Corporate Mobility for Norway
End-to-end employee relocation to Norway: work permits, family applications, housing, registration with the Norwegian authorities and settling-in support, managed for your global mobility, HR and tax teams in one client portal.
One partner for the entire move
Moving an employee to Norway touches many agencies and suppliers: UDI (Utlendingsdirektoratet, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration) for the residence permit, the police (Politiet) or a Service Centre for Foreign Workers (SUA) for the appointment, the Norwegian Tax Administration (Skatteetaten) for the National Population Register (Folkeregisteret) and the tax deduction card, NAV (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration) for social security, the municipality for school and kindergarten, and the housing market for everything that holds a family together. Every hand-off is a chance for the move to slip.
Nordic Relocators brings the whole mobility lifecycle together under one service agreement, with one case manager per assignee and one digital portal for HR. You see every milestone, cost and document in one place, and the employee has one person who owns their move.
UDI says it can take up to 45 days before it looks at a first-time skilled worker application, and up to 4 months for family members of a work-permit holder (updated 29 October 2026). Family applications handed in together with the worker's are decided together.
What corporate mobility includes
Pre-assignment and policy
Strategic groundwork before the assignee boards a plane.
- Choice of route: local hire by your Norwegian company, assignment to your group's Norwegian branch, or assignment from a foreign employer to a Norwegian client.
- Cost projections covering tax, housing, schooling and relocation allowance, using official figures such as SSB's average rents.
- Check against the Norwegian hiring-in rules: if the assignee will work under a Norwegian client's direction, the arrangement can count as hiring-in from a staffing agency.
Immigration and work permits
UDI applications for skilled workers with a Norwegian employer, employees of international companies on assignment to their Norwegian branch, and employees of foreign companies on assignment in Norway.
- Route and eligibility check before the offer is issued.
- Job offer confirmation: when the employee applies from abroad on their own, the employer confirms the offer to UDI and passes on a code of four English words.
- Family applications filed together with the main application.
- Renewals filed at the latest one month before expiry; UDI recommends applying two to three months ahead.
Tax and social security
Compliant onboarding with Skatteetaten, NAV and any home-country authorities.
- A tax deduction card for every assignee; the employer can apply on the employee's behalf on form RF-1355. Without a card, the employer must deduct 50% tax.
- PAYE scheme review: eligible foreign workers pay 25% of gross pay in 2026, including national insurance contribution, for gross pay up to NOK 725,050.
- Social security: employees working in Norway are normally members of the National Insurance Scheme from the first working day, while workers posted temporarily by a foreign employer usually stay in their home country's scheme.
- Shadow payroll coordinated with your payroll providers.
Pre-arrival and arrival
Logistical landing in Norway.
- Pre-departure briefing with the assignee and family.
- Look-and-see trips and home-search support.
- Appointment with the police, or at SUA in Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger or Trondheim.
- Airport pickup, temporary accommodation and orientation.
Settling-in services
Registrations and family integration.
- Registration in Folkeregisteret, ID number, bank account and BankID.
- School and kindergarten places: for children of compulsory school age who are likely to stay more than three months, the municipality must offer a school place as soon as possible and no later than one month after arrival.
- GP registration once the family is registered as resident, and Norwegian training: holders of work permits as employees, and family members who join them, have a duty to take it (ages 18 to 67) but no right to free training.
Ongoing case management
Continuous support throughout the assignment.
- Single case manager per assignee inside the portal.
- Permit renewals, job changes and tax return support (deadline 30 April).
- Permanent residence for skilled workers after three years; assignment permits do not count towards it.
- Departure and repatriation services at the end of the assignment.
Why HR and mobility teams choose us
Built for the way modern global-mobility teams actually work.
- Registered in Norway: Sweden Relocators AB NUF, org. no. 936 858 457, is registered with the Brønnøysund Register Centre (Brønnøysundregistrene). We work digitally and from our offices in Albertslund (Denmark) and Malmö (Sweden); we have no office in Norway.
- Portal-first: Every case visible to your HR and mobility teams in our client portal, built by our group company Relofy Tech AB, which is SBSC-certified.
- Cost transparency: Fixed fee per assignee, agreed in writing, plus authority fees at cost, such as UDI's fee of NOK 6,300 for a work permit for an applicant over 18 (2026).
- Compliance-ready: Applications prepared to UDI's requirements, employment contracts under the Working Environment Act (arbeidsmiljøloven), and employee data handled under the GDPR.
- Family-centred: Family applications filed with the main application, school and kindergarten placement, and Norwegian training. The family is what makes assignments stick.
- Nordic gateway: Moves to Sweden and Denmark through the Sweden Relocators group, and recruitment through Future Concerns AB.
How a typical assignment runs
- 1
Initiation
HR opens the case in the portal: name, role, salary, family situation and target start date.
- 2
Route and cost check
We confirm the permit route and return a fixed-fee quotation.
- 3
Job offer
The employer makes a concrete offer, normally on UDI's offer of employment form, and confirms it to UDI if the employee applies from abroad on their own.
- 4
Applications
The work permit and family applications are registered and paid online, together. With written power of attorney, the employer can hand them in.
- 5
Appointment
The assignee attends an appointment with the police or at SUA in Norway, or at an embassy or a VFS application centre abroad. Eligible assignees can ask the local police for an early employment start.
- 6
Arrival and registrations
The residence card is ordered at the police. The ID number arrives by post, usually within a few weeks, followed by the bank account and BankID.
