Norway’s Working Holiday Visa for Australians
If you’re an Australian aged between 18 and 30 years old, you can apply for a Norwegian working holiday visa. This allows you to live and work in Norway, as well as to leave and re-enter the country as often as you like during your holiday.
With a working holiday visa, you should be primarily travelling to Norway for an extended holiday. You may work for up to six months for any single employer in Norway and/or study for up to three months during your stay.
Norway initially grants working holiday visas for one year. But it is possible for Australians to later extend this for a second year. It’s even possible to renew if you’ve already turned 31 years old since applying for your first year’s visa.
Like all Scandinavian countries, the standard of living in Norway is very high and there’s plenty of natural beauty. You could choose between living in a major city like Oslo, or somewhere further north like Tromsø which is famous because the Northern Lights are often visible there – although it does get very cold during winter. English is widely spoken, at least in Norway’s major cities and tourist areas.
The cost of living in Norway is quite high, although wages are similarly high if you’re working for a Norwegian employer.
This page contains information about Norway’s Working Holiday Visa for Australian citizens. It was last updated on 4 November 2024.
Key facts about Norway
- Population: Approx. 5.5 million
- Official language: Norwegian
- Capital city: Oslo
- Largest cities: Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, Drammen
- Name of the country in Norwegian: Norge
- Currency: Norwegian krone (NOK)
Norway Working Holiday Visa requirements for Australians
In addition to Australians, Norway offers working holiday visas to citizens of Andorra, Argentina, Canada, Japan & New Zealand.
The information on this page applies to Australian citizens. Please check the UDI website for information applicable to citizens of other countries.
To apply for a Norwegian working holiday visa as an Australian citizen, you must meet the following requirements:
- Aged between 18-30 years old (inclusive) at the time of application
- Have at least NOK41,370 (approx. AUD5,800) to sustain yourself for the first 3 months of your stay in Norway or a concrete job offer where you will earn at least this amount during the first 3 months
- Be in good health
You cannot apply for this visa if you:
- Will be accompanied by family members (although your partner could apply for their own visa)
- Have already held this type of visa in Norway previously
More information is available on the UDI website.
Documents needed to apply for this visa
When applying for a working holiday visa for Norway as an Australian citizen, you will need to provide the following documents:
- Passport and a copy of all used pages in the passport
- Signed cover letter from the Application portal (this letter is received as an email attachment after you complete your online application)
- One passport-sized photograph
- Proof of sufficient funds (at least NOK41,370 or foreign currency equivalent – this can be either in the form of bank statement/s and/or a concrete employment offer for the first part of your stay)
- A health certificate stating you are in good health
- Documentation which shows you have somewhere to stay/live when you arrive in Norway (e.g. a hotel booking, confirmation from someone in Norway you’ll be staying with, etc.)
- Signed & completed checklist from the UDI website
Please see the UDI website for the full list & details.
There is a residence permit application fee of NOK6,300 (approx. AUD900). VFS Global may also charge its own processing fees on top of this if you apply in Australia.
How to apply for a Norwegian Working Holiday Visa
You will need to apply before arriving in Norway, unless you are already legally staying in Norway as a skilled worker, or have already had a residence permit in Norway during the past 9 months (e.g. if you wish to renew for a second year).
The following procedure applies if you are currently in Australia. However, it is also possible to apply at an overseas Norwegian embassy in another country. Visit the UDI website for full instructions and to check where you can apply.
Applying in Australia
The first step is to complete an online application form with the UDI (the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration) and pay the application fee by credit card. Select the Embassy of Norway in Canberra, Australia as your processing location. You will still need to visit a VFS Global office to submit the required documents.
After this is completed, you’ll receive a cover letter by email.
You’ll then need to make an appointment to visit a VFS Global office in Melbourne, Sydney or Perth to submit the cover letter along with all required documents.
It generally takes around 4 weeks for your application to be processed. VFS Global will send your application to the Norwegian embassy in Bangkok, which will pass on your application to UDI.
You’ll be notified when your application has been processed. You can either collect your passport and decision letter from the same VFS Global office where you submitted your application, or if you provided a self-addressed envelope with your application, the Norwegian embassy can post it to you directly.
If you have been granted a residence permit, a visa sticker will be placed in your passport so that you are able to travel to Norway. You’ll also receive a cover letter which states when you can travel to Norway. You’ll need to show these at the Schengen Area border when you enter Norway.
See the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Canberra website for more information.
Arriving in Norway
Once you know when you’ll be arriving in Norway, you should make an appointment to collect your residence permit from the police.
You are not allowed to travel to Norway until you receive a decision regarding your application, and you cannot start working until you have collected your residence permit.
While best efforts are made to keep this information updated, we do not guarantee its accuracy. If you spot an error, would like to suggest new information to be added or simply have a question, please let us know in the comments and we’ll endeavour to respond or update the article as quickly as possible!
Hi. I would be keen to live and work in Norway, however I want to study for longer than 3 months. Any advice?
The Norwegian working holiday visa only lets you study in Norway for up to 3 months, so you may need to look at another type of visa such as a study permit. See https://www.udi.no/en/want-to-apply/studies/?c=aus
Hi there.
I have has my passport returned to me without the visa sticker with a letter stating return of my original documents and that I will be notified of a decision via email. I was expecting to not receive my passport back until my visa was decided on as I thought they had to put a sticker in the passport. Has this process changed?
Interesting. It’s possible that the process may have changed, although the previous procedure is still detailed on the Norwegian embassy’s website – https://www.norway.no/en/australia/services-info/visitors-visa-res-permit/res-permit/#result
The VFS Global website also indicates that you’ll get your passport back once a decision has been made – https://visa.vfsglobal.com/aus/en/nor/apply-visa
Please let us know how you get on.
