Residence period, and why the answer isn't a single number

"How long must I have lived in Norway?" is the most frequently asked question in the whole process, and it's also the question the internet answers worst.

Why there isn't a single number

The residence requirement depends on several things at once:

• Which type of residence permit you've had
• Whether you're applying for permanent residence or citizenship
• Whether you're married to or cohabiting with a Norwegian citizen
• Whether you're a Nordic citizen
• Whether you've previously been a Norwegian citizen
• How old you were when you arrived

In addition, the rules have changed several times in recent years.

What this means for you

That a number you found in a forum, or in an article without a date, probably doesn't apply to you. Not because whoever wrote it was lying, but because it applied to a different group or a different year.

UDI has the current requirements, sorted by which group you belong to. That's the only source worth planning around.

What you can plan around in the meantime

The tests. They have no expiry date tied to your residence period, and you can take them whenever you like. That means you can get that part done while you wait for your residence period to run its course.

That's actually good advice: many people wait to take the test until their application is approaching, and then discover that the test dates in the kommune (municipality) are full, or that they fail and don't have time for another attempt. You can take the test well in advance.