The situation

In a change of practice for in-country registrations, locally-hired non-EU workers in Norway should now secure a local residence address before travelling to Norway in order to comply with a new requirement to obtain the permanent social security number or personal identification number.

A closer look

Such numbers are required to open a bank account, receive wages and obtain health insurance, among other services in Norway.

Impact

Foreign nationals should secure a lease agreement before they enter Norway to avoid the 8-11 weeks’ processing time it may take to obtain a permanent social security number or personal identification number. The lease agreement should have a duration of at least two months.

The policy change increases the administrative burden on affected applicants, as it is typically challenging to obtain a residence address from abroad.

Unaffected applicants

EU nationals, foreign workers residing in Norway for less than six months, and foreign nationals on assignment (i.e. those who remain under the sending country employer’s contract) are not required to secure a local address before travelling to Norway, since these applicants qualify for a temporary social security number or D-number, which can be obtained using a temporary residence address, work or postal address.

Background

Norway’s immigration authorities are updating the national registry registration system based on feedback from industry groups, which is likely causing the above change in policy.

Looking ahead

Residence registration delays are not expected to stabilize any time soon due to the upcoming increased holiday travel volume. We are closely monitoring the situation and will report on relevant updates.

Employers who may be affected are encouraged  to contact a Wolfsdorf Rosenthal immigration attorney or reach out to the WR Global Immigration team by emailing Global@Wolfsdorf.com for case specific advise.