„Register with NAV” sounds simple. But what exactly are you registering?
After losing your job you quickly start hearing one sentence:
“Register with NAV.”
Only NAV has:
applications,
benefits,
meldekort,
Min Side,
dagpenger,
arbeidssøker,
follow-up.
And it’s easy to get the impression that everything is one process.
It is not.
First, let’s separate two things.
Registration as arbeidssøker means:
NAV knows that you are looking for work and you want to be in the register of job seekers.
Application for dagpenger means:
you are asking NAV for a specific financial benefit.
One does not replace the other.
If you want to apply for dagpenger, you must first be registered as arbeidssøker.
Who can register as arbeidssøker?
NAV states clearly:
you have the right to register if you have a legal residence in Norway.
Registration is for a person whose goal is to find work and who wants to take actions leading to employment.
So:
did you lose your job and are you looking for a new one?
Yes.
Are you laid off (permittert) and need support?
That can also be the right path.
Do you want to apply for dagpenger?
Yes — registration as arbeidssøker is then an important part of the process.
If, however, you are not ready to actively look for work, but need NAV’s support to return to employment or to keep your job, NAV also has a separate service work-oriented follow-up.
Step 1. Go to the NAV registration
Official page:
NAV — Registrer deg som arbeidssøker
This is the proper starting point.
Don’t start from a random form found via Google.
Step 2. Log in
To register online you need an electronic ID.
NAV lists:
BankID,
Buypass,
Commfides.
If you have BankID:
you log in as usual.
If you do not yet have BankID, that does not automatically mean that registration is impossible.
You can use other accepted e-ID methods.
Don’t have an electronic ID?
Then don’t abandon the whole process.
NAV indicates that if you cannot obtain electronic identification, you should contact your local NAV office. There you can receive help with registration.
Find your local NAV office:
NAV — find NAV office
This is especially important for people who have just lost their job and do not yet have full digital access to Norwegian services.
Step 3. NAV will ask about you, but not to make registration difficult
The form includes questions about, among other things:
age,
address,
work experience,
education,
any difficulties that may affect your ability to find work.
Don’t treat this like an exam.
NAV uses this information to assess:
what kind of support you may need.
Example:
one person lost their job after 15 years as a driver and mainly needs a new job offer.
The other does not know Norwegian, does not have an up-to-date CV and has health limitations.
Both are unemployed.
But they may need completely different help.
Answer according to the facts
Don't try to write:
"everything is fine"
just because you're afraid the problem will complicate registration.
If you really have a difficulty that affects your ability to find work, e.g.:
language,
lack of qualifications,
health,
transport,
other limitation,
this is exactly what NAV needs to assess support.
Registration is not a contest to find the "best" unemployed person.
Step 4. After registration NAV will assess your situation
After sending the registration the process does not end with the message:
"you are in the system".
NAV compares the provided information with the situation of other people with a similar profile and prepares an automatic proposal for the type of support. Then an advisor makes an assessment and sends you a decision regarding the assistance you need.
This may mean, for example:
assistance in finding work,
information about job offers,
contact with an advisor,
further assessment of needs,
specific measures or other support.
If your situation later changes, you can provide NAV with new information and ask for a re-evaluation.
"I registered. Will I get dagpenger now?"
No.
This is very important.
Registration as arbeidssøker is not a decision to grant dagpenger.
It is a separate process.
After registration you can submit an application for dagpenger if you meet the conditions.
Only then does NAV check, among other things:
lost work time,
previous income,
insurance,
availability for work,
other conditions for the benefit.
The next guide P0-24 will be devoted to exactly that.
Check dagpenger:
NAV — dagpenger
The most important change: every 14 days you must confirm that you still want to be an arbeidssøker
Remember this.
It is not enough to:
register once and forget.
NAV currently requires that every person registered as an arbeidssøker confirms every 14 days that they still want to remain in the register. This also applies to people who do not receive any benefit.
After logging in to Min Side you will see:
when you need to send the confirmation,
which period it covers.
Status confirmation:
NAV — Confirm that you want to be registered as arbeidssøker
What do you answer in this confirmation?
NAV asks, among other things:
Have you worked in the last 14 days?
and:
Do you want to remain registered as an arbeidssøker for the next 14 days?
And here's an important point.
If you answer:
NO
to the question of whether you want to continue being an arbeidssøker:
you will be removed from the register.
If you are receiving a benefit that requires this status, it may be suspended.
And what if I forget to confirm?
You can also be removed from the register.
