05/11/2008 ::
Norway has been part of the Schengen cooperation since March 2001. The Schengen cooperation implies that anyone holding a valid Schengen visa may travel to any Schengen country. If you hold a Schengen visa which is valid for the period you wish to visit Norway, the visa may be used for travel to Norway even if it has been issued by the Embassy or Consulate of another Schengen member. If you are in doubt about the territorial validity of your Schengen visa, ask before you travel!
A visitor’s visa may be granted if you intend to travel to Norway as a tourist, on a family visit, on public business or a business trip, a study visit or other business. A visa for Norway and the Schengen area may be granted for up to 90 days. However, you may not stay in the Schengen area for more than 90 days in the course of the past six months. This means that any stay in the Schengen area in the past six months must be taken into consideration when calculating the duration of a visa. The duration of the visa is stated on the visa sticker. The visa sticker also states the first permitted entry date and last permitted exit date.
The Directorate of Immigration has developed a visa calculator which can calculate the maximum duration of your visa
A visa is generally issued for a single entry. If the applicant plans to travel outside the Schengen area and return within the period of the visa, the box for “Two entries” or “Multiple entries” must be ticked on the visa application form. The application must be accompanied by an explanation of why two or more entries are required. If the need arises for an extra entry after arrival in Norway, this must be applied for via the police in the same way as an application to extend a visa. The applicant must be able to document his/her need for an extra entry (e.g. for a business meeting, or to visit family outside the Schengen area).
A visa does not entitle the holder to work or carry out any commercial enterprise during their visit. Persons who wish to work or stay for an extended period in Norway must apply for a specific permit for this. Persons with short-term work in Norway (not exceeding three months) do not require a work permit. See more information about who is covered by this rule in the section “Who needs a work permit?”.
Who makes the decision about the application?
Many Norwegian foreign service missions can decide whether to issue a visa, and most visa applications are processed at foreign service missions. In certain cases, an application may be sent to Norway for processing by the UDI. This applies in cases where:
· The foreign service mission has rejected the application and an appeal has been submitted against the decision
· The foreign service mission does not have the authority to decide on the case
· The applicant is a refugee, is stateless or there is some doubt about his/her citizenship
· The applicant has been expelled from Norway or another Nordic country, or is registered in SIS (Schengen Information System) as being denied entry into one or more Schengen countries
· The foreign service mission has doubts and wishes the case to be processed by the UDI
· A national visitor’s visa has been applied for
How long will it take to process my visa application?
If your application is processed by the foreign service mission, it will normally take around five to six weeks for you to get a decision. This depends on the workload at the foreign service mission. Please enquire about processing times where you submit your application.
If the application is forwarded to the UDI in Norway, the processing time will be longer. For an overview of average processing times for the various types of permit, visit www.udi.no/caseprocessingtime, or contact the Information Service (OTS) by e-mail or by calling (+ 47) 23 35 16 00.
We urge everyone to allow plenty of time for their application. In order to avoid unnecessary case processing delays, it is important to take care when completing the application form and to include all the requested documentation.
As a rule, in addition to a completed application form you must include:
1. Two 3x4 color pictures with white background,facing front
2. Copy of the passport, pages 2 to 9.
3. Copy of the ID & copy of the spouse's ID,all pages.
4. The original job certificate with the official translation.
5. Envelope with the postal stamp & address on it.
6. Proof of relation between applicant and reference person for those applicants visiting their close relatives(parents-sibilings-children-spouse).This document can be a copy of reference's birth certificate or the parents birth certificate showing relationship between siblings.
7. Copy of your previous visas to schengen areas with entry/exit stamps from Schengen area and Mehrabad airport.
8. If you're a business man the original work permit with a copy of it & official translation.If you're a doctor the original cabinet licence with a copy & translation or study certification .
9. If you are university student, university card with a copy of it & the official translation of it.
10. The confirmed invitation /guarantee letter including purpose of travel confirmed by notary public or police in Norway.
11. The guarantee form should be confirmed by the police in Norway. If you have normal invitation letter you have to bring translated bank statement showing that you have 3 , 000, 000 RLS for each month of stay in Norway.
12. Bank statement in English.
13. If you have any property, apartment,house,vila property documents with official translation in english.
14. If you are retired, retirement documents with translation.
15. The original school certificate for children with official translation.Original university ID card with translation if you're university student.
16. The permision to leave the country from applicant's father/mother if applicant is less than 18.
17. The cost for applying for a Schengen visa is 760,000 RLS. Applications for children under the age of 6 are free of charge.
18. Each applicant (regardless of the age)should fill out a separate application form and be present at the embassy when submitting applications.
Download application form for Schengen visa
For a Schengen visa to be issued the following documents need to be submitted to the embassy at least one week before travel date:
(if travel insurance is less than number of days which the visa has been granted, applicant must fill out a consent form available at the visa section for the visa to be issued the same number of days as the travel insurance, this is a schengen rule that travel insurance and number of visa days should be the same)
* It is acceptable if the passport holder does not submit the documents mentioned to the embassy,but when the passport is to be picked up either the passport holder should come in person, or if he/she has some one else coming to the embassy to get their documents that person should have the receipt and the passport holder’s birth certificate(Shenasnameh)
As a main rule, it is sufficient that copies of the documents are sent with the application. However, you have to produce the original documents when you hand in your application.