Visitor's visa
A visitor's visa allows you to stay in Norway or other countries in the Schengen area for up to 90 days over a period of 180 days.
UAE passport holders with UAE nationality do not need visa to enter Norway.
Nationals with a passport from: Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen, Qatar need a visa.
Applicants that 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.
Regarding the situation in The UAE and GCC region
03.03.2026: The Norwegian Embassy in Abu Dhabi is temporary closed due to the current situation in The UAE. Our visa operations have been suspended until further notice and it will not be possible to submit your applications at the VFS Global application centers in the region.
We are closely monitoring the developments and applicants who have applied for a visa or residence permit through us will receive updates when there is a status change or when documents can be collected.
Family members of EU/EEA nationals may be entitled to an accelerated visa procedure free of charge if you meet the following criteria:
- You are a family member of an European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) citizen;
- and that EU/EEA citizen is travelling to or is residing in a member state other than that of which he/she is a citizen;
- and you are accompanying the EU/EEA citizen or planning to join him/her in the Schengen State of destination.
- If you think you are entitled to an accelerated visa procedure you will need to show proof that you meet these criteria when you submit your visa application. For more information, please click here.
- Family members of EU citizens can submit their short-term Schengen visa application directly at the Embassy, after making an appointment. you can also submitt your visa application at a VFS application centre.
A Schengen visa is generally issued for a single entry.
- If you plan to travel outside the Schengen area and return within the period of the visa, the box for “Two entries” or “Multiple entries” must be ticked off in the visa application form.
- You should also document why two or more entries are required. We will then assess if there is a genuine need for a multiple entry visa.
- If only one entry is required, and this is your first trip to Norway and/or the Schengen area, we encourage you to apply for a "single entry" visa.
Multiple entry visas with a validity from 1 to 5 years
- Frequent travellers with a positive visa history can be granted multiple-entry visa with a gradually increasing validity period from 1 year to a maximum of 5 years.
- Your fulfilment of entry conditions will be thoroughly and repeatedly verified in all cases, and only persons with a positive visa track record will be issued multiple-entry visas with a long validity.
- Provided that the applicant fulfils the entry conditions, multiple-entry visas with a long validity shall be issued for the following validity periods, unless the validity of the visa would exceed that of the travel document:
-
- for a validity period of one year, provided that the applicant has obtained and lawfully used three visas within the previous two years;
- for a validity period of two years, provided that the applicant has obtained and lawfully used a previous multiple-entry visa valid for one year within the previous two years;
- for a validity period of five years, provided that the applicant has obtained and lawfully used a previous multiple-entry visa valid for two years within the previous three years.
- Multiple-entry visas allow the holder to travel repeatedly to the Schengen area during the period of validity of the visa.
- Even with a multiple-entry visa with a validity from 1 to 5 years, the applicant cannot stay in the Schengen area more than 90 days within any 180 day period.
When you are going to visit Norway, you must show that you have enough money to finance your stay here and for the return journey.
You must document that you have at least NOK 500 per day during your stay in Norway and the Schengen area. If you do not have enough money yourself, you must have a financial guarantee from the person you are visiting. In this connection, the person you will be visiting will have to provide a sponsorship form.
For more information, please visit the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration website.
Before you apply
- You should apply well in advance and as a rule no later than 15 days before you plan to travel. Due to the courier sending of documents in some countries, we recommend that you apply at least 4 weeks prior to your planned departure.
- You may submit your application up to six months before your planned departure, or up to nine months for seafarers.
- We recommend that you do not buy your ticket until a visa has been granted.
- You must register your application online before you can hand in the required documentation.
- When you hand in your application, you will be asked to provide fingerprints, unless your fingerprints have been collected within the last 59 months.
- Travel to Svalbard requires you to apply for two or more entries.
To apply for a visa, your passport must be from a country that the embassy is responsible for. You must also have a valid stay or residence permit in the country where you are applying from.
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.
