Norway Visa from the UK: Appointments, Checklist & Fees

Do UK residents need a visa for Norway?

British, Irish and EU citizens do not need a visa for Norway. If you live in the UK on a passport that is not visa-exempt for Schengen, such as Indian, Pakistani, Nigerian, Bangladeshi, Chinese or South African, you need a Norway Schengen visa (type C): your UK status lets you live here, not travel to Norway.

Norway is outside the EU but a full Schengen member, so a Norway-issued visa covers all 29 Schengen states. The embassy says holders of UK travel documents, such as a refugee or stateless person’s document, generally need a visa too; see our refugee travel document guide. The embassy also says you must legally reside in the UK to apply from here, so if you are in the UK on a visitor visa you will generally need to apply in your home country; our guide to applying on a UK visitor visa explains why.

The EU Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026, so every non-EU traveller, British citizens included, registers fingerprints and a facial image at their first crossing into Schengen, including at Norwegian airports. ETIAS, the €20 authorisation for visa-exempt visitors, has no confirmed launch date; our EES and ETIAS guide tracks both.

You prove UK residence with a UKVI eVisa share code, not a BRP. See our eVisa share code guide.

Norway visa appointments in the UK

You register and pay online in UDI’s Application Portal Norway, then book a free appointment in your own name with VFS Global in London or Edinburgh. There is no Norway centre in Manchester, Birmingham or Cardiff, and the embassy says applications cannot be handed in at the embassy or by post.

The Royal Norwegian Embassy at 25 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8QD, is Norway’s visa hub for the UK, and also handles applications from Russia and Belarus. It processes UK files, and says some cases are sent to UDI, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration. VFS is responsible only for receiving and returning documents; it does not assess your case. The embassy lists both centres without regional restrictions, so a lawful UK resident may use either.

Important: Schengen Visa Support does not book, hold or supply visa appointments. Your Norway appointment is booked free, in your own name, on the official VFS Global system. We help you complete the UDI portal correctly, choose a centre and make the booking yourself.

London

The embassy lists the Joint Visa Application Centre at 66 Wilson Street, London EC2A 2BT. London is the nearest Norway centre for most of England and Wales, including Manchester, the Midlands and the South West. Files travel by courier from VFS to the embassy at Belgrave Square. Check the address on your VFS appointment confirmation before you travel.

Edinburgh

The embassy lists the Joint Visa Application Centre at 1 Rennie’s Isle, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6QT. It is often the nearer option for Scotland and the far north of England. Files are couriered to London for processing and back again, so allow extra days in total. Confirm the address on your VFS appointment confirmation.

How to book

1. Register in the Application Portal Norway. Create an account if it is your first time, choose the UK as your country of application and select the purpose of your trip (tourism, family visit, business and so on).
2. Pay the €90 fee online. The portal emails you a copy of the application form (schengen.pdf), an application summary and a payment receipt. Print the form and sign it.
3. Book with VFS Global Norway UK under the correct category. The embassy says all applicants must book, and that errors in the VFS booking portal must be raised with VFS, not the embassy.
4. Print the embassy’s UK checklist for your purpose, tick it off and bring it with your documents.

Availability changes through the year, so check both centres and book as soon as your dates are fixed. Our Schengen visa appointment guide has more on finding dates.

On the day

A VFS officer checks your file against the checklist and keeps your passport. Your fingerprints and photo are taken unless your fingerprints were collected in the last 59 months. You sign the checklist to confirm you have been told about the processing and courier times, and that missing documents can lead to rejection. VFS also sells optional extras, such as courier return of your passport; none of them speeds up the embassy’s decision.

Norway visa document checklist for UK residents

Every applicant needs the signed portal application form, a passport issued in the last 10 years, a recent photo, an eVisa share code, 3 months of UK bank statements, insurance, accommodation and a return ticket reservation. The embassy’s UK checklist (revised 12 May 2025) covers all purposes, then adds items by visit type. A separate UK checklist applies to family members of EU/EEA citizens.

