Can You Start Work in Norway Before Your Permit Is Granted? Early Start, Entry and Waiting Rules

A signed job offer is not a work permit. UDI, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration, says on its pages for work immigration that you must normally wait for an answer to your application before you start working. There is one exception for certain skilled workers, and separate rules decide whether you may travel to Norway while you wait. This guide summarises those pages. It is general information about non-EU/EEA applicants, not an assessment of your own case.

The default rule: no work until the permit is granted

UDI’s employer guidance says the same from the other side: an employee from outside the EU/EEA cannot start work until a permit is granted, apart from the early-start scheme. UDI’s family immigration FAQ is even blunter for people who are waiting inside Norway: they do not have the right to work, and it says that skilled workers are also prohibited from working until they have been granted a permit. UDI’s employer page also notes that some people can work in Norway for less than three months without a residence permit. That is a separate category with its own conditions, which we do not cover here.

The exception: early employment start

UDI’s page on early employment start says that the police can issue a confirmation that a worker may work for a specific employer or client until the residence permit application is decided. The page lists these permit types:

• Skilled workers with an employer in Norway, including athletes and coaches.
• Employees of international companies on assignment for the Norwegian branch.

For skilled workers and for athletes and coaches, UDI lists these conditions: the application is submitted with all necessary documents, the employee has at least a three-year university or university college education such as a three-year bachelor’s degree, the worker has not applied as a religious leader or teacher, and the worker is not a citizen of Iran or North Korea. For employees of international companies, UDI lists that the application must be complete, that the worker must meet the requirements for being classified as a skilled worker, and that the worker is not a citizen of Iran or North Korea.

How the confirmation is requested, and its limits

If the employer or client submits the application, UDI says it needs a written power of attorney from the employee, must show it when submitting to the police, and must ask for early employment start at the same time. If the worker submits the application personally, the worker asks the police at submission. UDI then lists the limits:

• It cannot be requested when applying at an embassy.
• The service centres for foreign workers (SUA) in Bergen, Oslo, Stavanger and Trondheim cannot issue the confirmation.
• Once the police have forwarded the application to UDI, a confirmation can no longer be obtained.
• The worker cannot change employer or client under the confirmation.

The page gives no processing time for the confirmation and refers readers to their local police district. It also does not describe the consequences of starting work without one, so this guide says nothing about that either.

Can you enter Norway while you wait?

UDI’s “Have applied: Work immigration” page treats entry separately from work, and the answer depends on the permit:

• Skilled workers who are visa-free or already hold a valid visa: UDI says they may enter and stay until a decision is made, even if the visa or visa-free period runs out in the meantime.
• Skilled workers who need a visa: with an early-start confirmation from the police, the embassy can issue an entry visa. Without one, they must apply for a skilled worker entry visa (D-visa). UDI says this visa does not entitle you to work, and that the requirements include a concrete full-time job offer from one specific Norwegian employer, the relevant qualifications and any required professional authorisation, and that approval must be probable.
• Seasonal workers: nationals who do not need a visa may enter before a decision. If you need a visa, UDI says you must wait for the answer before entering.
• All other employees: UDI says they must wait to enter Norway until they have received an answer.

For the permit categories themselves, see our overview of the skilled worker residence permit, and for seasonal permits our guide on seasonal work for non-EU citizens.

While you wait: what UDI says to do

UDI says cases are generally handled in the order they were received, that very few applications can be prioritised, and that a priority request needs a detailed explanation and supporting documents such as a medical certificate and cannot be made by phone, chat or email. New documents go through UDI’s forwarding-documents page. If you move, report the new address as soon as you know it: to the National Population Register if you are registered, to the police within one week if you are in Norway but not registered, or to the embassy or consulate where you applied if you are abroad, since otherwise you may not receive the decision. A job seeker who receives a job offer can upload a signed offer form and a short request note with a CV through the application portal, free of charge, and keeps their place in the queue, according to UDI. For the offer confirmation that applies when you apply from abroad, read our guide on applying for a skilled worker permit from abroad.

UDI’s page does not advise on healthcare rights during the wait and refers to Helsenorge. It says everyone residing in Norway is entitled to urgent medical care. For how long decisions take, UDI refers to its separate waiting-time guide and does not state durations on the page itself.

EU/EEA citizens

These rules concern residence permits for people from outside the EU/EEA. EU/EEA citizens follow different rules, which this guide does not cover. Our guide on working in Norway without a job offer compares the two groups.

What this guide does not cover

• Whether you personally meet the early-start conditions or would be granted a permit.
• Processing times, which UDI publishes in a separate guide.
• Penalties for working without a permit, which the early-start page does not describe.
• Work under three months without a permit, and permit types other than those named above.

Key takeaways

• A job offer does not give you the right to work; UDI says you must normally wait for the answer.
• Early employment start is a narrow police confirmation for named permit types, with set conditions and a fixed employer.
• Whether you may enter Norway while waiting is a separate question that depends on your permit and visa situation.
• Do not start work on the basis of an email or a verbal promise. Check with UDI or the police.

Sources

• Have applied: Work immigration (UDI): waiting, entering Norway, priority, moving. No general update date shown; read 6 November 2026.
• Early employment start (UDI): categories, conditions, limits. No date shown; read 6 November 2026.
• Employers: Employing someone who is not an EU/EEA national (UDI): start date rule. No date shown; read 6 November 2026.
• Frequently asked questions about family immigration (UDI): waiting in Norway, skilled workers prohibited from working. No date shown; read 6 November 2026.

Related guides: Work and residence permits: an overview · Renewing your work permit