Family members of EU/EEA nationals may be entitled to an accelerated visa procedure free of charge if you meet the following criteria:
- You are a family member of an European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) citizen;
- and that EU/EEA citizen is travelling to or is residing in a member state other than that of which he/she is a citizen;
- and you are accompanying the EU/EEA citizen or planning to join him/her in the Schengen State of destination.
- If you think you are entitled to an accelerated visa procedure you will need to show proof that you meet these criteria when you submit your visa application. For more information, please click here.
- Family members of EU citizens can submit their short-term Schengen visa application directly at the Embassy, after making an appointment. you can also submitt your visa application at a VFS application centre.
A Schengen visa is generally issued for a single entry.
- If you plan to travel outside the Schengen area and return within the period of the visa, the box for “Two entries” or “Multiple entries” must be ticked off in the visa application form.
- You should also document why two or more entries are required. We will then assess if there is a genuine need for a multiple entry visa.
- If only one entry is required, and this is your first trip to Norway and/or the Schengen area, we encourage you to apply for a "single entry" visa.
Multiple entry visas with a validity from 1 to 5 years
- Frequent travellers with a positive visa history can be granted multiple-entry visa with a gradually increasing validity period from 1 year to a maximum of 5 years.
- Your fulfilment of entry conditions will be thoroughly and repeatedly verified in all cases, and only persons with a positive visa track record will be issued multiple-entry visas with a long validity.
- Provided that the applicant fulfils the entry conditions, multiple-entry visas with a long validity shall be issued for the following validity periods, unless the validity of the visa would exceed that of the travel document:
-
- for a validity period of one year, provided that the applicant has obtained and lawfully used three visas within the previous two years;
- for a validity period of two years, provided that the applicant has obtained and lawfully used a previous multiple-entry visa valid for one year within the previous two years;
- for a validity period of five years, provided that the applicant has obtained and lawfully used a previous multiple-entry visa valid for two years within the previous three years.
- Multiple-entry visas allow the holder to travel repeatedly to the Schengen area during the period of validity of the visa.
- Even with a multiple-entry visa with a validity from 1 to 5 years, the applicant cannot stay in the Schengen area more than 90 days within any 180 day period.
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.
If you give a person Power of Attorney, all communication regarding your application will go to him/her and not to you, the applicant.
When you are going to visit Norway, you must show that you have enough money to finance your stay here and for the return journey.
You must document that you have at least NOK 500 per day during your stay in Norway and the Schengen area. If you do not have enough money yourself, you must have a financial guarantee from the person you are visiting. In this connection, the person you will be visiting will have to provide a sponsorship form.
For more information, please visit the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration website.
The embassy has no cooperation with any visa agents. The official partner of Norway in the region is VFS Global. This is our only agent.
Applicants are strongly advised not to engage visa agents. Please report any attempts at visa fraud from visa agents directly to the Embassy.
Gather the necessary documentation
The checklist gives an overview of the documents you need to hand in to start the application process. Please make sure that you submit a certified translation of all required documents into English or Norwegian. Applicants who do not submit translated documents will risk longer processing time or a rejection of the application.
Additional information:
When you are going to visit Norway, you must show that you have enough money to finance your stay here and for the return journey.
You must document that you have at least NOK 500 per day during your stay in Norway and the Schengen area. If you do not have enough money yourself, you must have a financial guarantee from the person you are visiting. In this connection, the person you will be visiting will have to provide a sponsorship form.
For more information, please visit the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration website.
Family members of EU/EEA nationals may be entitled to an accelerated visa procedure free of charge if you meet the following criteria:
- You are a family member of an European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) citizen;
- and that EU/EEA citizen is travelling to or is residing in a member state other than that of which he/she is a citizen;
- and you are accompanying the EU/EEA citizen or planning to join him/her in the Schengen State of destination.
- If you think you are entitled to an accelerated visa procedure you will need to show proof that you meet these criteria when you submit your visa application. For more information, please click here.
- Family members of EU citizens can submit their short-term Schengen visa application directly at the Embassy, after making an appointment. you can also submitt your visa application at a VFS application centre.
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.
