A foreign national who has lived in Norway for some years with a residence permit may be entitled to a permanent residence permit. The permit gives a right to reside in Norway without time limits and extended protection against expulsion. This article reviews the conditions in Section 62 of the Immigration Act (utlendingsloven) and Chapter 11 of the Immigration Regulations (utlendingsforskriften), including the amendments that took effect on 1 September 2025, and the circumstances in which a permanent permit may lapse.
Who is entitled to a permanent residence permit
Under Section 62 first paragraph of the Immigration Act, a foreign national who has resided in Norway for the last three years with temporary residence permits that form a basis for permanent residence is entitled, on application, to a permanent residence permit if:
the person has not stayed outside Norway for more than seven months in total during the last three years;
the person still meets the conditions for a temporary permit that forms a basis for permanent residence;
there are no circumstances as mentioned in Section 66 (grounds for expulsion), and no required additional residence period is still running;
the person has passed an oral test in Norwegian;
the person has passed a test in social studies in a language he or she understands; and
the person has been self-sufficient for the last twelve months.
Not all permits form a basis for permanent residence. The Regulations state expressly that this applies, for example, to permits for seasonal workers (Section 6-3), posted workers (Section 6-13), independent contractors (Section 6-14), students (Section 6-19), researchers with own funds (Section 6-20), au pairs (Section 6-25) and recent graduates and researchers seeking work as skilled workers (Section 6-29). A skilled worker permit (Section 6-1) and a permit for self-employed persons with a business in Norway (Section 6-18) do form a basis for permanent residence.
It is not necessary to have held permits on the same basis throughout the whole period. For family immigration permits, whether they count depends on the permit – check the decision letter or udi.no.
The five-year rule and stays abroad
Under Section 62 second paragraph, a foreign national with a temporary permit on the basis of asylum (Section 28) or strong humanitarian considerations (Section 38) must have resided in Norway for the last five years. The same applies to family members of such persons and of persons who have obtained a permanent permit on that basis. In these cases, stays abroad may not exceed ten months in total during the five years. The other conditions in the first paragraph apply correspondingly.
Under Section 11-2 of the Regulations, the residence period is calculated from the date the qualifying permit was granted or, if it was granted before entry, from the date the person reported to the police. Separate starting points apply to persons granted asylum and to resettled refugees. A skilled worker under Section 6-1 first paragraph may stay abroad for up to 15 months in total without losing the right to permanent residence, provided at least eight months of the stay abroad were due to assignments for the employer. Under Section 11-4 of the Regulations, a permanent permit may be granted even though the residence period is not met, where the person has held a qualifying permit for at least the last year and has previously had long residence in Norway with a permit, has previously had long residence on Svalbard, or where there are particularly strong reasons of fairness.
Language, social studies and self-sufficiency
Applicants aged 18 to 67 must have passed an oral Norwegian test at level A2 or higher (Section 11-9 of the Regulations) and a social studies test (Section 11-10). The 18-year limit is calculated from the date of application and the 67-year limit from the date of decision. The requirements were amended with effect from 1 September 2025, with transitional rules for some applicants. Exemptions apply, for example, where the applicant documents Norwegian from school, adult education or higher education, has been exempted by the municipality, or cannot pass the test because of particular health reasons or personal circumstances beyond his or her control.
The self-sufficiency requirement applies to applicants aged 18 to 67. The applicant must have had means of a set level during the last twelve months, through sources listed in Section 11-11 of the Regulations – including work or business income, pensions, certain National Insurance benefits, student loans or grants from Lånekassen, and introduction benefit under the Integration Act. Financial social assistance is not among the listed sources. The level is expressed as a multiple of the National Insurance basic amount (G) and changes when G is adjusted; check the current figure on udi.no.
The self-sufficiency requirement must be met at the time of application or during the period up to the decision, while the other conditions must be met at the time of the decision (Section 62 third paragraph).
Criminal matters and other grounds for refusal
If the applicant is suspected or charged with an offence as mentioned in Section 66, the application is put on hold. It can be granted at the earliest when the case has been dropped or the question of guilt has been finally decided (Section 62 fifth paragraph). Where there are grounds for expulsion but the person is not expelled, a longer residence period is required before a permanent permit may be granted. The calculation of the additional time is regulated in the Regulations.
An application may also be refused where weighty immigration control considerations apply, including where the applicant has actively obstructed clarification of his or her own identity after arrival in Norway (Section 62 fourth paragraph). If an application for permanent residence is refused, it is considered as an application for renewal of the temporary permit (Section 11-1 seventh paragraph of the Regulations).
The effect of a permanent residence permit
A permanent residence permit gives the right to reside in Norway without time limits and extended protection against expulsion (Section 62 seventh paragraph). In practice, this means that:
the permit no longer depends on the basis for the original temporary permit, for example a marriage or a specific job;
the permit itself does not need to be renewed, but the residence card has an expiry date and must be renewed – see udi.no; and
expulsion is only possible on the grounds listed in Section 68.
A permanent residence permit is also relevant to Norwegian citizenship; see our article on Norwegian citizenship.
Lapse, revocation and expulsion
A permanent residence permit may come to an end in three main ways:
revocation under Section 63, for example if the permit was granted on the basis of incorrect information;
expulsion under Section 68; or
lapse after more than two years of continuous stay outside Norway (Section 62 eighth paragraph).
UDI decides on lapse. The more detailed rules are found in Section 11-8 of the Regulations:
a stay abroad is regarded as continuous even if the person has had one or more shorter stays in Norway in between;
several stays abroad are also regarded as continuous if they total more than two years within a four-year period, although stays abroad totalling less than two months per calendar year are not counted;
if the person stays in Norway for 15 months between two stays abroad, a new two-year period begins;
an exception from lapse may be made where the person has left Norway, is prevented against his or her will from returning, and would have been entitled to a permit under Section 53 first paragraph (b) of the Act if he or she had been in Norway; and
on application, a person may be allowed to stay outside Norway for more than two years without the permit lapsing, where it is clear that the person will settle in Norway again and the stay abroad concerns military or equivalent service in the home country, work or education beyond ordinary upper secondary level, or accompanying a spouse, cohabitant or parent who is abroad for work or education.
When deciding how long such a stay abroad may last, weight is given to the length of the person’s previous residence in Norway and the purpose of the stay abroad. If the application is submitted earlier than six months before the two-year period expires, the permit does not lapse if the person returns to Norway within two weeks after UDI’s refusal has been notified.
The rules on lapse may change. Check the current version of Section 11-8 on Lovdata or contact us before a long stay abroad.
EEA nationals
EEA nationals and their family members are subject to separate rules in Chapter 13 of the Immigration Act. An EEA national who has resided lawfully and continuously in Norway for five years under Sections 112 and 113 acquires a permanent right of residence under Section 115. That right exists regardless of whether the conditions for residence continue to be met.
It lapses if the holder stays outside Norway for more than two consecutive years. Shorter periods apply in specific cases, for example on retirement or permanent incapacity for work.
How we can help
We advise on applications for permanent residence, exemptions from the test requirements, stays abroad and lapse. Contact us if you would like Advokatfirmaet Sterk AS to look at your situation.
This article provides general information as of 29 October 2026 and is not legal advice for your specific situation.
