Visitor's visa

A visitor's visa allows you to stay in Norway or other countries in the Schengen area for up to 90 days over a period of 180 days.

Canadian citizens holding a valid Canadian passport can visit Norway for up to 90 days without a visa.

If you plan to visit more than one Schengen country in the course of one trip, or if you plan several separate trips within a period of two months, you must submit your application to the embassy or consulate of the country that is your main destination based on the length of your stay, or the purpose of stay.

If you plan to visit several Schengen countries and the main destination cannot be determined, you must submit your application to the embassy or consulate of the country that is your first point of entry to the Schengen area.

Important reminders

The processing time is up to 45 days from the time your application reached the Consulate in New York - not from when you registered online or submitted your documents to VFS
Do not pay for any bookings before a visa has been issued.
By applying early, you will have more time to book the trip after you have received the visa
As long as your passport isn't returned to VFS, the decision has not been made. The Consulate does not give further details about the status of an application.

Before you start the application process, check these lists whether you need a visa to travel to Schengen

Certain rules apply to visa free travel. Details can be found on the UDI’s website: Visit Norway without a visa.

Applications for visa and residence permit are handled by the Norwegian Consulate General in New York, US.

SCHENGEN AREA

Before you apply

You should apply well in advance and as a rule no later than 15 days before you plan to travel. Due to the courier sending of documents in some countries, we recommend that you apply at least 4 weeks prior to your planned departure.
You may submit your application up to six months before your planned departure, or up to nine months for seafarers.
We recommend that you do not buy your ticket until a visa has been granted.
You must register your application online before you can hand in the required documentation.
When you hand in your application, you will be asked to provide fingerprints, unless your fingerprints have been collected within the last 59 months.
Travel to Svalbard requires you to apply for two or more entries.

You can only visit Schengen for 90 days during any period of 180 days.

You can check how many days you may stay in Schengen by using this Schengen visa calculator and entering your entry and exit dates during the last 6 months.

Parents who wish to visit their children for more than 90 days can consider the 9 months permit for parents instead of a Schengen visa.

In order to apply for a visa from Canada you must legally reside here.

In Canada applicants for visa submit their applications at a visa application center run by an external service provider, VFS Global. VFS Global will forward the visa application to the Norwegian Consulate General in New York for consideration.

Gather the necessary documentation

The checklist gives an overview of the documents you need to hand in to start the application process.

When applying for a visitor's visa please make sure that you have gathered all documents required:

SCHENGEN VISA DOCUMENT CHECKLIST

Family members of EEA citizens exercising their right to free movement have a separate checklist.

If you are visiting several Schengen states, you need to document your purpose also in the other countries, not just Norway.

If you are staying with friends or family, most Schengen member states have a form that can be used as documentation of this.

Family relationships should be documented with marriage and birth certificates. This is easier when the closest family member invites the applicant.

Documentation of friendship can most conveniently be provided by submitting social media content and/or photos of the persons together.

Missing documents may delay the application process.

Bring all the documents to your appointment with VFS.

If you want someone to help you in connection with your application, you must authorise this person to do so. Please visit the UDI website for more information and the relevant form. Only the person who needs the visa or someone with a written power of attorney will be given information about a specific case.

Online registration and payment

Before you can hand in your passport and other documentation, you must register your application online and pay the fee. If this is the first time you are registering an application in the portal, you will need to create a user account first.

Once you have completed the application form online and paid the fee, you will receive confirmation by email with a copy of your application form (schengen.pdf), application summary and payment receipt attached. You need to print the application form (schengen.pdf) and submit it together with the other required documentation

Begin your online registration

Application fee

The visa fee is EUR 90. Children under six years do not pay a fee. Children from the age of six years and below the age of 12 years shall pay a visa fee of EUR 45. Please visit the UDI website for information about other groups exempted from the visa fee.

Please note that you pay the fee when registering the application in the portal. Applicants exempted from the visa fee requirement will have the fee refunded.

If you are a applying for a visa as a family member to an EU/EEA citizen you are not required to pay the application fee.

Service fee at the Visa Application Centre

In Canada applications are received by an external service provider, VFS Global, which charges a service fee. From April 1st 2020, the service fee is EUR 40. Please note that an additional courier fee (EUR 80) will also be added.

Optional services provided at the Visa Application Centre

Certain additional services offered by VFS are not included in the service fee. Please note that these services are optional. For more information please visit the VFS Global website.

