Residence permit

Citizens of Sudan, Eritrea, Chad and Central African Republic need a residence permit in order to work or to take up residence for longer than 90 days. Applicants for residence permits from citizens of Sudan and Eritrea may be submitted at the Norwegian Embassy in Khartoum, which will forward the applications to the Norwegian Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.

For nationals of other countries:

Nationals of EU/EEA countries do not need a residence permit to stay or work in Norway. However, all nationals of EU/EEA countries who want to stay for longer than three months must register with the police.
Nationals of non-EU/EEA countries who want to work in Norway or to stay for longer than 90 days need a residence permit.

The Directorate of Immigration (UDI) normally processes applications for a residence permit.

Before you apply

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 from Sudan you must either be a citizen of Sudan, Eritrea, Chad or Central African Republic or legally reside here. You must have had the residence permit for at least six months before you apply for the residence permit.

Gather the necessary documentation

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.

If you want someone to act on your behalf 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: Power of Attorney.

Online registration and payment

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.

Go to online application

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 fees: Fees.

Please note that you pay the fee when registering the application in the portal.

Handing in the documents

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.

Royal Norwegian Embassy in Khartoum
Street 49, House No. 63, Khartoum 2
Postal address: P.O. Box 13096,
Khartoum

Please note that you need to book an appointment before coming to the Embassy.

If you have not handed in your application within three years after you registered it in the Application Portal, the application will be deleted from the system. The application fee will not be refunded.

Processing time

Applications for a residence permit are processed by UDI. You will find information about the processing time on UDI’s website.

Once you have submitted all the application documents, your application will be sent to the Embassy in Nairobi which is responsible for forwarding the application to UDI. You will receive regular updats on your application status by email or SMS.

On this page you will find information about what happens when your application is in process: https//www.udi.no/en/have-applied/

Please not that in connection with some applications for residence permit you may be summoned for an interview or DNA-test. You will be notified if this applies to you and where you should meet, normally at the Embassy in Khartoum where the application was submitted.

If you need a visa, you must wait until you have received an answer to your application before you can enter Norway.

Result

You will be notified by SMS or telephone when your application has been processed.

The result can be picked up at the embassy where the application was submitted.

If you have been granted a residence permit, a sticker will be placed in your passport to allow you to travel to Norway. The embassy will contact you to let you know when you can collect your passport.

If your application has been rejected, you will receive a written explanation as to why it was rejected. You can appeal the decision

On arrival

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