Starting in Norway. What should you actually arrange first?
You arrive in Norway and suddenly a whole list of new names appears: UDI, Politiet, Skatteetaten, NAV, D-nummer, fødselsnummer, Folkeregisteret, skattekort, BankID.
You can get confused by this.
The worst thing you can do is start with a random office just because someone on Facebook wrote: "I did it that way".
Your situation may be completely different.
So let's start not with an office, but with one question:
On what basis are you in Norway and what do you intend to do here?
Almost everything else depends on that.
If you only have 30 seconds, do this in this order
Check your residence status.
Check whether you must register your residence.
Get a D-nummer or fødselsnummer.
If you are staying for at least 6 months, check the Folkeregisteret.
If you are working, arrange a skattekort.
Check whether you can handle several matters during one visit to the SUA.
Then take care of your bank account, BankID, doctor and other matters.
Below we go through each point separately.
Step 1. Check which rules apply to you
This is the first step and it is not worth skipping.
If you are a citizen of Poland, you are an EU/EEA citizen. You can come to Norway and start working, but if you intend to work and live here for more than 3 months, you must fulfill the registration requirement. UDI also states that registration is free.
Check your situation directly with UDI:
UDI: EU/EEA national working in Norway
If you are not an EU/EEA citizen, do not assume the same rules apply to you. In that case you first need to check which type of residence or work permit applies to your situation.
This is also important for future language versions of this guide. Language is not proof of citizenship or residence status.
Step 2. D-nummer or fødselsnummer?
Sooner or later you will encounter one of these two numbers.
Fødselsnummer is a Norwegian identification number used, among other things, for people registered as residents of Norway.
D-nummer is also a Norwegian identification number, but it is used in other situations.
The most important thing is that you don't file a standard application that says: "please give me a D-nummer".
Skatteetaten explains that the number is issued when you meet the appropriate conditions and there is a basis for issuing it. This may be, for example, a skattekort, a bank account, registration in the Folkeregisteret, or another matter that requires Norwegian identification.
If you intend to live in Norway for at least 6 months and meet the conditions for registration as a resident, you may receive a fødselsnummer.
Check exactly how Norwegian identification numbers work:
Skatteetaten: D-nummer and fødselsnummer
You don't need to know all the exceptions right now. We will devote a separate guide to that:
D-number or fødselsnummer: what is the difference and which number will you receive?
Step 3. Staying longer? Check the Folkeregisteret
If you plan to live in Norway for more than 6 months, you should check the obligation to report a move to Norway.
Skatteetaten explicitly states that a person arriving with the intention of staying longer than 6 months must report the move.
Here you can check your situation and the procedure:
Skatteetaten: reporting a move to Norway
And here a common mistake occurs.
EU/EEA citizen registration, entry in the Folkeregisteret, tax card and D-number are not the same thing.
You may have arranged one of them and still need another.
That's why the question 'are you registered in Norway?' often says little. More important is: where are you registered and for what purpose?
A separate guide will show exactly:
Folkeregister: when and how to report a move to Norway?
Step 4. Starting work? Get a tax card
If you work in Norway, you need a tax card, i.e. a skattekort.
Most foreign workers also need a Norwegian identification number.
If you already have electronic identification, you can handle some matters online. If you do not yet have a D-number or fødselsnummer, an identity check may be required. An employer can also, in certain situations, apply for a tax card on your behalf.
Here you can start arranging a tax card:
Skatteetaten: tax deduction card for foreign citizens
After properly submitting the case, Skatteetaten states that the tax card is usually ready within approximately 5 working days.
With the first tax card many foreign workers enter the PAYE system, i.e. kildeskatt. In 2026 the income limit for PAYE is 725 050 NOK. The system is voluntary and you can switch to the ordinary tax rules.
Check the current PAYE rules:
Skatteetaten: PAYE for foreign workers
We also have a separate guide in which we compare both options.
Step 5. Before you start going to several offices, check SUA
If you are a foreign worker, be sure to check SUA.
SUA is a joint centre operated by the Police, UDI, Skatteetaten and Arbeidstilsynet. It operates in Oslo, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim and Kirkenes.
Depending on the situation, you can, among other things:
handle registration related to residence,
submit permit documents,
apply for a tax card,
report a move to Norway,
obtain information about worker rights.
Before you schedule several different appointments, check SUA:
SUA: what you can arrange and where the center is
This is an example where good preparation can save a lot of time.
