Moving to Norway Successfully:
A Practical 15-Step Guide
Hi, and welcome to my complete guide on moving to Norway in 15 clear steps.
I’m originally from Russia and moved to Norway in 2014. My journey was incredibly challenging. I was married to a Norwegian, but the marriage unfortunately didn’t last long. After the divorce, I suddenly had to navigate every aspect of life in Norway on my own — as a single mom working two jobs.
I dealt with moving homes, running my own business, raising my kids, sorting out my immigration status post-divorce, applying for parental benefits, setting up utilities in a new place, filing taxes for myself and my company, and even fighting for my labor rights in low-wage jobs. I was terrified of being alone and having to figure everything out by myself.
But I made it through. Over time, I built a clear system — a step-by-step plan — to help anyone moving to Norway avoid the same level of stress.
You’re going to feel overwhelmed anyway — it’s a new country, new rules, and often a new language. But with a solid plan of what to do before arrival and after, you can settle in as smoothly and stress-free as possible.
If you want to stay organized at every stage and settle in with minimal stress, check out my Relocation Kit. It’s a pre-built, fully customizable task manager and step-by-step guide that ensures you don’t miss anything important during your move. It includes all 15 steps from this guide (plus extra practical tips and resources) — designed specifically for expats like you.
Relocation Kit
- • Get a Prebuilt Task Manager for Your Move to Norway: Know what your next step should be.
- • Save Time & Stay Organized: Don’t spend hours Googling → Get all the essential resources, critical steps, and links to governmental sites in one place.
- • Fully Customizable: Adjust, add, or personalize the template to match your unique situation.
✏️ Table of Contents
5 things to prepare before moving to Norway
Things to do in your first weeks after arrival (part of the 15 steps)
- Register your move/address
- Get a personal number
- Get a mobile number/SIM
- Open a Norwegian bank account
- Get BANKID
- Secure housing
- Register with National Population Registry (Folkeregisteret)
- Apply for tax deduction card
- Enroll in National Insurance Scheme/Choose doctor
- Enroll kids in school/kindergarten, apply for child benefit
1. Prepare your budget
Moving to Norway requires some financial planning. There might be some hidden costs you might not be aware of.
Watch the video below before relocating to Norway to learn about what you should consider for your budget.
2. Secure the foundation for your move
The easiest and most hassle-free way to move to Norway is to secure a job offer from a Norwegian employer or get accepted to a Norwegian university beforehand. There are other grounds on which you can get residency in Norway, like for example family immigration, self-employed, exchange programs.
If you want to check your eligibility and requirements for getting a visa or residence permit – check the UDI page, there you can answer questions about nationality, purpose → it shows your options, requirements, and application link.
Norway is not advertising it very much, but there is a Job seeker visa for skilled workers that actually exists in Norway. It is available for citizens of countries that have agreement for visa-free visits with Norway and for people who has recently graduated in Norway/researchers.
3. Apply for your Visa/residence permit
Bureaucracy in Norway is straightforward. If we compare to other European countries, we can even say that its a very smooth ride, given that Norway has a good electronic system in place, and most of the process is done online. One thing that you need to care about – is to file all your documents for your visa/residency from the first time, taking care about all the details.
Depending on your home country and the type of visa you are applying for, your waiting time can range between one and six months for most applications.
For me, it took 2 months for the Norwegian embassy to issue my residence permit based on family reunion before I could move to Norway. If you want your process to go as fast as possible, make sure you get all documents with apostille and notarized translations.
You can apply through UDI.no page after you create user with your e-mail.
Keep in mind that for most visas on top of documents you will need to show a rental contract in Norway or in worst case written plan about where you plan to live. And for each category of work visa there are minimal thresholds of the salary you need to meet. Also, for getting a Job seeker visa and study visa you will need to show proof of funds to support yourself for the duration of the visa.
