    Documentation of financing
•    Documentation of housing
•    Pass photo

How to register with the Police after arrival
Non-EU/EEA students must register with the police within 7 days after arrival in Norway.

•    Campus Pilestredet:  If you have applied and are registered online on https://selfservice.udi.no/, you must book an appointment with the Police online.
•    Kjeller Campus: Register at Nedre Romerike Police (Foreign Section), Jonas Lies gate 20, Lillestrøm, Monday – Friday 08:00 – 15:30

You will not get the residence permit stamped in your passport, but a residence permit card.  The card will be sent to you around 10 days after the registration with the police.

Further information will be given at the information meetings for new students at the start of each semester.

Documentation of subsistence

All non-EU/EEA students who are going to study for more than 3 months in Norway must document that they possess sufficient means to cover the stay in Norway. The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration requires a minimum amount which corresponds to the amount of full support from the Norwegian State Education Loan Fund. The amount is subject to changes. As per May 2012 the amount is NOK 94 400 per academic year/NOK 47 200 per semester. Student loans, grants, own funds or income from employment can be included in the amount to be documented.

Bilateral exchange students under the visa regulations, free movers and degree students are, with some exceptions, asked to deposit the full amount in a Norwegian bank account in his/her own name.

Students to HiOA can use the SiO Visa Deposit Account for International Students for this purpose. Go here for more information

Bilateral exchange students who do not need to apply for a visa do not have to deposit money in an account in Norway. They must still present documentation of subsistence when they apply for the student residence permit.