Do you have questions about recognition of foreign education?
On this page, you will find answers to frequently asked questions about recognition. Here, you can find information about our services, processing times, and documentation requirements.
Recently edited : 10. May 2024How do I approve my foreign education?
Usually, it is not mandatory to apply for recognition to work in Norway. It is only required if the profession is regulated by law.
You can apply for recognition to us for:
- Foreign higher education
- Foreign tertiary vocational education
- Foreign vocational education and training (for certain countries and specific professions)
- Foreign teacher education
- Foreign kindergarten teacher education
If you only have completed basic education from your study country, you must contact the municipality to which you belong for advice.
Applying for admission to education
Normally, you don’t need a recognition from us to apply for admission to higher education in Norway. You can apply directly to The Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service (bachelor's and professional studies) or to a university/college (master's and ph.d.).
Are you wondering if you meet the requirement to enter higher education in Norway? Check our site about higher education entrance qualifications. For other requirements go to NUCAS (Samordna Opptak).
Vocational education
Do you have foreign vocational education and training, from secondary education or high school? Check our recognition scheme to see if this applies to you.
If your country or profession is not included in the scheme, consult the adult learning center or vocational education and training office in your county municipality for advice.
How do I apply for recognition?
You apply for recognition through our digital application portal.
On the pages about our recognition schemes, you will find the login to the application portal under "How to apply."
It is not possible to apply through e-mail.
What is the processing time?
The processing time varies between different recognition schemes. We currently have high demand and longer processing times than usual.
Processing time for recognition applications:
- Recognition of higher education: 6-8 months
- Teacher/Kindergarten teacher: 4-6 months
- Vocational education and training: 1 month
- Tertiary vocational education: 1 month
We follow the principle of equal treatment and cannot prioritize applications.
Are you in a recruitment process and need a quicker answer? Then these services may be relevant to you (only for those with foreign higher education):
- Automatic recognition: This is a downloadable document about certain countries that provides structured information on which Norwegian degree a foreign qualification can be compared to. In many cases, this may be sufficient to apply for a job.
- Turbo evaluation for employers: Employers can request an assessment of what a foreign educational document can be compared to in the Norwegian system. The employer receives feedback within 5 business days.
What are the documentation requirements?
There are different requirements for the documents you should upload to the various recognition schemes; see the list below. On these pages, you will also find information about translations and technical requirements for how to upload the documents.
- Documentation requirements for higher education
- Documentation requirements for tertiary vocational education and training
- Documentation requirements for vocational education and training (for certain countries and specific trades)
- Documentation requirements for teacher education
- Documentation requirements for kindergarten teacher education
Please upload all the documents we require. If you’re application is not complete, you will be notified by your case officer in the application portal and by email. Complete documentation will make the case processing time faster.
How can I check the status of my application?
You can check the status of your submitted application by logging into the application portal.
When it says that the application is under processing, it means a case officer has been assigned to your application.
Once the application is being processed, you can send a message to your case officer under "My Messages."
If you have been notified that you are missing a document, you must upload it in the application portal under "My Applications". Contact your case officer if you have questions about this. We do not accept documents sent via e-mail. It must be uploaded in the application portal.
In the portal, you can also:
- Upload additional documents or missing documentation under "My Applications."
- Download the decision letter under "Document Overview."