Do you live in Finnmark or Nord-Troms

Your debts could be written off if you live and work here

  • Finnmark
  • Lyngen
  • Storfjord
  • Kåfjord
  • Skjervøy
  • Nordreisa
  • Karlsøy
  • Kvænangen

Reduction of debt for those living in Finnmark and Nord-Troms

Up to 20 percent of your loan could be written off, up to a maximum of NOK 30,000, every year. A further NOK 20,000 can be written off for primary school teachers.

Your debt could be reduced if you have lived and worked in Finnmark or selected municipalities in Troms for a continuous 12-month period.

All customers who live and work in the approved areas may get up to 20 per cent of their original student loan written off each year, up to a maximum limit of NOK 30,000 per year.

If you are working as a primary school teacher, a further NOK 20,000 per year may be written off.

You need to live and work in the region for at least 12 months

In order to be eligible for debts to be written off, there is a requirement for you to live and be gainfully employed in Finnmark or the approved local authorities in Troms for a 12-month accrual period.

In order for us to consider you to be gainfully employed, you need to fulfil at least one of the criteria below:

  • Working in at least a 50 per cent position
  • Full-time employment for at least six months during the accrual period and registered as a jobseeker with the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) for the other six months
  • Caring for children born in 2014 or later, or having particularly burdensome care duties within the immediate family.
  • on study leave with a salary or grant that corresponds to at least 50 per cent of a full time position, where the salary is paid by an employer in the region
  • employed in the transport sector, on vessels, oil exploration vessels or permanent installations in the continental shelf and resident in the region.

If you are on sick leave during the period, this period will be included in the accrual period.

Who is not considered gainfully employed?

You will not be considered gainfully employed if, during the accrual period, you have been a full-time student, completed national service or been a student at a military school. In these cases, you will also not be entitled to a reduction in debt.

For those who, for all or part of their working time, work from a home office in the region, are also considered gainfully employed, when the emoyer's business is outside the region.

You can wait to make payments until the application has been processed

When you have submitted an application to write off debt, you can wait to pay your invoices from us until you receive a decision. We will not send any reminders in the meantime.

You do not need to pay instalments on the loan

As long as your loan is being written off under this scheme, you will be required to pay interest but not instalments on the loan itself. This means that the invoices you receive in the year after your debt has been written off will include only interest and any fees.

However, if you have already paid instalments on the loan during this period, please contact us and we can refund some of the amount.

Deadline for applications

You need to submit your application within three months of having lived in Finnmark or Nord-Troms for one year, the one-year residence period is what we refer to as the accrual period. You need to have “accrued” one year’s residence before your debt can be reduced.

Go to application

Become a teacher, have more debt cancelled!

If you take primary or secondary school teacher training, you may have parts of your student loan cancelled if you work as a teacher after your studies. This applies for the whole of Norway, but you can have more debt written off if you work in Northern Norway.
Scheme to write off debt for teachers

Primary school teachers in Finnmark or selected municipalities in Nord-Troms

Up to NOK 20,000 of your student loan can be written off each year.

The aim of the scheme is to strengthen the recruitment of qualified primary school teachers in the far north of the country. The way the scheme works, you first need to work as a primary school teacher in Finnmark or Nord-Troms for one year. Parts of your student loan can then be written off

This is in addition to the general scheme where anyone who lives and works in the region can have up to NOK 30,000 written off each year. If you are entitled to both, you will need to submit two applications – one for each scheme. 

How much will my debt be reduced by?

Up to NOK 20,000 of your debt can be written off each year. If you owe less than NOK 20,000 we will write off the remainder of your debt.

Who can apply?

The scheme applies to those who:

  • are qualified teachers in Finnmark or Nord-Troms (Lyngen, Storfjord, Kåfjord, Skjervøy, Nordreisa, Kvænangen and Karlsøy).
  • fulfil the qualification requirements pursuant to Section 17-3, first paragraph of the Norwegian Education Act
  • have been gainfully employed in a teaching position with an FTE of at least 50 per cent in a primary school setting for 12 consecutive months
  • have study leave with a grant or a salary equivalent to at least 50 per cent of a full-time employment, if the salary is paid by the school you are employed at.

It is not a requirement that you live in Finnmark or Nord-Troms.

Deadline for applications

You must apply within three months of having worked as a teacher for one year (accrual period).

Go to application for teachers

Relevant rules