Step 6. Bank account and BankID
It is good to have a Norwegian bank account and BankID, but I would not start with that whole process.
First, get your matters related to residence, identification and work in order.
BankID is issued by a bank. The official BankID website indicates that to receive BankID, you must contact your bank and go through its identification procedure.
Check how to get BankID:
BankID: how to get BankID
In a separate guide we will go through bank accounts and BankID much more thoroughly, because the requirements of individual banks can differ.
Step 7. Check where you will go to see a doctor before you need one
This is one of those things that is best to check in advance.
A person living in Norway has the right to basic healthcare, and residents have the right to a general practitioner, i.e. fastlege.
Check the rules regarding fastlege:
Helsenorge: the right to a general practitioner in Norway
It is also worth memorizing two numbers right away:
116 117 call legevakt when help cannot wait, but the situation is not immediately life-threatening.
113 call in a life-threatening situation or a serious acute incident.
Here Helsenorge explains when to call 116 117 and when to call 113:
Helsenorge: out-of-hours medical service 116 117 and emergency number 113
Do not wait to learn this system until your first illness.
Step 8. Working? Also check folketrygden
One more thing is often confused with taxes and Folkeregisteret.
Folketrygden is the Norwegian social insurance system.
For an EU/EEA citizen who legally starts working in Norway, NAV states that, in principle, membership in the Norwegian insurance system begins from the first day of employment. There are exceptions, however. This applies, among others, to some employees posted by a foreign employer.
Check the rules directly at NAV:
NAV: working in Norway and membership in folketrygden
This is a good example of why it's not worth putting everything into one basket.
Folkeregisteret, taxes and folketrygden are three different things.
What to prepare?
There is no single list of documents that fits every person.
In practice, it's good to have prepared:
a valid passport or national ID card,
an employment contract or a written job offer if you are coming to work,
a document confirming your place of residence, if it is required in your procedure,
documents concerning family members if you are coming together,
documents related to the basis of stay,
documents required for a specific visit to UDI, the Police or Skatteetaten.
And here the most important piece of advice:
do not assemble documents based on an old post in a Facebook group.
Before the visit, open the link to the specific agency and check the current list for your situation.
Most common mistakes after arrival
I have a D-nummer, so I am registered in Norway
No.
A D-nummer does not automatically mean that you are registered as a resident in Folkeregisteret.
I'm from Poland, so as an EU citizen I don't have to do anything
That's also not true.
An EU/EEA citizen can start working in Norway, but for a stay longer than 3 months you need to check the registration obligation and the conditions of the right of residence.
The most important thing is BankID
BankID makes life much easier, but it does not replace registration of residence, an identification number or a tax card.
First, sort out the basics.
I have a tax card, so all my tax matters are settled
The tax card primarily tells the employer how much tax they should withhold from your salary.
It is not the same as tax residency, Folkeregisteret or a later tax return.
A colleague did it differently
Possible.
They may have had a different citizenship, a different length of stay, a different employer, or a completely different basis for residence.
That's why in this system we guide you to the source, not to a colleague's story.
Do you really need to arrange everything within 30 days?
No.
And that's exactly why the title "first 30 days" should not be treated as an official deadline to complete the entire list.
This is a map of the first month.
Not everyone will receive BankID during that time. Not everyone will need all the formalities. Not every case will be completed in a few days.
The most important thing is to know what is next.
Your path may look like this:
residence status → identification → registration → taxes → account and BankID → health → other aspects of life in Norway
And that's exactly why we break down each major topic into a separate guide.
What to do now?
If you are a citizen of Poland or another EU/EEA country, start with the next step:
EU/EEA citizen in Norway: what you need to arrange after arrival?
There we will no longer describe the entire first month.
We will go through just one matter, step by step, with direct links to the appropriate forms and registrations.
Official sources
UDI, rules for residence and registration of EU/EEA citizens. Go to UDI
Skatteetaten, identification numbers. Go to information about D-number and fødselsnummer
Skatteetaten, moving to Norway. Go to Folkeregisteret and the moving notification
Skatteetaten, tax card for foreign workers. Go to the application for skattekort
SUA, center for foreign workers. Go to SUA
NAV, membership in folketrygden. Go to NAV
Helsenorge, general practitioner and medical assistance. Go to Helsenorge
Information verified: 19.09.2026
