Family ImmigrationFamily reunification in Norway: national or EEA route
Family reunification Norway, known as familieinnvandring, is governed by Utlendingsloven chapter 6, sections 40 to 52. Two parallel tracks exist. The national route serves non-EEA sponsors, and the EEA route falls under Directive 2004/38/EC and the EEA Agreement. We assess your situation, file the family immigration application with UDI under the track that fits, and support you through fødselsnummer registration, banking and settlement once your residence permit is approved.
One of the most important steps you will take
Bringing your loved ones to Norway is rarely simple. Family immigration under Utlendingsloven carries strict rules on income, marriage of convenience screening, age and documented relationships. We begin every case with a structured eligibility check, identify the risks specific to your nationality and sponsor profile, and give you a clear picture of your chances before you invest time and money in an application to UDI.
A complex process, done right. The legal route and the timing of your filing often decide the outcome, so we plan both before anything is submitted.
Family categories under Norwegian law
Who can be reunited depends on the relationship to the Norwegian sponsor and on the documentation that supports it.
Spouses and registered partners
Married or in a registered partnership with the Norwegian sponsor. Both must normally be 24 or older, a rule aimed at marriage of convenience screening. The marriage must be valid where it was contracted, and both must intend to live together in Norway.
Cohabiting partners
Cohabited for at least 2 years and intending to continue living together. Both 18 or older. Evidence such as joint addresses, joint accounts, photographs over time and witness statements builds the case.
Fiancés
Where the marriage will be entered into in Norway, normally within 6 months of arrival. Documentation of the relationship history and a serious intent to marry is required.
Children
Biological or adopted children under 18 of the Norwegian sponsor or of the sponsor’s spouse or partner. Custody documents and, where only one parent is in Norway, parental consent are needed. Adopted children qualify with proper documentation under Norwegian adoption rules.
Dependent parents (60+)
A restrictive route. The parent must normally be 60 or older, have no other children outside Norway and no support network in the home country. The evidentiary bar is very high and refusals are common.
Other dependent relatives
Rare. Granted only on strong humanitarian grounds, for example where care cannot reasonably be provided in the home country. Assessed strictly case by case.
Underholdskravet: the maintenance requirement
The Norwegian sponsor must satisfy the maintenance requirement (underholdskravet). It looks both forward, at guaranteed future income, and backward, at income earned over the prior period. We do not quote a figure here because the threshold is indexed and revised by UDI; we calculate the current requirement for your specific household.
Forward maintenance
- Guaranteed gross income from employment, pension or study loan
- A higher level applies where the sponsor supports several dependents
- An employment contract and recent salary slips evidence the income
- Self-employed sponsors document income through accounts and tax records
Prior-period maintenance and clean record
- Documented earnings shown through the tax assessment (skatteoppgjør)
- No reliance on social assistance from NAV during the relevant period
- Exemptions for certain Norwegian citizens, refugees and protected categories
- Many sponsors restructure income or wait a tax year before filing
The maintenance requirement is the single most common reason for refusal. Planning the timing of an application around the sponsor’s documented income is often the difference between a grant and a rejection.
National rules versus the EEA framework
Where the sponsor is an EEA or Swiss citizen exercising free movement in Norway, the family is treated under Directive 2004/38/EC instead of the national rules. The difference can be decisive, so we confirm the correct legal basis before filing anything.
Under Utlendingsloven (national)
- Maintenance requirement applies to the sponsor
- 24-year rule for spouses, with limited exceptions
- National residence permit issued by UDI
- Dependent parents face a very restrictive test
Under the EEA Agreement
- No national income threshold of the same kind
- Residence card (oppholdskort) for non-EEA family
- Dependent parents and adult children covered on dependency
- Rights derive from the EEA citizen, not a permit grant
From assessment to settled life in Norway
1. Eligibility assessment
We confirm the family relationship, the sponsor’s status and whether the national or EEA route fits, and we calculate the current maintenance requirement.
2. Document preparation
Collecting, legalising and translating marriage, partnership, birth and custody documents, plus the sponsor’s income and housing evidence.
3. Filing with UDI
Submitting the application online, with biometrics taken at the police (Politiet) or at a Norwegian mission abroad.
4. Follow-up and decision
We respond to any requests from UDI, track the case and prepare you for the outcome and, if needed, an appeal to UNE.
5. Registration and settlement
Once granted, the family member registers in the National Population Register, obtains a fødselsnummer or D-nummer, and we assist with banking, healthcare and schooling.
Practical steps once the permit is granted
A residence permit is the start, not the finish. We help the whole family settle into Norwegian systems so daily life works from day one.
Status and money
Fødselsnummer or D-nummer through the National Population Register (Folkeregisteret), the personal number for healthcare, schooling, banking and tax
A Norwegian bank account and BankID for salary payments, digital signatures and online public services
Healthcare access with a regular GP (fastlege) once the personal number is in place
Family and home
Schooling and subsidised kindergarten (barnehage), with municipal enrolment support
Norwegian language courses that count towards permanent residence and citizenship
Suitable, documented accommodation, which also strengthens the application file
Where family applications run into trouble
Most refusals trace back to a small set of recurring obstacles. We plan the case around them.
The usual obstacles
- Meeting the maintenance requirement with short-term or low-paid work
- The 24-year age rule blocking genuine younger couples
- Proving a genuine relationship under marriage of convenience screening
- Securing documented, long-term housing in high-demand cities
- Processing times that can run many months
How we reduce the risk
- Time the filing around documented, qualifying sponsor income
- Build the relationship record: history, contact, joint life and intent
- Pick the right legal route, national or EEA, whichever is stronger
- Prepare for appeal with a clean file that also stands up before UNE
Family cases across nationalities
A sample of the situations we handle, across routes and nationalities.
Carlos Mendoza to Oslo
Mexican-American husband of a Norwegian permanent resident. Spouse route, full documentation, permit in 4 months.
Mei Lin Zhang to Tromsø
Chinese spouse of a Norwegian citizen. Filed under section 40 with a skatteoppgjør evidencing 18 months of qualifying income.
Kwame Boateng to Drammen
Ghanaian father, 62, of a Norwegian permanent resident. Dependent-parent application built around no-other-children evidence.
Emma Wilson to Stavanger
New Zealander partner of a Norwegian citizen, with 2 years of cohabitation in Auckland evidenced.
Aisha Khan to Bergen
Pakistani spouse of an EEA national exercising free movement in Norway, filed under the Directive 2004/38/EC route.
Diego Alvarez to Oslo
Colombian father of a Norwegian-citizen child, parents-of-EU-children route, residence card issued in 3 months.
If UDI refuses, the case is not over
A refusal from UDI can be appealed to the Immigration Appeals Board (Utlendingsnemnda, UNE). Many refusals turn on documentation or on how the maintenance and relationship evidence was presented, and a well-argued appeal can succeed. Where a point of legal interpretation is at stake, judicial review before the Norwegian courts may follow. Professional support at the appeal stage is strongly recommended.
Start your family reunification the right way
Family immigration to Norway is demanding but achievable with the right preparation. We help families build strong applications, avoid costly mistakes and settle smoothly into life in Norway.
