Norway has no investor visa. Here's how business owners get in.
Savings alone won't get you a Norwegian permit. If you're trained in your field and ready to run your own business full time, the self-employed permit is the real door.
What the permit asks of you, what the paperwork costs, and how three years on it can turn into permanent residence.
The €100,000 investor visa you may have read about isn't on UDI's list
Some visa sites describe a Norwegian investor visa with a €100,000 minimum. You won't find it among the work permits run by UDI, Norway's Directorate of Immigration, and no amount of invested money qualifies you on its own.
What Norway does have is a residence permit for self-employed people. It rewards skills and a working business, not a deposit. The business has to be your own sole proprietorship, it has to use your qualifications, and it has to keep you busy full time.
If your money comes from investments and you don't plan to work in Norway, this route won't fit. Norway has no digital nomad visa either, so a passive investor is better off with a country that sells residence for capital.
The self-employed permit in numbers
NOK 310,070
Yearly pre-tax profit your plan must make likely
about $32,600
NOK 6,300
Application fee, per a U.S. tax firm
about $660
1 year
Length of each permit
renewed while the business holds up
3 years
Before you can apply for permanent residence
on the same business
7 months
Most time abroad across those 3 years
counted in total
NOK 2,185
Registering your sole proprietorship online
about $230
What UDI checks before it says yes
Your training has to match the business
You need a three-year vocational qualification, a college degree, or special skills built over long professional experience, and the business has to put them to work. A Norwegian law firm says experience-only applications face strict review and many are refused.
The plan has to show real profit
UDI wants it to be likely that you'll clear NOK 310,070 a year before tax, about $32,600. Law firms tie that floor to 2.5 times Norway's basic amount, which rises every May, so plan for a higher number. The county authority gives UDI its view on whether there's a market, whether you'll be profitable, and whether the business will last at least three years.
It has to be yours, and only yours
You carry the financial risk, hold the leading role, and work in this business alone. No side job, and no remote work outside it.
Planning a limited company instead?
The self-employed permit is for a sole proprietorship, not a Norwegian AS. If you'll own and actively run a limited company, UDI assesses you under the skilled worker rules as an employee of that company. Where no collective agreement applies, the skilled worker pay floors since May 2026 are NOK 545,400 a year with a bachelor's (about $57,400) and NOK 624,700 with a master's (about $65,700).
Applying from the U.S.
- Build the file. A description of the business with your read on its market and sales, a budget and financing plan, the business name and where it will operate, and your diplomas and work history.
- Apply online and pay. You file through UDI's application portal. A U.S. tax firm lists the fee at NOK 6,300, about $660; confirm it on UDI's site before you pay.
- Hand in documents at VFS. Norway's U.S. mission says appointments usually open within three working days. VFS sends your passport and file to the Consulate General in New York.
- Wait for the decision. The mission lets visa-free travelers with a bachelor's degree, a Fulbright grant or certain exchange places apply after arriving in Norway. Everyone else waits in the U.S.
Registering the business costs NOK 2,185 online (about $230). Your surname has to be in the business name, and you need a Norwegian address. VAT registration starts once sales pass NOK 50,000 in 12 months, about $5,300.
Who this route suits, and who it doesn't
Trained professionals going solo
A designer, tradesperson or consultant with a degree or trade certificate who'll run one business in Norway full time.
Couples and families
Your spouse and children can apply for family immigration to live with you in Norway.
Not for passive investors
Putting money into shares or someone else's company doesn't qualify. The permit needs your own hands-on business.
Not for remote workers
Keeping a U.S. job or freelancing outside the business isn't allowed, and Norway has no digital nomad visa.
Staying for good: residence, citizenship and taxes
Permanent residence after three years
You'll need at least NOK 325,400 in pre-tax income over the last 12 months (about $34,200), and income from your own business counts. You can't have spent more than seven months outside Norway in total, and you must pass the oral Norwegian test at A2 or higher. Since September 2025, every requirement has to be met on the day UDI decides.
Citizenship, U.S. passport included
Norway has allowed dual citizenship since January 2020. Citizenship normally takes eight years of residence, or six with sufficient income, plus spoken Norwegian at B1.
Taxes on both sides
Norway taxes net income at a flat 22% plus a bracket tax of 1.7% to 17.8%, and taxes net wealth above NOK 1.9 million (about $200,000). You'll still file a U.S. return, and with Norway's higher rates the Foreign Tax Credit usually beats the income exclusion. Under the U.S.-Norway Social Security agreement, self-employed residents pay into Norway's system and attach a certificate of coverage to their U.S. return. MyExpatTaxes handles the U.S. side.
People who can help with the business side
Bianca Lynch
Career Coach: Self-employment
A career coach focused on self-employment, for shaping the business you'd run in Norway.
MyExpatTaxes
U.S. Expat Tax Service
A tax filing service for Americans abroad, for the U.S. return you'll keep filing from Norway.
Beacon Global Advisors
Financial Planning
Financial planners for Americans, for deciding what happens to your U.S. savings and investments when you move.
Moneycorp
Currency Exchange
Currency exchange and international payments, for moving dollars into kroner to fund the business.
Norway investor visa: quick answers
Can I keep my U.S. job on Norway's self-employed permit?
No. You can only work in the business named on your permit. Other jobs, including remote work, aren't allowed, and Norway has no digital nomad visa.
Can I become a Norwegian citizen and keep U.S. citizenship?
Yes. Norway has allowed dual citizenship since January 1, 2020. Citizenship normally takes eight years of residence, or six with sufficient income, plus spoken Norwegian at B1 level.
Does Norway have an investor visa or golden visa?
No. UDI, Norway's Directorate of Immigration, has no investor category among its work permits, and investing money doesn't qualify you on its own. The closest route is the residence permit for self-employed people, which requires you to run your own business in Norway full time.
How long is Norway's self-employed permit valid?
One year at a time. To renew, you submit accounts confirmed by an auditor or your tax return, plus a budget, and the permit stays tied to the same business.
Does Norway's self-employed permit lead to permanent residence?
Yes. After three years on the permit you can apply for permanent residence, as long as you meet the income, oral Norwegian and time-abroad rules on the day UDI decides.
Can my spouse and children move to Norway with me?
Yes. Family members of a self-employed permit holder can apply for family immigration to live with them in Norway. Each family member files their own application and pays their own fee.
Can I use a limited company (AS) for Norway's self-employed permit?
Not normally. The permit is for your own sole proprietorship. If you'll actively run a Norwegian limited company, UDI assesses you as a skilled worker employed by that company, and the skilled worker pay rules apply.
How much money do I need for Norway's self-employed permit?
There's no set investment amount. UDI looks for a business that's likely to earn at least NOK 310,070 a year before tax, about $32,600 as of September 2026. Law firms tie that floor to Norway's basic amount, which is adjusted every May, so check the current figure before you apply.
Not sure Norway's business route fits?
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