Hi Matt,
How much time is being given to enter Norway after the visa approval ?
Thanks.
I’m not exactly sure, sorry, but details about when you can arrive in Norway are provided on your cover letter when the residence permit is issued. My guess would be a few months.
Sorry that this answer is not helpful. You may wish to contact the Norwegian embassy to clarify.
Thank you very much, I will let you know as well 🙂
When applying for second year whv when is the best time to do it. Does applying early and being granted start the second year straight away or does it come into action the day after year one expires always?
This is probably a question worth asking the UDI, but my understanding is that you can apply up to 3 months before the first year visa is due to expire and the second year starts after the first year ends (not the date you apply to renew).
Hi Matt,
I want to acquire a Visa before I turn 31 in 4 months but wanting to start my move next year. Does the visa start once you enter Norway, or by the date your visa is issued?
Thanks
I’m not sure of the exact answer to your question, but the UDI website says “You must be over the age of 18 and not have turned 31 when you apply”.
I don’t think you’d be able to apply more than a few months before you actually plan to move to Norway. So, you might want to bring forward your plans a bit. But you may wish to contact the UDI, Norwegian embassy or VFS Global for clarification.
Hi, what is the usual wait time for a decision on the visa? I’m planning to move in December/January so I’ll need a decision before then. When should I be applying? And i’m a bit confused – coming from Australia, I don’t need a visa to enter Norway for up to 90 days. Can I enter Norway while my visa application is pending?
Unless you’re renewing or already have a different type of visa that lets you live in Norway, you’d need to apply for and receive your working holiday visa before travelling to Norway.
It typically takes around 4 weeks to process an application. I’d suggest applying around two months before you intend to travel from Australia to Norway.
hey mate thankyou for all the information, it’s easy to read and informative.
I have a question about health checks. I can’t find any information on what is required for me as an australian citizen to get a working holiday visa in norway. except you should be in good health.
if you could show me the list or where I book one in that would be amazing.
thankyou in advance.
That’s a good question, Peter. This is the exact wording from the UDI website: “a Health certificate that states that you have good health, which means that there are no indications of illness that would make hospitalisation in Norway likely”
You might be able to get more details from the Norwegian embassy in Canberra or VFS Global, but I’d suggest that a letter from your GP would probably suffice.
Heya, I have just been through the same process and asked so many people about it and barely got any information about how to ACTUALLY get the proper document until I finally got 1 real answer! I was told to ask my GP or a doctor that is under a certified Australian hospital/health company for a letter regarding that you are in good health and the important part is to get it stamped by the certified Australian health company (most hospitals and/or health care facilities have a company stamp that they sign documents with). So in short you have to specifically ask your GP about writing a letter for a visa and need to get it stamped with the Australian company stamp and they will most likely be happy to help.
Let me know how it goes! Good luck
Hey!! I was just wondering if you know whether the health check has to be from an Australian health company, or whether I could get the check overseas (I am in the UK currently but would like to apply for this visa to work in Norway). No probs if not :))
Hey Peter, I had the same question, and was curious if you have gone through the application process and what kind of medical clearance you used. I’m hoping its as simple as Matt suggested with a letter from a GP, thanks for letting me know if you see this
thankyou mate for your reply.
That’s my conclusion now. I’ve rung and called every agency and embassy and no one has an answer hahah
Thankyou anyways my brother. All the best with your travels
Hello Matt, really appreciate this website btw and it’s been so helpful in understanding this visa! I had a question regarding the processing time as recently VFS has started sending their applications to Bangkok and I am wondering if the processing time is the same? I leave on May 16 2024 to the USA (onwards to europe) and don’t want to not have my passport as it’s still processing. I checked the UDI website and apparently for seasonal or work visas it takes 4 months, obviously, the work holiday visa is different but I guess it raised some concerns.
Thanks so much!
That’s a good question. I don’t have any more information than you have, but as these are now processed by the embassy in Bangkok (rather than Canberra) I would assume it could take a week or so longer given the extra transit time. I’d be applying a bit early just to be on the safe side.
If you want to be sure, you could try asking the Norwegian embassy in Canberra directly about this.
Hi Guys,
I just went through this entire process of applying for a Working Holiday Visa and I thought I’d share some tips:
– I applied in the United Kingdom as it is my primary place of residence, if you do apply out of Australia you also have to bring your national identity card (in this case my BRP) to VFS (in Edinburgh at least). You also have to be living in the country of application for at least 6 months (that’s what I was told by VFS)
– The medical certificate was from my doctor in Australia, and it was just signed and stamped by the local GP, it just said that I was healthy and able to work (stuff like that)
– I’m not sure how the process works in Australia but after I sent in my passport, about a month later I actually got it back from the Norwegian Embassy in London, who forwarded my application to UDI around the same time.
– I applied on the 2nd of May and got my residence permit on the 16th of August, so the current UDI processing times are just about right. I went in with the assumption that it will take 4 weeks and my summer/job plans had to change because they were taking so long.
– I have until February to enter Norway and go to the Politiet to take my fingerprints and picture for a residence card (four months).
Good luck to anyone who is looking to apply for this visa, and please please please apply as early as you can. I’m not sure if the embassy in Australia/Thailand sends you back your passport (thank GOD London did) because otherwise you may be passportless for a good four months.
Thanks very much for sharing your experience here. The processing time does seem quite long, but at least with that knowledge people can prepare and plan for that. Enjoy your time in Norway!