Norway guide · verified 2026-07-04
After You Land in Norway: First-Weeks Checklist
After you land
Norway front-loads a short but strict sequence after arrival: register with the police, get an identity number and tax card, sort out health-insurance status, and enrol at the university. Get the ID-number step right first, almost everything else depends on it.
Register with the police (or SUA) soon after arrival
MandatoryAttend the pre-booked appointment with the police or the Service Centre for Foreign Workers (SUA, available in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, and Stavanger) to complete registration tied to the study permit. Bring the passport, the permit approval, and any documents requested in the booking confirmation.
When: As early as possible after arrival, ideally within the first days, per the booked appointmentGet an identification number and tax card
MandatoryNon-EEA students who receive a study permit are processed automatically by the Norwegian Tax Administration (Skatteetaten) once UDI notifies them, no separate booking is normally required. A non-EEA student with a study permit for OVER 9 months is registered as resident and assigned a national identity number; one with a permit for 9 months or less instead gets a D-number (the 6-month registration threshold on Skatteetaten's page is the Nordic/EU/EEA rule, not the non-EEA one, do not apply it to an Indian student). Either way, a tax deduction card is needed before doing any paid work (including part-time campus jobs).
You get: A Norwegian identity number/D-number and a tax deduction card.Confirm health-cover status: folketrygden or private
MandatoryIf the total stay is 12 months or more, a non-EEA student without Lånekassen support must actively apply for voluntary membership in the National Insurance Scheme (folketrygden), it is NOT granted automatically just by registering with the police or getting an ID number. Once approved, membership gives access to public healthcare on close-to-equal terms with Norwegian citizens (with some limitations, and via a pay-then-reimburse model through Helfo for many services). If the stay is under 12 months, folketrygden membership is not available on this route at all, private/travel insurance is required for the whole stay. Apply and confirm status directly with NAV/Helsenorge rather than assuming cover exists.
You get: Confirmed health-cover status for the full study period.Pay the semester fee and enrol at the university
MandatoryPay the student welfare organisation's semester fee (≈ NOK 600 to 1,000, institution-dependent, e.g. SiO Oslo currently charges NOK 690) and complete enrolment, presenting the admission letter, permit approval, and any outstanding documents. This produces the student card, which often doubles as a discount card for transport and other student services.
You get: Enrolment confirmation and student ID card.Set up a local bank account
RecommendedWith the identity number/D-number and passport, open a Norwegian bank account, needed to receive any Lånekassen disbursement, part-time-job pay, or to draw down an institutional deposit account balance.
Sort out transport, SIM, and other everyday essentials
Most regional transport operators (e.g. Skyss in Bergen, AtB in Trondheim, Ruter in Oslo) offer a student discount, commonly a meaningful percentage off monthly passes, and Vy (national rail) offers a 25% student discount on train tickets; the exact scheme, price, and eligibility rules (minimum programme length, full-time status) differ by operator and region, so check the local transport authority's student-ticket page. Get a Norwegian SIM early, since a local number is often needed for banking and university two-factor logins.
Nearly everything afterward, bank account, tax card, Lånekassen payments, sometimes even a phone contract, asks for a Norwegian identity number or D-number first. Prioritise the police-registration and tax-registration steps immediately on arrival.
Unlike some countries where health cover eligibility is judged case by case, Norway draws a clear line at 12 months of intended stay for folketrygden eligibility. But even past that line, a non-EEA student without Lånekassen support must actively apply for voluntary membership, it is never conferred automatically. A one-semester exchange student and a three-year Bachelor's student are in genuinely different insurance situations, and neither should assume cover exists without applying/confirming it.
Sources
- Booking and attending an appointment (police registration), Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI)
- International students, studying and working in Norway, Skatteetaten (Norwegian Tax Administration)
- Membership of the National Insurance Scheme (folketrygden), NAV (Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration)
- Students from countries outside the EU/EEA or Switzerland studying in Norway, Helsenorge (Norwegian Directorate of Health)
Where this fits
This is one step of the full Norway journey: admission, tests, application, visa, money, arrival and stay-back, every figure cited to an official source.
More on Norway
Bramica is independent and takes no commission from any university, recruiter or agency. This page is information, not immigration advice. Rules, fees and thresholds change; confirm the current requirement on the official source before acting on it.