Visitor’s visa and residence permit
A visitor's visa allows you to stay in Norway or other Schengen countries for up to 90 days over a period of 180 days. A residence permit gives you the opportunity to work in Norway and to stay for more than 90 days.
Citizens of Eritrea must apply for a visitor's visa if they wish to visit Norway for 90 days or less. Likewise, citizens of Eritrea need a residence permit in order to work or to take up residence for longer than 90 days.
The Norwegian Embassy in Nairobi is the regional hub for East Africa in migration cases, and is responsible for handling visa and residence permit cases from the following countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Eritrea, Djibouti, South Sudan and Comoros.
In addition to the above-mentioned countries, the Embassy receives residence permit applications from Ethiopia, Sudan, the Seychelles, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Yemen.
Where and how to hand in my application
Applications must be submitted in person at one of the VFS Global application centres in either Nairobi, Kampala, Addis Ababa or Dar es Salaam, which works in partnership with the Norwegian Embassy in Nairobi. All applications will be sent to the Embassy in Nairobi for further handling. Kindly note that all passports must be forwarded to the Embassy in Nairobi for document control.
For more information, please visit the Norwegian Embassy in Nairobi's website.
Representation agreements
Sweden represents Norway in Ethiopia and Sudan, which means that applications for Schengen visas to Norway are handled by the Embassy of Sweden. Please visit their website for more information on how to apply for a Schengen visa.
Inquiries about Schengen visas should be addressed to the Embassy of Sweden in Nairobi by email (ambassaden.nairobi-visum@gov.se) or phone +254 (0) 709-964060.
General enquiries about applications
If you have general questions regarding migration to Norway, you will find information about the application procedure, documentation requirements and case processing times on the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration's (UDI) website.
If you have applied for a residence permit and your application has been forwarded to the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI), kindly contact UDI if you have questions about the status of your case.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway has a global agreement with VFS Global regarding receiving applications for visa and residence permits, answering phone calls and e-mails on behalf of Norwegian Embassies. Therefore, if you have any visa or immigration related questions, you can contact VFS Global via email or telephone.
VFS Global in Nairobi
Email: info.nrke@vfshelpline.com
Telephone: +254 205 147 907
VFS Global in Kampala
Email: info.nrug@vfsglobal.com
Telephone: +256 (0) 205 000 617
VFS Global in Addis Ababa
Email: info.nret@vfshelpline.com
Telephone: +251 960 437 204
VFS Global in Dar es Salaam
Email: info.norwaytz@vfshelpline.com
Telephone: +255 222 221 913
If you have further queries that VFS is unable to answer, you can contact the Norwegian Embassy in Nairobi by sending an email to visum.nairobi@mfa.no. Kindly note that the Embassy in Nairobi does not answer visa and immigration related queries by telephone.
In your request, you must mention your full name, date of birth, and passport number. If you have already applied, please also submit your reference number (DUF number), or application receipt number from UDI's application portal. Kindly note that if this information is not included in your request, you will not receive an answer from us.
Emails will be replied to within 1-3 working days.