Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

For enquiries regarding visa or residence permit applications, please contact the VFS Global application center in your country: VFS Global.

You can track your application online at the VFS website.

If you have specific questions regarding residence permit applications and prohibition of entry, you must contact the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI): Contact us - UDI.

On UDI’s website you will find information about how to apply for a visa and residence permit in Norway: Want to apply - UDI.

You can also visit the Embassy’s website with country-specific requirements for Schengen visa applications and select your country from the list on the Norway Portal.

Visa and residence permit applications must be handed in at one of the VFS Global Norwegian application centres.

Visa applications may be submitted up to six months before the planned travel, and up to nine months for seafarers. Applications should not be submitted later than 15 calendar days before the intended travel.

We recommend that visa applications are submitted to VFS at least four weeks prior to departure.

When a decision has been made, the passport will be returned to VFS for collection.

The Embassy does not accept additional documents or information by email for Schengen visas. All relevant documentation must be delivered to VFS when applying.

If you have a case with UDI and need to send additional documents, new information, or an appeal, you can upload it yourself.

Please see: Forwarding documents - UDI.

You must have a passport which is valid for at least three months longer than the date you plan to leave Norway.

If you are a child and we cannot identify you by your passport because you were very young when it was issued, you must obtain a new passport.

If you have been granted a permit by UDI, the Embassy will issue a visa and send your passport to VFS.

If your passport is not at the Embassy, you will need to deliver your passport, passport photo and approval letter to VFS.

If you have a valid Schengen visa or are from a visa-free country, you can travel to Norway.

Please note that the application fee will only be refunded if the application has not been submitted at VFS.

The refunded fee will be transferred to the credit card or bank account used for payment. It can take up to 14 days before the funds are available.

The following documents must be scanned in PDF format and sent to visa.abudhabi@mfa.no:

1. UDI’s confirmation of paid fee from the online registration.
2. Request letter for cancellation and fee refund with your handwritten signature.
3. Copy of your passport (bio-data page).

Certain family members, students, skilled workers and other eligible applicants may apply for a D-visa.

• Applicants who have received a job offer in Norway and whose employer has obtained confirmation from the police.
• Applicants with a valid residence permit whose residence card is lost or expired.
• Applicants who will be working at an Embassy or Consulate in Norway, or family members of diplomats moving to Norway.

Read more: Entry Visas (D-visas) - UDI.

If you are going to live outside Norway for more than two years, you will normally lose your permanent residence permit, but you can apply to keep it.

Read more: Keep a permanent residence permit - UDI.

If you have been expelled from Norway, but you wish to travel here, you can apply to have the prohibition against entry lifted.

Requirements for lifting an entry ban

• There must be new circumstances in your case.
• You must have a special reason for wanting to travel to Norway, for example that you are going to give evidence in court, attend a funeral or visit a seriously ill family member.

How to apply

Please follow the application process described in the UDI application portal.

No. Your passport must remain at the Embassy while your application is being processed, without exception.

If you need your passport returned, you may request to cancel your application. Your application will be closed without a decision, and your passport will be returned to the VFS application centre.

Send your written request to visa.abudhabi@mfa.no and write CANCEL APPLICATION in the subject line of your email.

Please include the following information in your request:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Nationality
• Passport number
• DUF number (if available)