If you give a person Power of Attorney, all communication regarding your application will go to him/her and not to you, the applicant.
All questions regarding your application must be directed towards the VFS GLOBAL office where you applied. You should only direct your questions toward the responsible embassy if VFS requests it, or if they cannot answer your question.
Online registration and payment
Before you can hand in your passport and other documentation, 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 form (schengen.pdf), application summary and payment receipt attached. You need to print the application form (schengen.pdf) and submit it together with the other required documentation
Application fee
The visa fee is EUR 90. Children under six years do not pay a fee. Children from the age of six years and below the age of 12 years shall pay a visa fee of EUR 45. Please visit the UDI website for information about other groups exempted from the visa fee.
Please note that you pay the fee when registering the application in the portal. Applicants exempted from the visa fee requirement will have the fee refunded.
If you are a applying for a visa as a family member to an EU/EEA citizen you are not required to pay the application fee.
Service fee at the VFS Visa Application Centre
The VFS Global service fee is payable online when you book an appointment.
Optional services provided at the Visa Application Centre
Certain additional services offered by VFS are not included in the service fee. Please note that these services are optional
Hand in your documents
You must bring with you:
- a printout of the application form (schengen.pdf) received by email;
- the checklist and the documents listed.
- Your passport (must be valid for at least three months after your planned departure from the Schengen area)
- Photograph (must comply with international standards)
- Your travel health insurance policy
- You should be covered for at least EUR 30 000, including expenses in connection with repatriation for medical reasons, treatment in medical emergencies and/or emergency hospital treatment, and death
- Your insurance should be valid in all Schengen countries
- It should cover the whole of your planned stay in the Schengen area
- It should as a rule be purchased in your home country. If this is not possible it may be purchased in another country.
The application process will start once all the required documents have been submitted.
The application process will start once all the required documents have been submitted. You must book an appointment at one of our local VFS application centres.
Please find your nearest VFS application office:
Waiting Time
The processing time for applications is normally up to 15 calendar days after the embassy or consulate has received the application. In some cases, applications are sent to the Directorate of Immigration (UDI), and the processing time in these cases may be up to 45 calendar days.
Please note: It can take 7–10 days for your application to travel between the VFS office and the Embassy in Abu Dhabi. To keep the total processing time as short as possible, it is very important that you bring all the correct documents when you go to your VFS appointment.
If something is missing or wrong, your case may take longer, or even be refused. Please check your application carefully before you submit it.
Sometimes we need more time, or we may send your case to the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI). In these cases, the process can take up to 45 calendar days.
Some periods of the year are very busy. Please check the visa status update article beneath see the current waiting times.
The result of your application
You will be notified by email, SMS or telephone when your application has been processed. You can also track your application online through the VFS Global website.
The result can be picked up at the VFS Visa application Centre, where the application was submitted, or can be delivered by courier service.
If you have been granted a visa, a sticker will be placed in your passport. Please check the duration of stay specified on the sticker. The duration of stay indicates how many days you are allowed to stay in the Schengen area.
If your application has been refused, you will receive a written explanation as to why it was refused. You can appeal the decision. The appeal letter and any additional documents must be uploaded via UDI portal: Send documents to UDI
See also Appealing a decision - UDI
For feedback on service, you may contact us by regular post or email, visa.abudhabi@mfa.no
On arrival
When you cross the border into the Schengen area, you will have to present:
- your passport with the visa sticker
- proof that you have enough money to support yourself during your stay (e.g. cash or a credit card). If you have a guarantee form, you should also bring a copy of this with you.
- documentation showing the purpose of your visit, such as an invitation, hotel reservation, etc.
- a return or round trip ticket if you are visiting the Schengen area for tourist purposes or private reasons
You may be asked to provide fingerprints by the border control officer, in which case these will be compared with the fingerprints provided when you applied for your visa.
As long as your visa is valid, you can travel around freely in the Schengen area, or in the specific Schengen countries covered by the visa. If you leave the Schengen area, for example to visit the UK or Svalbard, you will need a multiple entry visa.