Types of Permit and Processing Time
A Residence or Work Permit will mainly be granted for the following purposes:
• Family reunification (e.g. with husband, parent(s), co-habitant)
• Work (e.g. specialist, Au Pair, seasonal)
• To get married (“Fiancée permit")
• Education
Please use this checklist for documentation requirements: ENGLISH version (updated 15.09.2011).
Please note that all documents must be translated into English, and verified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka.
Additional everyone is required to fill inn a Questionnaire when submitting the application.
Once the case has been sent to UDI in Norway or any other represented Immigration Authority, the Embassy has no further bearing on the case. The processing time depends on the work load at the respective Immigration Authority at any time. You can find an average expected processing time for the various types of permits on UDI’s Web site: Please CHECK HERE.
Foreign Spouse or Registered Partner of Norwegian Citizen
Foreign spouses of Norwegian citizens can apply for a Residence Permit for reunification with the Norwegian spouse. This application must be submitted at the Embassy in Colombo and will be forwarded to UDI for processing. The applicant normally have to be in his/her country of origin while an application is under processing. An application for a C-visa cannot be handled at the same time.
An applicant is allowed to apply for both Residence Permit and a 7-day D- visa at the same time. For the Embassy to process an application for a 7-day D-visa it is required that an interview have to take place. This can only take place after an appointment with the Embassy and cannot be done by phone.
Only in exceptional cases, the Embassy grant a 7-day D-visa so the foreign spouse can travel to Norway and wait in Norway while the case is being processed by UDI.
The issuance of this type of 7-day D-visa is regulated by UDI Circular 2010-003 (English version). A separate Circular GI 2010 - 001 from the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion also has relevance for the processing of these cases.
The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Colombo receive applications for work and residence permits in Denmark and Iceland and may issue entry visa after decision is made by the Immigration Authorities of Finland or Sweden.