EEA and EFTA citizens

If you are an EEA or EFTA citizen, or a family member of an EEA citizen, there are more opportunities to access loans and grants from Lånekassen than for other foreign nationals.

You must meet one of the following criteria:

  • you have been granted permanent right of residence
  • you are an employee from an EEA or EFTA country
  • you are a family member of an employee from an EEA or EFTA country

Loans and grants for study in Norway

If you meet certain requirements, you may be eligible for loans and grants from Lånekassen even if you are a foreign citizen.

If you are a foreign citizen with legal residence in Norway and you study here, you may be eligible for loans or grants from Lånekassen if you meet one of the criteria below.

Permanent right of residence in Norway

You are an EEA citizen with permanent right of residence in Norway. Permanent right of residence is a right you can obtain after at least five years of residence in Norway. Read more about permanent right of residence on UDI's website.

Documentation requirements

If you have a permanent residence permit/residence card, you must submit a copy of this. Registration certificate for EEA citizens is not the same as permanent residence permit/residence card.

If you are an EEA citizen and do not have a permanent residence permit, you must submit

  • confirmation showing that you have been resident in Norway for a continuous period of at least five years. This means documentation showing that you have been employed, self-employed, a student or that you have had sufficient means to support yourself while living here.

If you are an EEA citizen and apply for support on the basis of permanent right of residence as a family member of an EEA citizen, you must submit documentation showing that both you and the EEA citizen you are related to, have been resident in Norway for a continuous period of at least five years.

If you are not an EEA citizen and apply for support on the basis of permanent right of residence as a family member of an EEA citizen, you must submit documentation showing that

  • the EEA citizen you are related to has been resident in Norway for a continuous period of at least five years. This means documentation showing that the EEA citizen has been employed, self-employed, a student or has had sufficient means while living here.
  • you have had legal residence during the same period as the EEA citizen, and you have lived with the EEA citizen during this period.

Nordic citizens must also document that they are permanent residents of Norway under these rules.

We check the (Norwegian) National Registry to see if you are registered as a resident in Norway. 

EEA or EFTA employees

You are an EEA or EFTA citizen and have employee status in Norway. You must fulfil one of these conditions:

  • You are continuing to work (minimum of 10-12 hours per week) whilst studying.
  • You are ending your employment in order to study and there is a professional link between your work in Norway and the study programme you are applying for support for. If you have become If you have become involuntarily unemployed during the six months leading up to you starting your education, and have been registered as unemployed by Nav in the enitre period, the requirement for a professional link may be waived.

Documentation requirements

If you are continuing to work at the same time as studying, you must submit

  • confirmation (a reference) from your employer showing the percentage of a full-time position you work or how many hours you are working per week/month during the period you are studying. It must state whether you are in a permanent or temporary position. If you have a temporary position, the employer must state the end date. The confirmation must be signed by the employer and be written on official headed paper or have the employer’s stamp.

If you have stopped working and transitioned to studying, you must submit

  • confirmation (a reference) from your Norwegian employer(s) showing the period(s) you have worked in Norway, what work you did and the percentage of a full-time position you worked. The confirmation must be signed by the employer and be written on official headed paper or have the employer’s stamp. An employment contract is not sufficient.
  • documentation from the place of study specifying the study programme you will be taking.

Children of EEA or EFTA employees or their spouses

:You may be eligible for loans or grants for study in Norway or abroad if you are the child or grandchild of an EEA or EFTA employee, or of someone who is married to an EEA or EFTA employee. You must also meet at least one of these two conditions:

1. you must be under the age of 21

2. you must be supported by the employee or the employee’s spouse
Please note that your eligibility for support under the items above will lapse if the EEA or EFTA employee no longer has the status of employed in Norway.

You may also be eligible for loans and grants if you live in Norway and you are the child of an EEA/EFTA employee or of someone who is married to the employee. You must either live together with the employee or have lived together with the employee whilst they were considered an employee in Norway. These are the only conditions under which you might be eligible for loans or grants for study in Norway.

Documentation requirements

You must submit

  • documentation showing that one of your parents has been employed in Norway, for example confirmation from an employer. An employment contract is not considered sufficient documentation.

If your parents come from a country outside the Nordic region, you must also submit

  • a copy of the certificate of registration for one of your parents
  • a copy of a valid residence permit or certificate of registration for yourself

Parents or grandparents of EEA or EFTA employees or their spouses

Please note that you will lose your eligibility for support if the EEA or EFTA employee no longer has the status of employed in Norway.

Documentation requirements

If the child is a Nordic citizen, you must submit

  • confirmation showing that he/she is employed in Norway, for example confirmation from an employer. An employment contract is not considered sufficient documentation.

If the child is a citizen of a country outside the Nordic region, you must submit

  • a copy of a valid work permit or certificate of registration for the child in question
  • confirmation showing that he/she is employed in Norway, for example confirmation from an employer. An employment contract is not considered sufficient documentation.

If you come from a country outside the Nordic region, you must also submit

  • a copy of a valid residence permit or certificate of registration for yourself

Married or cohabiting with joint children, with an EEA or EFTA employee in Norway

Please note that you will lose your eligibility for support if the EEA or EFTA employee no longer has the status of employed in Norway.

Documentation requirements

You must submit

  • documentation showing that your spouse/cohabiting partner has worked in Norway, for example, confirmation from an employer. An employment contract is not considered sufficient documentation.

If your spouse/cohabiting partner comes from a country outside of Norway, you must also submit

  • a copy of the certificate of registration for your spouse/cohabiting partner
  • a copy of a valid residence permit or certificate of registration for yourself

Citizens of the United Kingdom

During a transitional period that lasted until 2020, the United Kingdom was to be treated as if it were still a member of the EU and the EEA. If you are a citizen of the United Kingdom, you are eligible for loans and grants from the Lånekassen if you were entitled to reside in Norway in accordance with the EEA agreement before the end of the transition period (31.12.2020). You must also have stayed in Norway.

If you came to Norway on 1 January 2021 or later, you have to meet the same conditions as citizens from countries outside the EU/EEA if you want to apply for loans and grants. The same rules apply to your family members.

What if I don’t meet the conditions?

Even if you do not meet any of the specific requirements for EEA or EFTA citizens, you may still be eligible for support if you meet the general requirements for foreign nationals

Foreign citizens

Are you going to study abroad or study online?

For some programmes of education, there are stricter requirements for obtaining loans and grants from Lånekassen. For example, you must fulfil the requirements for links to Norway if you are going to study abroad or study online in Norway.