NAV states that if you do not send the confirmation or you answer that you no longer want to be registered, you will no longer be listed as an arbeidssøker.
You can register again.
But regarding benefits this may have consequences.
So a simple habit:
when NAV shows a task every 14 days — do it immediately.
Confirmation as arbeidssøker is not the same as the reporting form
And this is where it is easiest to make a mistake.
Confirmation as arbeidssøker
It concerns all registered arbeidssøker.
You send it every 14 days.
Even if you are not receiving money from NAV.
Reporting form
It concerns people who receive certain benefits or support.
With dagpenger you must send the reporting form every 14 days.
So you may have a situation:
I am an arbeidssøker, I do not have dagpenger
→ you confirm your status as an arbeidssøker.
Or:
I am an arbeidssøker and I receive dagpenger
→ you send the required forms according to NAV rules, including the reporting form.
This distinction is very important after the system changes.
With dagpenger you start sending the reporting form before you receive a decision
This is another common mistake.
You submit an application.
NAV has not granted anything yet.
You think:
"I'll start sending the reporting form when I get the money."
No.
NAV points out that for an application for dagpenger the reporting form must be sent every 14 days from the moment of registration as an arbeidssøker and also while waiting for the decision.
Reporting form for dagpenger:
NAV — Fill out the reporting form for dagpenger
In P0-24 we will show exactly what to enter.
What do you enter on the reporting form?
Among others:
hours worked,
activities,
courses and education,
illness,
vacation and other absences,
stay abroad.
NAV uses this data to calculate the dagpenger payment.
If you worked a few hours:
you enter the hours.
If you took on part-time work:
this does not automatically mean the end of contact with NAV, but the hours must be reported according to the benefit rules.
Worked one hour? Enter the hour
NAV states that on the reporting form for dagpenger you must report all hours of work — also on weekends and also work that is normally paid, even if it was performed without pay this time.
That's a topic for P0-24, but remember one rule:
do not hide a few hours of work just because you are afraid of losing dagpenger.
The system is supposed to count them.
You must report them correctly.
Reporting form sent too late can cost you money
For dagpenger each reporting form concerns a 14-day period.
NAV recommends sending it immediately after the end of the given period.
If it is sent too late:
the payment may be reduced or stopped.
If more than 20 days pass since the previous reporting form, you may be removed from the arbeidssøker register and dagpenger will be stopped.
So:
do not treat the reporting form like a newsletter you can open in a week.
Got a job after a few days? Don’t disappear without updating
That’s good news.
You found a job.
But before you completely forget about NAV, sort out your status.
If you no longer want to be registered:
mark that according to NAV’s process.
If the new job is only partial and you are still looking for more employment:
Your situation may be different.
Do not accept the rule:
“I signed any contract = I immediately cancel NAV.”
Check whether you are still looking for work and whether the benefit or support is still current.
A CV in NAV should not look like an empty profile
Registration itself does not look for work for you.
If you want NAV to help you match offers better, fill in information about:
experience,
education,
skills,
the occupations you are looking for.
And in parallel use our database:
Twoja Norwegia — job offers in Norway
Don’t wait for NAV to “assign you a job”.
Registration is meant to support active searching, not replace it.
Don't have a CV yet?
Go back to:
CV and application in Norway: how to make an employer want to talk to you
/internal link to P0-12/
If you have just lost your job:
You lost your job in Norway: what to do on the first day
/internal link to P0-22/
These materials should work together.
If you don't understand what Min Side shows
Don't click randomly.
NAV offers:
chat,
messages,
phone,
local offices.
On the page about confirming your status NAV also gives a contact number:
55 55 33 33
on weekdays.
If the problem concerns:
registration,
meldekort,
status,
a specific benefit,
it's better to ask NAV than a random group on Facebook.
The simplest order
If you have just lost your job:
1. Register as a job seeker.
2. Fill in truthful information about your situation.
3. Check Min Side and the decision regarding the support you need.
4. Every 14 days confirm that you still want to be a job seeker.
5. If you are applying for dagpenger, submit a separate application.
6. Send meldekort according to the instructions, also while waiting for a decision.
7. Meanwhile, look for work.
That's really the whole framework.
OFFICIAL SOURCES
NAV — Register as a job seeker
Who can register, what information NAV collects, login and help at NAV offices.
NAV — registration as a job seeker
NAV — Confirm that you want to be registered as a job seeker
New obligation to confirm status every 14 days.
NAV — Reporting form
Rules for forms for people receiving dagpenger and other benefits.
