“Don't come in from tomorrow”
One sentence and suddenly your head starts to count:
rent,
car,
bills,
children,
how much is left in the account,
how quickly you will find a new job.
The first instinct is often:
“I must find something immediately.”
Look for work.
But first do a few things that will be hard to recreate later.
1. Obtain the notice of termination in writing
If the employer says:
“We are ending our cooperation, don't come in tomorrow”
don't leave it as just a conversation.
The employer's notice should be in writing and contain specific information regarding, among other things, the right to negotiations and the deadlines. You can also request a written statement of the reason for the termination.
Check the rules here:
Arbeidstilsynet — dismissal
Keep:
the notice of termination,
employment contract,
the most recent lønnsslipp,
work schedule,
timesheets,
important texts and emails related to your employment.
Don't delete anything in the heat of the moment.
2. Check: notice of termination or summary dismissal?
These are not the same.
Oppsigelse means an ordinary notice of termination. As a rule the employment relationship continues during the notice period, and the employee still has the right to work and receive wages.
Avskjed means termination of employment with immediate effect due to a serious breach of duties.
If you hear:
“From today it's over, with no notice period”
determine exactly on what grounds the employer is doing this.
Don't assume that every “dismissal” works the same way.
3. Check the notice period
Open your contract.
Look for:
notice period
If not otherwise agreed according to the law, the standard period depends, among other things, on length of service and age. For employment shorter than 5 years the statutory main rule is at least 1 month; with longer service the period increases. It usually starts to run from the first day of the month following receipt of the notice. During a properly agreed probationary period the standard is 14 days, unless agreed otherwise in writing or in a collective agreement.
Current deadlines:
Arbeidstilsynet — dismissal
Example:
you receive an ordinary notice on October 12.
You have a one-month notice period.
In a typical case the period starts to run from November 1 and lasts until the end of November.
This may mean that you do not lose all of your income the next day.
First check the documents.
4. Do you think the notice is incorrect? Don't put it off for a month
This matters because deadlines apply.
If you want to demand negotiations with the employer regarding the legality of the notice, you should as a rule submit such a demand in writing within 2 weeks of receiving the notice. The employer should then organize a negotiation meeting as soon as possible and at the latest within the next 2 weeks.
So if you are thinking:
"This is illegal, I'll deal with it later"
Don't wait.
Talk quickly to:
a union representative,
a trade union,
a lawyer,
another advisor.
Arbeidstilsynet can explain the general rules, but does not decide a specific dispute about the validity of a termination on your behalf.
5. Do not sign your own resignation just because your employer suggests it
This is especially important.
Your employer may say:
"It will be easiest if you write the resignation yourself."
Don't do that automatically.
Arbeidstilsynet emphasizes that an employer cannot pressure an employee to resign voluntarily.
Why is this important?
Because a document:
"the employer fired me"
and:
"I resigned voluntarily"
can lead to different consequences, including when assessing entitlement to benefits.
If you do not want to leave voluntarily, do not sign such a document just to keep the peace.
6. Register as a job seeker
When you know that there really won't be work, don't just sit and wait.
NAV allows you to register as:
job seeker
if you legally live in Norway and your goal is to find work. After registration, NAV assesses the need for support and can assist, among other things, in finding job offers.
Registration:
NAV — register as a jobseeker
To register online you need electronic identification, e.g. BankID, Buypass or Commfides. If you cannot obtain e-ID, you can register at your local NAV office.
P0-23 will be a detailed guide:
how to complete the registration step by step.
7. After registering with NAV, don't forget to confirm your status
It's a small detail that matters.
Every registered job seeker must confirm every 14 days that they still want to be registered. This also applies to people who are not receiving any benefits.
If you are receiving dagpenger, there is also:
reporting card
also every 14 days.
Don't confuse these two.
P0-23 will show the registration process.
P0-24 will explain dagpenger and reporting card in more detail.
8. Check dagpenger before your account is left empty
Dagpenger is not "a salary from NAV for every unemployed person".
NAV checks specific requirements.
As of today, the basic requirements include, among others:
loss of at least 50% of total working hours,
loss or reduction of income,
a sufficiently high prior income,
age under 67,
registration as a job seeker,
residence in Norway and appropriate coverage by Norwegian social insurance,
actively searching for work,
sending the reporting card.