- 7
Settle-in
Permanent housing, school and kindergarten places, GP registration and Norwegian training.
- 8
In-life management
Renewals, job changes, annual reviews and departure services until the end of the assignment.
Official timelines to plan for
Skilled worker, first application
Up to 45 days before UDI looks at the case (29 October 2026)
Family of a work-permit holder
Up to 4 months before UDI looks at the case
EU/EEA assignee
Can start work at once; police registration within 3 months of arrival
ID number after the police appointment
Usually within a few weeks, by post
Tax deduction card
Up to 5 days; often longer for foreign workers because of the ID check
School place for children
As soon as possible, at the latest 1 month after arrival
Permit renewal
At the latest 1 month before expiry (2 to 3 months ahead recommended)
Engagement models
- Master Service Agreement: Annual agreement with fixed per-assignee fees. Ideal for clients with regular moves to Norway.
- Per-case engagement: Pay-as-you-go scoping for occasional or one-off assignments.
- Mobility plus payroll support: Relocation for your assignees, plus payroll and compliance support where your company employs them directly in Norway. We do not act as Employer of Record in Norway.
- Combined Nordic coverage: Moves to Norway, Sweden and Denmark within the Sweden Relocators group.
FAQs: Corporate mobility
How is corporate mobility different from an Employer of Record?
Corporate mobility moves your employee to Norway while they stay employed by your company, in Norway or abroad. An Employer of Record becomes the formal employer instead. In Norway, an Employer of Record whose worker works under your direction counts as a staffing agency, which must be approved by the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority (Arbeidstilsynet) and may be used only on a few lawful grounds. Nordic Relocators does not hire out workers: we support direct employment and the move itself.
Which permit does an assignee need?
It depends on who employs them. If your Norwegian company employs them, they apply as a skilled worker, and the permit can lead to permanent residence after three years. If they stay employed by your international company and work on assignment for its Norwegian branch, they can get a permit for two years at a time, up to six years, and must then live outside Norway for two years before a new permit of this type. Employees of a foreign company on an assignment for a Norwegian business get the same periods, but the Norwegian business cannot be a staffing company, and pay and working conditions must not be poorer than normal in Norway. Assignment permits do not count towards permanent residence. EU/EEA citizens need no permit.
Is there a special tax scheme for assignees?
Norway has a PAYE scheme (kildeskatt på lønn) for foreign workers who are new to Norway or have short stays: under 183 days in 12 months or under 270 days in 36 months, or the first year of tax residence. In 2026 the tax is 25% of gross pay, including national insurance contribution (17.4% if exempt from it), for gross pay up to NOK 725,050, with no deductions and no tax return. The worker can opt out. A worker who stays more than 183 days in 12 months, or more than 270 days in 36 months, becomes tax resident and is taxed on worldwide income and wealth.
Can family members come and work?
Each family member needs their own permit, but the applications can be handed in together with the worker's and are then decided together. The employer can apply for the spouse or cohabitant and children with their written authorisation. For the family of a skilled worker, the worker must expect an income of at least NOK 436,957 a year before tax (from 1 May 2026). UDI's fee is NOK 11,900 for adults and NOK 5,950 for children (2026). Family members aged 18 or over with a family immigration permit can normally work without a separate work permit; they need a tax deduction card. The family of an international-company assignee can apply whatever the length of the assignment, and the family of a foreign-company assignee if the assignment lasts more than six months.
Is there a fast track for employers?
No. UDI publishes no fast-track or pre-approval scheme for employers. UDI says it may process several cases from the same employer together, and some skilled workers and international-company assignees can get an early employment start from the local police, which lets them start work for that employer before UDI decides.
Do you handle home-country offboarding?
For moves from Sweden and Denmark, the Sweden Relocators group can support both ends of the move. For other home countries we coordinate with your existing local provider or partner network.
How do you bill?
A fixed setup fee per assignee plus a fixed in-life fee covering permit renewals and ongoing case management. Pass-through costs, such as UDI fees, housing deposits and school fees, are invoiced at cost.
Is assignee data protected?
Yes. In Norway the GDPR applies as Norwegian law through the Personal Data Act (personopplysningsloven), supervised by the Norwegian Data Protection Authority (Datatilsynet). Case documents are kept in our client portal, built by our group company Relofy Tech AB, which is SBSC-certified.
What if the assignment is short?
A non-EU/EEA national needs a residence permit that gives the right to work before working in Norway, and this also applies to remote work done from Norway. Some stays are exempt from the permit requirement under the Immigration Regulations (utlendingsforskriften), so we check each assignment before travel. Short assignments can still trigger duties: everyone who works in Norway needs a tax deduction card, and assignments given to foreign contractors must be reported to the Assignment and employee register at Skatteetaten.
Move your assignees to Norway with one partner
Send us your annual mobility forecast or a single live case. We will return a corporate mobility proposal with fixed per-assignee fees.
Existing client? Open a new case directly inside the portal.
Disclaimer: This page gives general information about moving employees to Norway as of 31 October 2026. It is not legal or tax advice. Rules, fees, income requirements and processing times change, and proposed changes to the work immigration rules in chapter 6 of the Immigration Regulations are on consultation until 22 January 2027. Check udi.no, skatteetaten.no and arbeidstilsynet.no before you act. UDI decides every application. Nordic Relocators is not a law firm.