Want to apply Family immigration with a citizen of a country outside the EU/EEA
The information on this page is personalised for
On this page, we use the words 'reference person' and 'applicant'
- The reference person = the family member living in Norway.
- The applicant = the person who wants to move to Norway or continue living here and who needs a residence permit
What kind of family member are you?
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Spouse or registered partner
Requirements for both
- Your marriage/partnership must have been validly entered into.
- You must have plans to live together in Norway.
- You must not have been forced to marry (forced marriage).
- Your marriage must not be circumvention marriage.
- You must be at least 24 years old.
Requirements for the applicant
- You must pay an application fee.
- You must document your identity. A valid passport is usually valid proof of identity.
- You must not be subject to a prohibition against entry to Norway or Schengen.
Requirements for the reference person
- You must have or have applied for a residence permit as a skilled worker.
- You must have an annual income of at least
NOK 334 876 per year pre-tax
. Check what kind of income counts toward this requirement and whether you can get an exemption.
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Cohabitant
Requirements for both
- Both of you must be over the age of 18.
- You are going to live together in Norway.
- You must meet one of the following two requirements:
- You must have lived together for at least two years and neither of you can be married to someone else. If you have lived together in Norway, both of you must have had legal residence.
- You have, or are expecting, a child together. You are both unmarried or divorced.
- You must be at least 24 years old.
Requirements for the applicant
- You must pay an application fee.
- You must document your identity. A valid passport is usually valid proof of identity.
- You must not be subject to a prohibition against entry to Norway or Schengen.
Requirements for the reference person
- You must have or have applied for a residence permit as a skilled worker.
- You must have an annual income of at least
NOK 334 876 per year pre-tax
. Check what kind of income counts toward this requirement and whether you can get an exemption.
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Person who is getting married
For applicants from your country, it may sometimes be difficult to be granted an application for family immigration in order to get married. This is because the UDI decides whether it is likely that you will return to your home country if you do not get married as planned. It is more likely that your application for family immigration will be granted if you get married first.
Please note! It is not a requirement for getting married in Norway that you have exactly this type of residence permit. You can get married in Norway as long as you have legal stay.
Requirements for both
- You must both be at least 24 years old.
- You are going to get married in Norway within six months.
- Neither of you can be married to other people.
- You must have plans to live together in Norway.
- You must not have been forced to get engaged (forced marriage).
- Your engagement must be genuine, i.e. not an engagement of convenience /proforma engagement.
Requirements for the applicant
- You must pay an application fee.
- You must document your identity. A valid passport is usually valid proof of identity.
- You must not be subject to a prohibition against entry to Norway or Schengen.
- It must be likely that you will return to your home country if you do not get married as planned.
- If your application is granted, you must apply for a renewal of your family immigration permit with your spouse before your residence permit for getting married expires.
Requirements for the reference person
- You must have, or have applied for, one of these residence permits:
- You must have an annual income of at least
NOK 334 876 per year pre-tax
. Check what kind of income counts toward this requirement and whether you can get an exemption. - You must have a home.
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Child under 18 who is going to live with parents in Norway
Please note! If the child is born in Norway, please check what type of residence permit you should apply for. There might be several options.
Requirements for the applicant
- You must document your identity. A valid passport is usually valid proof of identity.
- If only one of your parents is living in Norway, your other parent must consent to you living in Norway. This is only necessary if your parents have joint parental responsibility.
- If you are adopted, the adoption must be valid in your home country and must be approved by the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs in Norway (external website). This is only necessary if the adoption took place after one or both of your adoptive parents moved to Norway.
Requirements for the reference person
- You must have or have applied for a residence permit as a skilled worker.
- You must have an annual income of at least
NOK 334 876 per year pre-tax
. Check what kind of income counts toward this requirement and whether you can get an exemption.
-
Child over 18 who is moving to parents in Norway
Requirements for the applicant
- You must pay an application fee.
