Kingdom of Norway
Skilled Worker Residence Permit (Oppholdstillatelse som faglaert): total cost to complete
By Sam Parks · Last checked:
A source-linked budget for the Norway Skilled Worker residence permit: NOK 6,300 adult work-residence application fee, concrete job-offer and qualification gates, UDI pay-and-conditions floors, regulated-profession checks, channel-specific VAC/courier exposure, and first-time family immigration scaling.
What does the Skilled Worker Residence Permit (Oppholdstillatelse som faglaert) actually cost?
Mandatory non-refundable costs are NOK 6,300-NOK 8,300. Refundable proof-of-funds requirements are tracked separately at none tracked, because that money is shown or blocked rather than normally lost.
Source checked against UDI - Fees on 1 July 2026.
Cross-country salary-floor evidence
Cross-country skilled salary-floor, cost and route-basis evidence
The cost page answers what is paid away. Salary evidence and employer-side recognition costs stay separate from applicant sunk costs.
Local currency first
Salary floors are legal or route-specific eligibility gates, not applicant fees. Do not convert salary floors into USD rankings without caveats, and do not merge salary evidence, employer-side recognition costs, refundable proof-of-funds lines or applicant paid-away costs into one "visa cost" claim.
Netherlands Highly Skilled Migrant
€5,942/month (Kennismigrant — 30+); €4,357/month (Kennismigrant — under 30); €3,122/month (Orientation Year search — reduced rate)
Age-banded monthly gross salary bands under the IND Highly Skilled Migrant table.
France Talent Passport salaried
€39,582/year (Passeport talent - salaried qualified employee)
Annual gross remuneration floor for the salaried qualified Talent Passport category.
NOK 545,400/year (Skilled worker permit - bachelor-level salary floor where no collective agreement applies); NOK 624,700/year (Skilled worker permit - master-level salary floor where no collective agreement applies)
Normal pay and working conditions test first; bachelor/master floors apply where no collective agreement controls the role.
€3,937/month (Specialist residence permit salary threshold)
Monthly gross specialist salary threshold, excluding fringe benefits, plus confirmed employment.
| Route | Salary floor and basis | Paid-away applicant baseline | Do not collapse | Source date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingdom of the Netherlands - Highly Skilled Migrant (Kennismigrant)Cost model | €5,942/month (Kennismigrant — 30+); €4,357/month (Kennismigrant — under 30); €3,122/month (Orientation Year search — reduced rate) | €2,113-€2,908Salary or pay evidence line: €37,464-€71,304. Refundable/show-only line: €37,464-€71,304. | The Netherlands HSM salary requirement is not an applicant fee or sunk cost; IND-recognised sponsor status and sponsor-recognition costs stay employer-side.Employer-side context: Employer recognised-sponsor registration (€2,539-€5,080). | 1 July 2026IND — Required amounts income requirements |
| French Republic - Talent Passport — Salaried Employee (Passeport Talent Salarié)Cost model | €39,582/year (Passeport talent - salaried qualified employee) | €358-€485Salary or pay evidence line: €39,582. Refundable/show-only line: €39,582. | France salary evidence, contract length, diploma evidence and residence-card tax are separate fields in the answer. | 1 July 2026Service-Public.fr - Passeport talent |
| Kingdom of Norway - Skilled Worker Residence Permit (Oppholdstillatelse som faglaert)Cost model | NOK 545,400/year (Skilled worker permit - bachelor-level salary floor where no collective agreement applies); NOK 624,700/year (Skilled worker permit - master-level salary floor where no collective agreement applies)No single route-wide salary number. If a collective agreement applies, UDI checks the collective wage rate; otherwise pay must not be poorer than normal for the occupation and place of work. | NOK 6,300-NOK 8,300Salary or pay evidence line: NOK 0. Refundable/show-only line: none tracked. | Norway must not be flattened into one Europe-wide minimum because collective agreements, normal-pay evidence and education level can bind differently. | 1 July 2026UDI - Pay and working conditions in Norway |
| Republic of Finland - Residence permit for a specialistCost model | €3,937/month (Specialist residence permit salary threshold) | €540-€655Salary or pay evidence line: €3,937. Refundable/show-only line: €3,937. | Finland specialist salary evidence is an approval condition, while the Migri application fee is the applicant paid-away cost. | 1 July 2026Migri - Specialist residence permit |
- Salary thresholds hub
- Salary-floor research report
- Computed figures
- Netherlands salary thresholds
- Netherlands Highly Skilled Migrant cost model
- Netherlands Highly Skilled Migrant route guide
- France salary thresholds
- France Talent Passport salaried cost model
- France Talent Passport salaried route guide
- Norway salary thresholds
- Norway Skilled Worker permit route guide
- Finland salary thresholds
- Finland Specialist permit cost model
- Finland Specialist permit route guide
- Salary-thresholds JSON
- Cost-to-complete JSON
Latest source record in this cluster: 1 July 2026. Compare the local salary figures and their scope carefully; occupation-specific rules may require a higher amount.
What it actually costs
A source-linked budget for the Norway Skilled Worker residence permit: NOK 6,300 adult work-residence application fee, concrete job-offer and qualification gates, UDI pay-and-conditions floors, regulated-profession checks, channel-specific VAC/courier exposure, and first-time family immigration scaling.
