Residence permit

Find out what type of residence permit you need, e.g. in connection with work, studies, family immigration or to stay in Norway as an au pair. You will find information on the different types of residence permit on UDI’s website. 

In order to apply for a residence permit to Norway from the Philippines, you must either be a Filipino citizen or have had a residence permit in the Philippines for at least six months.

Applicants for residence permits must submit their applications in person to VFS Global, which is located in Manila and Cebu. Please see contact information and opening hours here.  

VFS Global will forward your application to the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok for further screening. The Directorate of Immigration in Norway (UDI) will process the application. You will be notified when UDI has made a decision. 

Please see www.udi.no for details about regulations, procedures and case processing times. 

If the applicant wants someone to act on his or her behalf in connection with the application, this person must be duly authorised to do so. Please visit the UDI website for more information and the relevant form.

You must gather all the documents in the relevant checklist on UDI’s website. Some of the documents must be provided by your contact person in Norway; others you will have to obtain yourself. 

We kindly ask that all documents are submitted in A4 format/paper size. Please do not staple the documents together. Documents must be in English or Norwegian. 

Checklist

Before you can hand in your passport and other documentation at a VFS application centre or a Norwegian diplomatic or consular mission, 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 summary, a signature letter (cover letter) and payment receipt attached. You need to print the signature letter, sign it, and submit it together with the other required documentation.

Once you have registered, you will receive confirmation by email, with a cover letter attached. The cover letter will confirm that you have filled in the application form and paid the fee. You need to print this letter and submit it together with the other required documentation.

Application fees

Please visit the UDI website for information about the application fees for residence permits.

Note: You need to pay the fee when registering the application in the portal.

Service and Courier Fee at the VFS Global (Norway Visa Application Centre)

In the Philippines, applications are received by the external service provider VFS Global in Manila and Cebu, which charges a service fee of 25,67 euro.

An additional courier fee of 3,00 EUR will also be charged to cover the cost of sending documents to the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. (Applications are no longer handled by the Embassy in Manila). 

Optional Services Provided at the VFS Global (Norway Visa Application Centre)

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

You must bring your passport and all the documents listed in the checklist with you. You will find the relevant checklist when you register your application online. You can also find it on www.udi.no/en (checklists).

We will contact you if we need more information.

VFS Office in Manila:
Norway Visa Application Centre,
Ground Floor, Ecoplaza Bldg.,
Don Chino Roces Ave., Makati City, Metro Manila
1231 Philippines

VFS Office in Cebu:
Norway Visa Application Centre,
Unit 503, 5th Floor, Kepwealth Center, Samar Loop
cor. Cardinal Rosales Avenue
Cebu Business Park, Cebu City 6000
Philippines

Website: VFS Global (Norway Visa Application Centre)

Visa applicants submitting their applications at VFS-Manila or VFS-Cebu need to book an appointment via the VFS website.

Please remark that it is not possible to book an appointment at the Embassy in Manila. The visa section in Manila is permanently closed and all applications are sent from VFS Global to the Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok.   

Longer waiting time for residence permits

From August 2019 the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Manila no longer process residence permit applications. Applications for residence permits are now processed by the Directorate of Immigration in Norway (UDI).

As a consequence, applicants from the Philippines must expect longer processing times. Information about the current processing times is available on UDI’s website.

The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok is responsible for forwarding the applications from VFS Manila and VFS Cebu to UDI. Applicants will receive regular updates from UDI on the status of their application by email or SMS until a decision has been made.

Please note that some applicants may be summoned for an interview. The applicant will be notified by the Embassy in Bangkok if this is applicable and where the interview will be conducted in the Philippines. It is therefore important that you provide your phone number and email address in the application form. 

If you need an entry visa, you must wait until you receive an answer to your application for a residence permit before you can enter Norway. If you need your passport while waiting for the application to be processed, you must contact the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok.

The applicant or the authorised representative will be notified when the processing of the application has been concluded and when the decision can be collected.

The applicant's passport can be picked up where the application was submitted, normally within 2 weeks after UDI made the decision. (Please allow for courier time between the countries). If the applicant has availed of a courier return service at the time of submission to VFS, the passport will be delivered to the address provided by the applicant.

If a residence permit has been granted, the applicant will still need an entry visa to enter Norway. An entry visa will be placed in the applicant's passport to allow travel to Norway.

If the application was rejected by UDI, the applicant will receive a written explanation as to why it was rejected. An appeal must be sent to the Directorate of Immigration by uploading the documents on their website.

Information about the appeal process can be found on the UDI website.

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

• your passport with the entry visa sticker (if you need an entry visa)
• documentation showing the purpose of your stay

Once you know when you will be arriving in Norway, you need to make an appointment with the police in order to obtain a residence card. You must pre-book this appointment, normally through the Application Portal, and the appointment has to be either during the first seven days you are in Norway, or the first available appointment you can find.

More information on residence cards, including how to book an appointment