Two formatting rules catch people out. Documents must be on A4 paper with no staples or pins, and copies are accepted unless stated otherwise, because supporting documents are not returned. Bring copies, keep your originals. If you cannot provide a listed document, the embassy asks for a written explanation.

The passport must have been issued in the last 10 years, be valid at least 3 months after you leave Schengen and have two blank pages. The photo must be no older than 6 months and unedited. Your share code must show UK status valid at least 1 month beyond your departure from Schengen, a shorter margin than many countries ask for.

Bank statements must be in your name, cover the last 3 months and show your current balance. A credit card account statement in your name is also listed. Travel evidence means a reserved round-trip ticket to the UK, or proof of onward travel, with every means of transport if you are visiting several countries. Insurance needs at least €30,000 cover across all Schengen states for the whole trip; see our travel insurance guide.

Employed

A recent, official and signed letter from your employer, with your last 3 months of payslips. Our employer letter guide shows what it should say.

Self-employed

Norway asks for a recent, official and signed letter from your accountant, bank or solicitor documenting your UK business, plus a self-assessment document issued by HMRC. See our self-employed guide.

Students

A recent, official and signed letter from your UK school, college or university. If a parent funds you, add their statements, proof of family ties and a letter confirming they support you. See our students guide.

Retired

Pension statements or award letters, and bank statements showing the pension paid in each month.

Sponsored

If a person or company in Norway pays, sponsorship must be shown on UDI’s official sponsorship form. If a spouse or parent pays, give their statements showing NOK 500 per day per person, proof of family ties (passport biodata page and a relationship certificate) and a letter confirming they support you and are travelling with you.

Children

Under-18s need a birth certificate. If they travel alone or with one parent, add both parents’ passports (or certified copies of the biodata pages), proof of parental or guardian consent and a British school certificate. For sole custody, include a birth certificate naming one parent, the absent parent’s death certificate or the court ruling. Our children’s guide covers consent letters.

How much money do you need for a Norway visa?

The embassy’s UK checklist asks you to show at least NOK 500 per day of your stay, in UK bank statements in your name covering the last 3 months. It applies the same figure per person when a spouse or parent funds the trip.

Treat this as a floor, not a target. The embassy’s visitor’s visa page also says that if you can document at least NOK 1,300 per day, you do not need a sponsorship form, so check the current guidance before you apply. Norway is expensive, and the officer compares your balance with your plans: a week of Tromsø hotels and excursions needs far more than the minimum. Consulates also generally look at regular income and any large unexplained deposit before you apply. If a host in Norway is paying, they use UDI’s sponsorship form. Our guide to bank statements for a Schengen visa explains how to present them.

Norway visa fees from the UK

The Norway visa fee is €90 for adults and €45 for children aged 6 to 11; children under 6 pay nothing. You pay it online when you register in the Application Portal Norway, and VFS Global charges its own service fee separately: its Norway UK information page lists €27 per application, inclusive of VAT, charged in sterling at the current exchange rate.

Family members of EU or EEA citizens applying as such pay no visa fee, and the embassy says applicants exempt from the fee have it refunded. Otherwise do not expect the visa fee back, whether the visa is refused or you withdraw; VFS also describes all fees paid at the centre as non-refundable. VFS’s fee table shows €35 for nationals of countries with an EU visa facilitation agreement, such as Armenia, Georgia or Serbia. VFS says it takes cash in London but not in Edinburgh, and that if the embassy returns your passport mid-process and you resubmit it in Edinburgh for the visa sticker, VFS charges a resubmission fee (€18.90 on its information page); London, as the hub, does not. Our Schengen visa fee guide compares costs across countries.

How long does a Norway visa take from the UK?

A complete Norway application is normally decided within 15 calendar days, and up to 45 where more checks are needed or the case is sent to UDI. The embassy counts that time from when it receives your file in London until the VFS courier collects your passport, so courier time from VFS, especially Edinburgh, comes on top.