- You must document your identity. A valid passport is usually valid proof of identity.
- You must not be subject to a prohibition against entry to Norway or Schengen.
- You must meet one of the following requirements:
- You must be between the ages of 18 and 21, not have a spouse or cohabitant, and have previously held a residence permit in Norway for several years.
- Your parents and all your siblings live in or are going to move to Norway. You are living with your parents, they support you, and you are not married or a cohabitant. Nor have you established an independent life outside the home through work or studies.
- You have serious health problems. Your parents must be the only ones who can give you personal care.
Requirements for the reference person
- You must have, or have applied for, one of these residence permits:
- You must have an annual income of at least
NOK 334 876 per year pre-tax
. Check what kind of income counts toward this requirement and whether you can get an exemption. - You must have a home.
-
Parent who is moving to children over the age of 18 in Norway
Requirements for the applicant
- You must pay an application fee.
- You must document your identity. A valid passport is usually valid proof of identity.
- You must not be subject to a prohibition against entry to Norway or Schengen.
- You must be over the age of 60.
- You cannot have a spouse or cohabitant.
- You cannot have parents, children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren in your home country.
Requirements for the reference person
- You must have, or have applied for, one of these residence permits:
- You must have an annual income of at least
NOK 334 876 per year pre-tax
. Check what kind of income counts toward this requirement and whether you can get an exemption. - You must have a home.
-
Parent who is visiting children in Norway for up to nine months
Requirements for the applicant
- You must pay an application fee.
- You must document your identity. A valid passport is usually valid proof of identity.
- You must not be subject to a prohibition against entry to Norway or Schengen.
- You must return to your home country after the visit.
- If you have previously held a residence permit to visit a child in Norway, at least one year must have elapsed since you left Norway before you can be granted such a permit again.
Requirements for the reference person
- You must have, or have applied for, one of these residence permits:
- You must be a resident in Norway.
- You must have an annual income of at least
NOK 334 876 per year pre-tax
. Check what kind of income counts toward this requirement and whether you can get an exemption. - You must have a home.
-
Foster child who has foster parents in Norway
Requirements for the applicant
- You must document your identity. A valid passport is usually valid proof of identity.
- You must have lived on a permanent basis with your foster parents in your home country.
- You must be under the age of 18.
Requirements for the reference person
- If you are foster parents, you must have confirmation from the authorities in your home country that you have parental responsibility for the foster child, and you must be approved by the Child Welfare Service in Norway.
- You must have, or have applied for, one of these residence permits:
- You must have an annual income of at least
NOK 334 876 per year pre-tax
. Check what kind of income counts toward this requirement and whether you can get an exemption. - You must have a home.
-
Child who has full siblings in Norway
Requirements for the applicant
- You must document your identity. A valid passport is usually valid proof of identity.
- You must be under the age of 18.
- You cannot have parents or other carers in your home country or country of residence.
Requirements for the reference person
- You must have, or have applied for, one of these residence permits:
- You must have a home.
- You must have an annual income of at least
NOK 334 876 per year pre-tax
. Check what kind of income counts toward this requirement and whether you can get an exemption. - If you and your brother or sister meet all these requirements, UDI will ask the Norwegian child welfare authorities to approve that you are suitable as a care person.
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Other family members
How to applyIt is very difficult for other types of family members to be granted family immigration. You can only be granted family immigration if UDI believes that strong humanitarian considerations apply in your case. We make a specific assessment of this in every individual case, so we cannot say anything in general about what is required for other family members to be granted family immigration.
Important messages
- Exceptions for income requirements when applying for family immigration with a refugee in Norway
- How to document your income from the year 2021
- Lower fees for spouses, cohabitants and parents of refugees
- Applicants from Eritrea will be able to hand in their applications in several locations
- New 24-year age limit for marriage
- Information to applicants from Afghanistan about handing in identity documents when applying from Pakistan