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.
Where and how to hand in my application?
The Norwegian Embassy in Abu Dhabi is the responsible hub for visas and residence permit matters for Norway from the following countries: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Qatar.
In addition to the above-mentioned countries, the Embassy receives residence permit applications from applicants residing in Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.
Please note that as of March 4th 2024, all applications from Iran will be handled by the Norwegian Embassy in Ankara. If you have applied through the Norwegian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, your application will normally be finalized by Abu Dhabi.
For information about the application procedures and requirements for applicants outside UAE, please select your country from the list on www.norway.no.
Schengen visa applications and residence permit applications must be handed in at one of the VFS Global Visa Application Centers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran or Qatar. 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 will contact you to schedule the appointment once it is your turn.
DNA-tests: DNA-tests are being performed in some cases. The missions in Islamabad, Teheran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia will contact the applicant to schedule a date for the DNA-sampling.
Norwegian citizenship applications: The Norwegian Embassy in Abu Dhabi is responsible for receiving the following citizenship applications: Retention of Norwegian citizenship, Reclaiming Norwegian citizenship and Notification of citizenship for children with a Norwegian father. Applications to be released from Norwegian citizenship are also handled by the embassy.
At the time of submission of the first visa application, the applicant shall be required to appear in person. At that time, the following biometric identifiers of the applicant shall be collected: — a photograph, scanned or taken at the time of application, and —10 fingerprints. If fingerprints collected from the applicant as part of an earlier visa application were entered in the VIS for the first time less than 59 months before the date of the new application, they shall be copied and reused to the subsequent visa application.
Persons applying for a residence permit are also 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.
The matrix below gives a full overview of the biometric requirements for the different groups of applicants:
The Embassy of Norway in Abu Dhabi represents Iceland in visa matters from the United Arab Emirates.
There are a number of visa agents in operation throughout The UAE and in the region.
Please note that the Norwegian Embassy in Abu Dhabi has no cooperation with any visa agents. The official partner of Norway in the region is VFS Global.
Applicants are strongly advised not to engage visa agents. They often charge high fees, offer false information, and in some cases have been found to compromise the overall credibility of an application by encouraging applicants to falsify information and documentation. Submitting fraudulent documentation to the Embassy may lead to expulsion from the Schengen area.
Please report any attempts at visa fraud from visa agents directly to the Embassy.
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 first contact VFS Global. The main webpage of VFS Global is www.vfsglobal.com. 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.