You can apply up to 6 months before travel (9 months for seafarers), and the embassy recommends applying at least 4 weeks before departure. VFS’s Norway UK information page puts the transfer to the embassy at about 1 working day from London and about 3 working days from Edinburgh. Files handed in later than 15 days before travel are dismissed. For some nationalities, other Schengen states must be consulted, which can add up to 7 days. The embassy only treats urgent welfare reasons, such as serious illness or a death in the family, or an important event that cannot be rescheduled, as emergencies; ordinary leisure travel is not an emergency, even with tickets booked. If you need your passport back while waiting, you can ask the embassy by email, but this may slow the case. The embassy also advises not buying tickets until the visa is granted.

In busy periods, allow more time. Our processing time guide explains common delays.

Norway visa types for UK residents

Most UK residents need a short-stay Schengen visa (type C), valid for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The purpose you choose in the UDI portal decides which extra documents you add.

• Tourism: confirmed hotel bookings for the full stay in Norway and any other Schengen country, or a tour or cruise booking confirmation.
• Visiting family, friends or a partner: Norway’s checklist covers “romantic visits” as well as family. Give a copy of your host’s passport or Norwegian residence permit biodata page, an invitation if no sponsorship form has been submitted, and proof of your relationship if you are related.
• Business and cultural events: an invitation from a company or authority in Norway, documents showing trade or work relations, or entry tickets or registration for a fair, congress or event.
• Short study or training: a certificate of enrolment or internship agreement, plus a student card or certificate of the courses.
• EU and EEA family members: free, with their own UK checklist.
• Airport transit: only some nationalities need it to change planes at a Norwegian airport without passing border control.

Stays over 90 days, and work in Norway, need a residence permit applied for through UDI, not a Schengen visa. Plan a Nordic tour carefully: if your main destination is Sweden, Denmark or Finland, apply there instead. Our which country to apply to guide explains the rule.

Norway-specific tips

Most of Norway’s file is standard Schengen, but a few details trip UK applicants up.

• Svalbard needs two entries. Svalbard is part of Norway but outside Schengen, and needs no separate visa. Flying there from mainland Norway means leaving and re-entering Schengen, so the embassy says to apply for two or more entries. Explain the route in your cover letter.
• Leaving Schengen mid-trip. The embassy says you need a multiple-entry visa if you leave Schengen during the trip, for example to visit the UK or Svalbard, and then come back.
• Use the digital sponsorship form. Since 13 January 2025 hosts can complete UDI’s sponsorship and invitation form online, logging in with ID-porten (private individuals) or Ansattporten (companies, after permission in Altinn). The paper version remains available. Ask your host to complete it in good time and to tell you how to link it to your application.
• Check the passport issue date. The 10-year rule counts from the issue date, not the expiry date, so an old passport whose validity was extended can fail even when the expiry date looks fine.
• Choose the right category on VFS. The embassy asks applicants to book the correct category of appointment, matching the purpose in the portal.
• The sticker shows your days, not just dates. The embassy’s leaflet says it adds 15 days to the visa’s validity window for flexibility, but the number of days you may stay stays the same as the “duration of stay” on the sticker.

Why Norway visas are refused (and how to avoid it)

Norway refuses on the standard Schengen grounds, and many refusals trace back to gaps that can be fixed before you attend VFS:

• Funds below NOK 500 per day, or a balance that does not match an expensive Norwegian itinerary.
• Unexplained deposits shortly before applying, with no payslip or source to match.
• UK status ending too soon, or no valid eVisa share code.
• A single-entry request for a trip that includes Svalbard, or a missing onward leg on a multi-country trip.
• Wrong main destination, such as applying to Norway for a trip mostly spent in Sweden.
• Missing purpose documents, such as a sponsorship form, business invitation or hotel bookings for the whole stay.

If you are refused, the letter states the reasons and explains how and where to send an appeal. The embassy’s information leaflet says you must appeal within 3 weeks of the date you were notified of the decision. UDI’s guidance on appealing says the appeal is made in writing to the mission that refused you, which reconsiders the case and, if it does not reverse its decision, forwards it to UDI; an appeal with nothing new is likely to fail, so add the evidence that was missing. Follow the instructions in the letter exactly. Appeals take time, so a fresh, stronger application is sometimes quicker; our refusal guide explains which route suits your case.