4. Book your travel, organize transport
If you plan to fly, make sure to fly to the closest airport. Norway has airports in all major cities:
- Oslo Airport, Gardermoen (OSL / ENGM) – Oslo area – main international gateway
- Bergen Airport, Flesland (BGO / ENBR) – Bergen
- Stavanger Airport, Sola (SVG / ENZV) – Stavanger
- Trondheim Airport, Værnes (TRD / ENVA) – Trondheim
- Tromsø Airport (TOS / ENTC) – Tromsø
- Ålesund Airport, Vigra (AES / ENAL) – Ålesund
- Bodø Airport (BOO / ENBO) – Bodø
- Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes (EVE / ENEV) – Harstad/Narvik area
- Kristiansand Airport (KRS / ENCN) – Kristiansand
- Molde Airport, Årø (MOL / ENML) – Molde
Take into account that most airlines these days allow you to travel with maximum 2 checked bags that weigh up to 23 kg each. If you are planning to bring more luggage per person, my advice is to fly with Norwegian or SAS if possible — there you can pay for extra luggage pieces, and each can weigh up to 32 kg.
If you are coming to Norway with pets, make sure you follow all the key requirements. In Norway, the organization called Mattilsynet is in charge of regulations related to animals.
Main things to remember: microchip, rabies vaccinations (at least 12 weeks before departure), tapeworm treatment 1–5 days before arrival (for dogs). Certain breeds of dogs are banned in Norway, such as Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Tosa Inu, Dogo Argentino, Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, and all wolf-dog hybrids.
You can find all the related information on these official pages:
- Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets from EU-countries to Norway
- Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets from third countries and territories to Norway
If you decide that you want to move your belongings from your country to Norway and it’s much more than luggage can carry, here are a few options:
First option: Book a cruise instead of a flight (if viable for you). Cruise ships allow much more luggage, and it will be safe with you in your room while traveling. There are many cruises to Norway from different destinations in Europe, and even from the USA.
Second option: Ship things by postal service or couriers like UPS, DHL, etc., if you can pack everything in boxes. This can be expensive depending on where you ship from — boxes from Europe will cost much less than from overseas.
Third option: Ship everything on a pallet if you have big items like furniture. Be aware of extra customs fees you might pay. On this webpage you can find all the information related to importing household goods when moving to Norway. The rules are quite simple — if you don’t want to pay taxes: ship everything within one year after moving, make an inventory list for the boxes, and fill out a declaration.
5. Find a place to live in Norway
Making your arrival in Norway smoother is much easier if you’ve already sorted out somewhere to live before you get here. And by “proper,” I mean a real apartment – not just a hotel, hostel, or short Airbnb stay. In many cases this step can be covered by employer if you come to Norway on a skilled worker visa. But if you don’t or need to find an apartment yourself then you need to include this step, in many cases on the stage when you are applying for a visa or residence permit.
Don’t stress, though – your first place doesn’t have to be forever. I strongly suggest starting with a short-term apartment (korttidsleie) for the first few months only. But its important that you get a written contract for the rental, even if it’s just for a few months.
This gives you time to handle your official registration with the Folkeregisteret (National Population Register) after arrival – you’ll need a valid address for that, and short-term rentals often work fine as long as they provide proof of residence. It also lets you properly explore different neighbourhoods, figure out what area suits your lifestyle best (schools, commute, nature access, vibe), and avoid rushing into a long-term contract in the wrong spot.
After those initial months, once you’re more settled and know the city/region better, you can start the search for a proper long-term rental (langtidsleie) that feels like home.
In big cities like Oslo, Bergen, or Stavanger, the rental market is competitive, so many newcomers do exactly this – begin with temporary furnished options (via Finn.no, Hybel.no, realtor agencies or Facebook groups) while hunting for something permanent.
Norway operates on a 230V supply voltage with European Type C/F plugs.
Many internationals sell their electrical items before moving and purchase new ones here. I had friends whose electrical appliances got fried when using them with just a simple voltage converter.
Best practice: Check if your devices are dual-voltage (100–240V) — look for the label on the charger/adapter. If not, it’s usually safer and cheaper to replace them in Norway.