In 2026 the income threshold provided by NAV is currently at least 204 824 NOK in the last 12 months or 409 647 NOK in the last 36 months.
Check the current conditions here:
NAV — dagpenger
When to apply?
NAV recommends:
about 2 weeks before the last day for which you are entitled to pay.
dagpenger can be granted at the earliest from the day on which:
you submitted an application
and at the same time:
you registered as a job seeker.
That means it is not worth waiting a few weeks after the end of work just because:
“First I'll try to find something new myself.”
You can look for a new job and at the same time sort things out with NAV.
9. Did you also work in another EEA country? Don’t throw that history away
If you have previously worked, for example, in Poland, Sweden or another EEA country, periods of employment can matter when assessing the right to dagpenger.
NAV may need the form:
PD U1
confirming periods of work and insurance in another EEA state.
We do not go into this here, because P0-24 will be devoted precisely to dagpenger.
But remember:
foreign periods of work can matter.
Do not assume automatically:
“NAV only counts Norway”.
10. If you lost your job because the company went bankrupt
That is yet another situation.
If a Norwegian employer goes bankrupt and you are left without pay or work, the topic of:
wage guarantee
and the possibility of an advance in the form of dagpenger may arise. NAV describes such a case separately.
Do not try in such a situation to solve everything only with your former boss.
Check:
and information regarding wage guarantee, if it concerns your company.
11. And if the employer only temporarily lays you off?
Temporary layoff is not the same as definitive dismissal.
The employment relationship still exists, but the obligation to work and pay can be temporarily suspended according to the applicable rules. Arbeidstilsynet points out that with a temporary layoff you may be entitled to dagpenger.
So if you received:
temporary layoff notice
do not treat it automatically as:
“I have been fired forever”.
Check the document and the conditions.
12. Don’t wait to look for a new job until NAV’s decision
NAV may be processing your application.
You keep looking in the meantime.
Return to:
Twoja Norwegia — job listings in Norway
and to our guide:
Job searching in Norway: how to start when nobody here knows you yet
/internal link to P0-11/
If you lost your job today, you can already:
update your CV,
set up alerts,
check listings in your region,
reach out to former professional contacts.
Do not wait for NAV’s decision to start searching.
13. Do you have little money and it won’t last until next month?
That also needs to be said clearly.
Not everyone has savings for three months.
If after losing your job you are not able to cover basic needs, you can apply for:
economic social assistance.
NAV indicates that everyone has the right to submit an application and receive an individual assessment. Generally you must legally reside in Norway, and the benefit is a supplementary solution when other income options are insufficient.
Information and application:
NAV — economic social assistance
If the situation is truly urgent
You don't have money for:
food,
electricity,
essential transport,
or don't have anywhere to sleep tonight?
NAV can also assess:
emergency aid
which is help in an emergency.
NAV lists as examples, among others, food, necessary travel costs, or bills whose non-payment threatens disconnection of basic services.
In such a situation, write clearly in the application:
“I need help in an emergency.”
If you cannot send the application digitally, contact NAV directly in the municipality where you live or are currently staying.
On the first day you don't solve your entire future
This is probably the most important thing.
Losing your job can trigger the thought:
“Everything has fallen apart.”
You don't yet know whether you might have a new job in a week.
Therefore on the first day your task is not:
“Fix your whole life.”
It sounds like:
secure your situation.
Do this in the following order
Today
Obtain a written notice of termination.
Keep the contract, lønnsslipp, hours and correspondence.
Check the notice period and the last day for which you will receive pay.
If the notice looks suspicious, don't delay seeking advice.
Don't sign a voluntary resignation if you do not want to leave voluntarily.
Start looking for work.
Next
Register as a jobseeker.
Check your entitlement to dagpenger.
Submit the application within the deadline.
Remember to confirm your status and meldekort every 14 days.
If you lack money for basic needs, check economic social assistance.
And that's it.
You have a plan.
OFFICIAL SOURCES
Arbeidstilsynet — termination
Form of termination, notice period, negotiations and deadlines.
NAV — register as a jobseeker
Registration as a jobseeker and the obligation to confirm status.
NAV — dagpenger
Conditions, application deadline and the obligations of the unemployed person.
NAV — economic social assistance
Financial assistance and emergency assistance.
