Key things to know about moving to Norway to be with family
So, you have a close family member living in Norway, and you want to apply for family reunification? We've got you covered.
Norwegian law allows people who have close family in the country to apply for family immigration. Furthermore, family immigration is divided into two cases – family reunification and forming a family.
As the Norwegian Directorate for Immigration (UDI) points out on its website, family reunification is intended for people who already have family members in Norway and want to be reunited with them in the country.
Family immigration is a type of residence permit intended for people with close family in Norway.
The rules that apply
Those wishing to apply for a family immigration permit need to meet multiple requirements. Note that there are requirements in place for both you and the person with whom you're seeking family immigration.
These requirements differ based on the family member you want to apply with.
Generally speaking, your family member in Norway must have a good financial position (as the UDI puts it, "a stable and sufficient income").
As of 2022, the income must amount to at least 256.256 kroner per year pre-tax. Furthermore, the person with whom you are applying cannot have received any social security benefits during the last 12 months in order to be eligible for family immigration.
There is a clear expectation that the person already living in Norway can provide for their family over time. Note that the financial position requirement applies to everyone, including Norwegian nationals.
However, several vulnerable groups, such as pensioners, refugees, and students, fall under special rules. If you fall into any of the said groups, make sure to reach out to the UDI and find out the special rules that apply.
Furthermore, in most cases, you will be asked to submit multiple documents, and there is also a fee for raising a family immigration application. You can find the associated fees here.
The UDI's family immigration wizard
Make sure to use the UDI's family immigration wizard to find out which rules and requirements apply to your individual case, as the regulations distinguish based on several factors, including citizenship, type of family member, prior country of residence, and others. You can find the wizard here.
Usually, people applying for family immigration are the spouse or children of persons who already live in Norway. However, this is not always the case; other family members – such as parents who have children in Norway, fiancées, foster children, and full siblings – can also apply.
Note that more distant relatives, such as aunts or cousins, cannot be granted family immigration permits.
Also, keep in mind that there are special family immigration schemes in place for family immigration with a Norwegian national (available here, in English).
How to apply for family reunification?
You can apply for family reunification on the UDI's website here by entering your citizenship and the citizenship of the person with whom you are seeking family immigration.
After that, you'll need to select the option that describes the family relationship between you.
In order to register your application, you'll need to log on, fill in the application, and pay the fee that applies. After that, you'll be able to register for an appointment to submit the application documents.
You will find information on where to submit your application on the UDI's site. Usually, applications need to be submitted in person at an embassy or an application centre in your country of origin (or the country where you've had a residence permit for the past six months).
In some cases, you might be able to submit your application to the police in Norway. Ask the UDI whether this applies to your case.
Make sure to bring the following documentation to your appointment:
- the checklist which the UDI sent to your email
- the cover letter from the application portal
- the documents on the checklist (passports, photos, birth certificates, etc.)
Your application will only be registered as submitted at your personal face-to-face appointment.
The UDI's website will show an estimate of the expected case processing time during your online application process. The case processing time estimates are updated once a month.
Useful videos
The UDI has prepared a number of useful videos to help people who want to apply for family immigration. You can find the English versions of the videos here.
Furthermore, the video about family reunification – available in 12 languages (including Arabic, Somali, Urdu, and others) – can be found here.
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Norwegian law allows people who have close family in the country to apply for family immigration. Furthermore, family immigration is divided into two cases – family reunification and forming a family.
As the Norwegian Directorate for Immigration (UDI) points out on its website, family reunification is intended for people who already have family members in Norway and want to be reunited with them in the country.
Family immigration is a type of residence permit intended for people with close family in Norway.
The rules that apply
Those wishing to apply for a family immigration permit need to meet multiple requirements. Note that there are requirements in place for both you and the person with whom you're seeking family immigration.
These requirements differ based on the family member you want to apply with.
Generally speaking, your family member in Norway must have a good financial position (as the UDI puts it, "a stable and sufficient income").
As of 2022, the income must amount to at least 256.256 kroner per year pre-tax. Furthermore, the person with whom you are applying cannot have received any social security benefits during the last 12 months in order to be eligible for family immigration.
There is a clear expectation that the person already living in Norway can provide for their family over time. Note that the financial position requirement applies to everyone, including Norwegian nationals.
However, several vulnerable groups, such as pensioners, refugees, and students, fall under special rules. If you fall into any of the said groups, make sure to reach out to the UDI and find out the special rules that apply.
Furthermore, in most cases, you will be asked to submit multiple documents, and there is also a fee for raising a family immigration application. You can find the associated fees here.
The UDI's family immigration wizard
Make sure to use the UDI's family immigration wizard to find out which rules and requirements apply to your individual case, as the regulations distinguish based on several factors, including citizenship, type of family member, prior country of residence, and others. You can find the wizard here.
Usually, people applying for family immigration are the spouse or children of persons who already live in Norway. However, this is not always the case; other family members – such as parents who have children in Norway, fiancées, foster children, and full siblings – can also apply.
Note that more distant relatives, such as aunts or cousins, cannot be granted family immigration permits.
Also, keep in mind that there are special family immigration schemes in place for family immigration with a Norwegian national (available here, in English).
How to apply for family reunification?
You can apply for family reunification on the UDI's website here by entering your citizenship and the citizenship of the person with whom you are seeking family immigration.
After that, you'll need to select the option that describes the family relationship between you.
In order to register your application, you'll need to log on, fill in the application, and pay the fee that applies. After that, you'll be able to register for an appointment to submit the application documents.
You will find information on where to submit your application on the UDI's site. Usually, applications need to be submitted in person at an embassy or an application centre in your country of origin (or the country where you've had a residence permit for the past six months).
In some cases, you might be able to submit your application to the police in Norway. Ask the UDI whether this applies to your case.
Make sure to bring the following documentation to your appointment:
- the checklist which the UDI sent to your email
- the cover letter from the application portal
- the documents on the checklist (passports, photos, birth certificates, etc.)
Your application will only be registered as submitted at your personal face-to-face appointment.
The UDI's website will show an estimate of the expected case processing time during your online application process. The case processing time estimates are updated once a month.
Useful videos
The UDI has prepared a number of useful videos to help people who want to apply for family immigration. You can find the English versions of the videos here.
Furthermore, the video about family reunification – available in 12 languages (including Arabic, Somali, Urdu, and others) – can be found here.
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