Hand in your documents

You must bring with you:

a printout of the application form (schengen.pdf) received by email;
the checklist and the documents listed.
Your passport (must be valid for at least three months after your planned departure from the Schengen area)
Photograph (must comply with international standards)
Your travel health insurance policy
- You should be covered for at least EUR 30 000, including expenses in connection with repatriation for medical reasons, treatment in medical emergencies and/or emergency hospital treatment, and death
- Your insurance should be valid in all Schengen countries
- It should cover the whole of your planned stay in the Schengen area
- It should as a rule be purchased in your home country. If this is not possible it may be purchased in another country.

The application process will start once all the required documents have been submitted.

Norway Visa Application Centre

VFS Global Ottawa

VFS Global Vancouver

Contact information can be found here.

Submission hours: 9am-4pm Monday to Friday.
By appointment only.

Applications are sent to New York by courier on a weekly basis.

You should be able to find an appointment within 3 working days. If you - and any other applicants applying together with you - cannot find an available appointment (together), please contact VFS. The Consulate cannot book the appointments.

If you submitted your fingerprints to a Schengen country during the last 59 months and they can be retrieved and copied into the new application, you do not need to submit your fingerprints again.

If you gave your fingerprints more than 59 months ago, it is necessary to submit them again.

If you are unsure whether the fingerprints can be reused, you can request VFS to take your fingerprints again, even when you have submitted them during the last 59 months. The new fingerprints will then be stored for the following 59 months and can be reused in future applications.

If the consulate is unable to copy your fingerprints from a previous application, you must return to VFS to give your fingerprints again.

Applications sent by mail/courier service are not accepted and will be returned without processing.

After receiving your application, VFS should give you a copy of one of the following documents:

Information to applicants in North America

Waiting Time

The processing time for applications is normally up to 15 calendar days after the embassy or consulate has received the application. In some cases, applications are sent to the Directorate of Immigration (UDI), and the processing time in these cases may be up to 45 calendar days.

In Canada, you will in most cases get the result of your application within 15 days after the Consulate General in New York has received the application. If we have to ask you for additional documents or information, it will take more time to process your application.

Please remember that the courier time to and from the Consulate General may be between 1 and 7 days in each direction.

For urgent cases, inform VFS of this at the time of submission and provide documentation why the case is urgent and the Consulate General will take this into consideration when processing the case.

Applicants who are citizens of the following countries are subject to a week long prior consultation with other Schengen states before a visa can be issued.

We strongly recommend that applications are submitted to VFS at least 4 weeks prior to departure in order for the Consulate General to be able to process the case in time for the intended departure.

We also recommend submitting all required documentation, as missing documentation and needs for clarification will lead to delays in the processing.

Genuinely urgent cases will be handled urgently, but tourist applications are not considered as urgent. Tourist applicants are adviced to apply well in advance and should not pay for any bookings before a visa has been approved.

Where is my passport?

You can track your case through the VFS tracking system:

Track cases submitted to VFS in Canada

The result of your application

You will be notified by email or telephone when your application has been processed.
The result can be picked up at the Visa Application Centre where the application was submitted or delivered by courier service if you have opted for this option.

If you have been granted a visa, a sticker will be placed in your passport. Please check the duration of stay and number of entries specified on the sticker. The duration of stay indicates how many days you are allowed to stay in the Schengen area.

Appealing a decision:

If your application was rejected by the Consulate General in New York, the appeal must be submitted to the Consulate General by e-mail or letter/courier as stated in the rejection letter.

If your application was rejected by the Directorate of Immigration (UDI), the appeal must be sent to the Directorate of Immigration by uploading the documents on their website.

You can find more information about the appeal process and processing times on the UDI website.

On arrival

When you cross the border into the Schengen area, you will have to present:

your passport with the visa sticker
proof that you have enough money to support yourself during your stay (e.g. cash or a credit card). If you have a guarantee form, you should also bring a copy of this with you.
documentation showing the purpose of your visit, such as an invitation, hotel reservation, etc.
a return or round trip ticket if you are visiting the Schengen area for tourist purposes or private reasons

You may be asked to provide fingerprints by the border control officer, in which case these will be compared with the fingerprints provided when you applied for your visa.
As long as your visa is valid, you can travel around freely in the Schengen area, or in the specific Schengen countries covered by the visa. If you leave the Schengen area, for example to visit the UK or Svalbard, you will need a multiple entry visa.