Au pair in Norway

If your au pair contract in Denmark comes to the end, you are entitled to continue your au pair position in Norway. Applying for an au pair placement in Norway, the best time in advance would be a 5-6 month before your Danish residence permit will expire.

Case processing time at the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) lasts 4 months, and during this time you must stay legally in Denmark.

If you cannot extend your visa in Denmark, you must return back to your home country to wait for the visa approval there, after you have applied.

However, if you have a Bachelor degree and can prove it (your Diploma must be recognized by the Danish Educational Authority you can come to Norway while your application is processing.

Requirements – you must speak quite good English and basic Danish, if you apply from Denmark, as Danish and Norwegian languages are very much alike and Norwegian children will be able to understand you if you speak some Danish. Besides, the recommendation letter from your Danish host is obligatory.

Who are eligible for a residence permit as an au pair?

In order to be granted a residence permit as an au pair you must:

• be between the ages of 18 and 30
• pay an application fee
• not have any children of your own
• it must be probable that you will return to your home country at the end of your stay, and circumstances in your home country must also indicate that you will be able to return.
  

Requirements for the host family

• The host family can be a married couple or cohabitants with or without children or a single parent with children.
• The host family must have good knowledge of Norwegian society and speak Norwegian to the au pair.
• If a person in the host family is from the same country of origin as the au pair, they can, normally, not be a host family. We can make an exception in rare cases.
• The host family can only have one au pair at a time.
• The host family must treat the au pair as a member of the family.
• The host family shall cover the necessary travel expenses.
• The host family must provide monthly pocket money.
• The host family must pay a minimum of NOK 8,850 pre-tax (2019 level) for the au pair’s Norwegian course and study materials.

How to apply

You submit an application form to the Norwegian embassy or consulate in your home country or in the country where you have held a residence permit for the past six months. You cannot enter Norway and start working until you have received your permit. You will receive an answer to your application from the Foreign Service Mission or, if relevant, through the person you have authorized in Norway.

What must be enclosed with the application?

In addition to the completed application form, you must enclose:

• the UDI's Contract for cultural exchange between au pair and host family, signed by yourself and your host family
• documentation of the nationality of the host family (e.g. copies of their passports)
• passport and copy of all used pages in the passport
• course certificate for completed e-learning course for host families in au pair cases At least one of the host parents must have completed a mandatory e-learning course for host families in au pair cases
• two new/recent passport size photos with white background
• signed cover letter from the Application portal (or application form)
• documentation that you have had legal residence in the country where you applied from for the past six months if you applied from a country other than your home country
• you must pay a fee
• UDI's checklist filled out and signed

If you enclose a copy of the documents with your application, it is a condition that you present the original documents when you hand in your application.

Duration and the content of the permit (residence permit)

You can be granted a residence permit as an au pair for a maximum period of two years. If the offer of employment is less than two years, you can only be granted a residence permit for the period covered by the employment contract.

Is the permit renewable?

• As long as you hold a valid residence permit as an au pair, you can submit an application to change host families at any time. This will be considered an application for renewal.
• If you wish to renew your residence permit as an au pair, you must submit a new application at least one month before your current permit expires.
• You cannot start working for the new family until your new application for a residence permit has been granted.
• The application must be submitted to the police district where you live. As a rule, you must submit it in person.
• The same documentation requirements apply as for first-time applications. However, you may have turned 30. Renewal applications are also subject to a fee.

Relevant Information

New Visa Application Procedure is on The official site in Norway and in the Philippines

Bornholm, Greenland, The Faroe Islands, Esbjerg, Fredericia, Helsingør, Herning, Hjørring, Horsens, Nykøbing Falster, Odense, Rønne, Thisted, Viborg, Aabenraa, Aalborg, Århus.