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LIFE IN NORWAY

EXPLAINED: What you need to do if you’re moving from Norway

You've decided that you're moving away from Norway, but you're still trying to figure out what to do to make the transition to another country as smooth as possible? We've got you covered.

Published: 22 November 2022 11:28 CET
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Moving from Norway doesn't have to be complicated. Here are the key things you need to remember. Photo by Marco López / Unsplash

When it comes to moving away from Norway, timely planning and a short checklist can help you avoid a lot of headaches down the road.

There are different rules and best practices, depending on whether you’re moving to a Nordic or a non-Nordic country.

In this article, we will cover the key things to keep in mind before moving so that you can regulate your tax status, social insurance, healthcare coverage, and other essential rights and obligations painlessly and efficiently.

Reporting to the Tax Administration and changing your address

The first thing you should do after you’ve decided you’re moving away from Norway is to contact the Norwegian Tax Administration.

Even if you move from Norway, the tax authorities may still consider you fully liable for taxes in the country – especially if you have a significant connection to Norway. You can find out more about the tax rules that apply here.

Remember that you must contact the Tax Administration if you intend to stay in a non-Nordic country for at least six months.

After you report your intentions, the Tax Administration will decide whether to register your relocation as emigration in Norway’s National Registry.

As for the paperwork, you can download the relevant form here. You need to send the filled-out form to the Tax Administration no later than 14 days before your planned departure.

Remember to submit a copy of a valid identification document (such as an ID card or passport) along with the form.

The Tax Administration will send you a letter when your case – and change of address – have been processed. The letter will be sent to the new address abroad you specified.

If you decide to change your address abroad at a later point in time, you will have to report to the Tax Administration on your own, either online or via form RF 1454 – Notification of new or changed mailing address (available here).

The situation is somewhat simpler if you’ve decided to move to a Nordic country (Sweden, Finland, Iceland, or Denmark (Faroe Islands and Greenland included), as, in that case, the relocation needs to be reported in the country you are moving to.

In such cases, you will be automatically registered as having emigrated from Norway if your notification is accepted in the Nordic country where you’re moving.

Healthcare, social insurance, and unemployment benefits

If you’re moving to another Nordic country, you will usually be eligible for health services in that country once you’re registered in its population registry.

Note that if you plan to stay in another country for a short period of time, you might be able to keep your healthcare rights in Norway – under certain circumstances.

As individual circumstances differ, make sure to check with HelseNorge about the rules that apply in your case before you move abroad (available here, in English).

When it comes to social insurance, your membership in Norway’s social insurance scheme generally stops after you relocate.

If you’re moving to a Nordic country, and you have some earned social insurance and unemployment benefit rights in Norway, you can sometimes transfer these rights when you move, combine them with the rights earned in the country you’re moving to, or continue receiving social insurance benefits paid from Norway after you move.

Make sure to check which rules apply to your individual circumstances with the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) well before you move. You can find out more information here (website in Norwegian).

Property and housing

Make sure to check your contracts related to property – regardless of whether you’re renting accommodation or if you own a flat or house.

If you’re renting, remember that you must give your landlord notice in line with the contractual deadlines before you move to avoid paying financial penalties.

If you plan to sell or rent property in Norway, make sure to double-check all the aspects of insurance coverage with your insurance company, as well as all the tax obligations that apply to your situation with the Tax Administration.

Bank accounts and postal services

Contact your bank(s) and notify it that you’re moving abroad so that you can close bank accounts, change your address, and regulate the status of any loans you might have before you leave the country.

Don’t forget to set up post/mail forwarding – or have the post redirected to friends or family after you leave. You can contact the Norwegian Post Office directly and let them know that you’re changing addresses (forms are available here).

Contracts and subscriptions

Norwegian households tend to have many subscriptions, from gym and streaming services to newspapers and TV/phone/internet packages.

Don’t forget to end all subscriptions and other service contracts before you move – if you know you won’t be using these services outside of Norway.

Customs and import fees

Most people moving to another country take at least some personal goods with them.

Make sure to check the customs regulations in the country you’re moving to so that you avoid any unexpected expenses.

Furthermore, if you plan to take your vehicle with you, take the time to find out which rules and regulations apply to the import and registration of vehicles in the country where you’re relocating.

You can find more information on the export of vehicles from Norway on the website of the Norwegian Tax Administration (available here in English).

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For members

WORKING IN NORWAY

Can I take time off work in Norway if my child is sick?

Balancing work and childcare can be a tricky situation, but it can be made even more difficult when your kid is sick. What are your legal rights when this happens in Norway?

Published: 8 December 2022 14:06 CET
Can I take time off work in Norway if my child is sick?

In Norway, as an employed or self-employed parent, you have the right to stay at home with your sick child and take time off work for a set number of days in a year, which are other referred to as “care days” of “days when you care for sick children” (called omsorgsdager or sykt barn-dager in Norwegian).

Did your child catch a cold? Does your child need to go to the doctor? Don’t fear – care days enable you to ensure your child gets the attention and care they need during stressful periods.

In this article, we will cover the rules that apply to most cases, as well as frequently asked questions on the issue.

Care days for sick children under the age of 12

First of all, know that individual factors influence the exact number of care days you have the right to, such as the number of children you have, your cohabitation or partnership situation, and whether your child suffers from chronic illnesses.

According to the state digital platform Altinn, as of 2022, all workers in Norway are entitled to 20 care days per year if they have one or two children under the age of 12. Workers with more than two children have the right to use 30 care days a year.

Furthermore, single parents and parents of chronically ill children in Norway can get even more care days.

The number of care days, in this case, is added up for each calendar year and not for an ongoing twelve-month period, as is the case when the employee is sick.

The employer only has to pay for the first ten care days in a calendar year – they can claim reimbursement from the NAV from the eleventh day.

You can find more details on care days on the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration’s (NAV) website here.

When to use care days

The care days can be used for several different purposes, including parents staying at home with their sick children, taking children to medical examinations or treatments, or when the child’s caregiver is ill.

Note that you cannot use your care days to stay with a child during holiday breaks or accompany your child to the dentist if the visit is unrelated to illness.

To have the right to care days that you can spend with sick children, you must first work for at least four weeks at your current employer.

When it comes to self-employed workers, they have the right to financial support from the NAV from the eleventh day that they spend at home with their sick children.

However, they need to provide the NAV with a medical certificate that confirms the child is sick.

Using multiple consecutive care days at a time

Norwegian employees have the right to spend multiple consecutive days with their children when they get sick.

However, they must present their employers with a self-prepared document describing the situation for the first couple of days.

In such cases, you will need to provide a self-prepared certificate for up to three consecutive days at a time. From the fourth day, your employer has the right to ask for an official sick leave certificate.

Employers can also allow employees to take hours off or “half-days” within work days to care for their children if they’re sick. In such instances, these hours and “half-days” are later calculated and added up into days.

Special situations

Employees in Norway may be entitled to more care days if they meet specific requirements or are in extraordinary situations.

For example, you can apply for more care days to the NAV if you take care of the child on your own, if your underage child suffers from a chronic disease, or if your child is underage and disabled.

You can also ask for more care days in the period up to and including December 31, 2022, in cases where the child must be kept at home due to special infection-prevention considerations (mostly related to the COVID-19 pandemic).

This also applies when the other parent of the child cannot take care of the child for six months or longer.

For more information, consult the relevant part of the Norwegian Working Environment Act.

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