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.

Kindly note that the Norwegian Embassy in Abu Dhabi is responsible for all matters related to visa applications and applications for residence permit to Norway from Saudi Arabia.

Requirement to give biometrics when applying for residence permit and visa for Norway

Persons applying for a residence permit in Norway are requested to submit biometrics in the form of a live photograph.  This means that, applicants will have to meet at a VFS application Center to submit their application.

Applicants will, in addition to fingerprints and photographs, have to submit a signature when applying for a residence permit with VFS.

The matrix below gives a full overview of the biometric requirements for the different groups of applicants:

Where and how to hand in my application?

The Norwegian Embassy in Abu Dhabi is responsible for handling visa and residence permit applications for Norway for the following countries: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen.

In addition to the above-mentioned countries, the Embassy receives applications for residence from Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.

For information about the application procedures and requirements for applicants outside KSA, please select your country from the list on www.norway.no.

Please note the following:

VFS Visa Application Centers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Qatar are open for receiving applications. Please visit www.vfsglobal.com for more information and to book an appointment.

Interviews: Interviews are being conducted through videolink at the VFS Application Centers. If you are waiting for an interview, please note that the Embassy in Abu Dhabi will contact you to schedule the appointment once it is your turn.

DNA-tests: DNA-tests are being conducted at the Embassy in Riyadh. The Embassy will contact the applicant to schedule a date for the DNA- sample to be collected.

Representation agreements

Visa applications to Norway are handled by the Netherlands in Oman, and by Germany in Kuwait and Bahrain. Applicants in the afore-mentioned countries who wish to apply for a visa to Norway can submit their applications to the Embassy of the Netherlands and Germany in the respective countries where they represent Norway.

General enquiries about visas and residence permit

Please note that 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 answering e-mails on behalf of Norwegian Embassies. Therefore, if you have any questions regarding your visa or residence permit to Norway, you must contact VFS Global. From here you can find contact details to the VFS applications centers in the country you want to hand in your application, or you want to contact for questions.

If you have further queries that VFS cannot answer, you may contact the Visa Team at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Abu Dhabi.