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.

On this page and in the related articles, you will find detailed information on applying for a Schengen visa and how to appeal if your application has been refused.

Citizens of UAE do not need to apply for a visitor's visa to enter Norway. If you have a UAE passport but a different nationality (non UAE) you must apply for a visa in your national passport.

If you plan to stay longer than 90 days, you need to apply for a residence permit.

Regional handling of applications:

The Norwegian Embassy in Abu Dhabi is a regional hub and responsible for visas and residence permit matters for the following countries: The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Qatar, Kuwait (residence permit only), Bahrain (residence permit only), Oman (residence permit only), Yemen.

No other missions are responsible for the visa handling process and should not be contacted regarding visa/immigration cases. Honorary Consuls are not involved with immigration cases.

Travelers who must apply for a visa to Norway and Schengen:

Nationals with a passport from: Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Qatar need a visa.

In addition, see: Lists of third countries whose nationals must be in possession of a visa Annex 01

Persons and nationalities who do not need a visa to Norway and Schengen:

See: Persons who do not need a visa to visit Norway (visa-free) - UDI

Applicants who must use another country's visa service:

In Oman, Visa applications to Norway are handled by the Netherlands, and by Germany in Kuwait and Bahrain. Please follow their visa process to complete your application.

Traveling to Iceland?

Norway no longer represents Iceland in visa matters from the United Arab Emirates. If you are applying for a visa to travel to Iceland you may still apply through VFS Global, but your application will be sent to The Embassy of Iceland in New Delhi, India.

Visitor's visa

Residence permit

Travels to Svalbard

Svalbard is not part of the Schengen area even though Svalbard is a part of the Kingdom of Norway.

Our visa process explained

Norway works with a global visa service provider called VFS Global. All applicants are normally required to appear in person to provide their fingerprints and have their photo taken. This biometric data is mandatory for processing your application. VFS Global collects and checks all visa applications before sending them, along with your documents and ID, to the responsible Norwegian embassy.

Norway has some embassies that are responsible for more than one country. This means one embassy may handle visa applications from several countries. When the embassy gets your application, their staff will look at it. They might approve it right away, or ask you for more information. This could include fingerprints, a DNA sample, an interview, or other details. If more information is needed to complete your applications, you will receive a request from either the embassy or VFS to continue the process.

When the embassy finishes your applications—whether your visa is approved or not—they send the result back to the same VFS office where you applied.

Questions regarding your application?