Money you don't get back
NOK 6,300-NOK 8,300
Mandatory fees, services and one month of insurance.
Proof of funds (returned to you)
NOK 0
Not a fee. UDI checks that pay and working conditions are not poorer than normal in Norway, using collective-agreement pay where one applies.
Proof of funds (returned to you)
NOK 545,400
Conditional salary-evidence line. For positions requiring a bachelor degree and no collective agreement, UDI normally requires at least NOK 545,400 per year before tax.
Proof of funds (returned to you)
NOK 624,700
Conditional salary-evidence line. For positions requiring a master degree and no collective agreement, UDI normally requires at least NOK 624,700 per year before tax.
| Cost line | Amount | Type | When / who |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled-worker residence permit application fee (adult) | NOK 6,300 | Gov fee | UDI lists residence permits for work for applicants over 18, including renewals, at NOK 6,300. UDI - Fees |
| Concrete job offer and employer confirmation gate | NOK 0 | Service | The applicant needs a concrete job offer from one specific employer. If applying from abroad, the employer must submit confirmation of the job offer; UDI normally expects full-time work but accepts at least 80%. UDI - Skilled workers |
| Normal pay and working conditions gate | NOK 0 | Proof of funds | Not a fee. UDI checks that pay and working conditions are not poorer than normal in Norway, using collective-agreement pay where one applies. UDI - Pay and working conditions in Norway |
| Bachelor-level salary evidence where no collective agreement applies(optional) | NOK 545,400annual pre-tax salary | Proof of funds | Conditional salary-evidence line. For positions requiring a bachelor degree and no collective agreement, UDI normally requires at least NOK 545,400 per year before tax. UDI - Pay and working conditions in Norway |
| Master-level salary evidence where no collective agreement applies(optional) | NOK 624,700annual pre-tax salary | Proof of funds | Conditional salary-evidence line. For positions requiring a master degree and no collective agreement, UDI normally requires at least NOK 624,700 per year before tax. UDI - Pay and working conditions in Norway |
| Qualification evidence gate | NOK 0 | Service | The job must require skilled-worker qualifications. UDI lists vocational training, a university degree, or special qualifications; special qualifications generally require at least six years of work experience. UDI - Skilled workers |
| Regulated-profession recognition or authorisation(optional)· indicative | NOK 0-NOK 5,000 | Service | Conditional on profession. UDI says regulated occupations require recognition or authorisation from the relevant Norwegian authority before the work permit can be granted. UDI - Skilled workers |
| Staffing-agency assignment list and registration evidence(optional) | NOK 0 | Service | Conditional: staffing-agency applicants need assignment details and evidence that the agency is registered in Norway. UDI - Skilled workers |
| Visa Application Centre service/courier/passport forwarding exposure· indicative | NOK 0-NOK 2,000 | Service | Conditional by submission channel. UDI says applicants handing in at a Visa Application Centre pay an extra service fee, and courier or passport-forwarding fees may apply. UDI - Fees |
| Entry visa / passport forwarding after approval(optional)· indicative | NOK 0-NOK 1,500 | Service | Conditional: if the residence permit is granted and the applicant needs a visa to enter Norway, UDI says an entry visa may be needed and passport-sending fees can apply where there is no Norwegian embassy. UDI - Fees |
| Document translation / legalisation(optional)· indicative | NOK 0-NOK 4,000 | Service | Conditional document-service exposure where the UDI checklist or foreign station requires translated, certified, or legalised evidence. Indicative document services - verify with the UDI checklist |
| First-time family immigration application for adult(optional) | NOK 11,900per adult family member | Gov fee | Optional family-scaling line. UDI lists first-time family immigration applications for adults at NOK 11,900. UDI - Fees |
| First-time family immigration application for child under 18(optional) | NOK 5,950per child | Gov fee | Optional family-scaling line. UDI lists first-time family immigration applications for children under 18 at NOK 5,950. UDI - Fees |
Baseline sunk cost is the NOK 6,300 adult work-residence application fee plus a conservative NOK 0-2,000 range for submission-channel service, courier, or passport-forwarding exposure. Salary, job-offer, qualification, and normal-pay checks are eligibility gates, not money paid away. Optional family immigration, regulated-profession recognition, document translation/legalisation, and entry-visa/passport-forwarding costs are excluded unless they apply to the actual filing. Last checked 1 July 2026.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This cost model is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite Visa Atlas for the compiled sunk/refundable split and cite each linked authority or provider source for the underlying line item.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Skilled Worker Residence Permit (Oppholdstillatelse som faglaert) cost-to-complete model", https://visaatlas.org/cost-to-complete/norway-skilled-worker-permit. Last checked 1 July 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/cost-to-complete
Primary and supporting sources (3)
FAQs
What does the Skilled Worker Residence Permit (Oppholdstillatelse som faglaert) actually cost to complete?
Mandatory non-refundable costs are NOK 6,300-NOK 8,300 in the current model. Separately, refundable proof-of-funds requirements are none tracked. The line table explains each item and source.
Is proof of funds a sunk cost?
No. Proof of funds is money you must show, hold or block. It can still be a cash-flow barrier, but it is different from application fees, document costs and insurance payments that you do not normally get back.
Why are some lines marked indicative?
Some third-party costs vary by country, provider and document count. Those lines use a range and are marked indicative so they are not confused with a single government tariff.