Things to do in your first weeks after arrival (part of the 15 steps)
1. Register your move/address
This step is mainly for people moving from other EU/EEA countries. If you’re coming from outside the EU/EEA, you usually had to apply for a residence permit through udi.no before arrival, and the application requires you to provide your planned address in Norway (often with proof like a rental contract). UDI shares this information automatically with the Tax Administration (Skatteetaten), so you’re often registered as a resident in the National Population Register without needing to book a separate appointment for address registration – especially for permits lasting 6+ months.
However, if you’re from within the EU/EEA (or Switzerland), you have the right to move freely without applying for a residence permit through UDI. This is where the registration step comes in: You must register your residence with the police if staying longer than 3 months. Book an appointment (via udi.no after filling the online form), attend in person, and bring relevant documents such as your passport/ID, proof of purpose (e.g., job contract, study letter, or proof of funds/insurance), and proof of address (e.g., rental contract). The police carry out an ID check, and if everything is in order, they issue a registration certificate called registreringsbevis.
2. Get a personal number
Good To Know: Personnummer vs D-number in Norway
There are two main categories of identification numbers in Norway: the personnummer (national identity number / fødselsnummer) and the D-number.
The personnummer is a unique 11-digit number assigned to people who are registered as residents in Norway (typically for stays of 6 months or longer). It consists of your date of birth (first 6 digits: DDMMYY) followed by 5 more digits for uniqueness.
Fun fact: The 9th digit in the personnummer indicates gender – odd numbers for males and even numbers for females.
The second category is the D-number, a temporary identification number. It is assigned when a person is not planning to stay in Norway for more than 6 months or does not yet meet the requirements for a full personnummer (e.g., short-term work, certain transactions). A D-number becomes inactive 5 years after it is issued or last reactivated – it is not deleted, but you may need to reactivate it (via ID check at Skatteetaten) for some uses.
A D-number can be requested in various situations, such as short-term work, opening a bank account, receiving certain welfare benefits, buying property, or applying for a tax deduction card. Depending on the case, an authority, enterprise (e.g., bank), or you yourself can request it.
To apply:
-
Often, the requesting party (e.g., bank or employer) orders it on your behalf – you provide a certified/legalised copy of your passport or national ID.
(FYI: legalisation is just the procedure when officials verify your ID and put a stamp/signature. Can be done at local Tax office, police, NAV, lawyers office, bank, etc.) - If applying yourself, book an appointment at a local tax office (Skatteetaten) for an ID check and provide proof of identity and the reason.
Different scenarios for getting an ID number, depending on your nationality and circumstances:
-
If coming from outside the EU/EEA on a residence permit (e.g., work, family reunification, or study for >6 months):
Your personnummer is usually assigned automatically by Skatteetaten once UDI grants the permit and shares the info (often after you register your address/move). After arrival, book an appointment with the police or a Service Centre for Foreign Workers (SUA) to provide biometrics (fingerprints + photo). The police order your residence card (oppholdskort), which is sent by post to your registered address (typically 2–6 weeks later). The card proves your permit but does not contain the personnummer – that’s separate (sent by Skatteetaten via letter). -
If coming from within the EU/EEA:
You register your residence with the police (within 3 months of arrival) to get a registration certificate (registreringsbevis). Then, to get a personnummer (if staying ≥6 months) or D-number (if shorter), report your move/address to Skatteetaten (often online, or via tax office appointment if needed). Provide proof like job contract (>6 months), study admission, family ties, etc.
Nordic citizens (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland) can skip police registration and go straight to Skatteetaten to report the move and get their personnummer.
3. Get a mobile number/SIM
The biggest phone provider in Norway are Telenor, Telia and Ice. Other smaller brands uses one of these networks. Those will be OneCall, Talkmore, LycaMobile, Fjordkraft Mobil.
3. Open a Norwegian bank account
After you registered yourself and got a Sim Card you can open an account in one of Norwegian banks.