Poles are the largest immigrant group in Norway (over 110,000 people) – and while Norwegian bureaucracy is efficient, it has its rituals: registration with the police within 3 months, two different identification numbers, BankID as the key to the entire digital life, and the HMS-kort without which you cannot enter a construction site. This guide walks you through the formalities step by step – with numbers for 2026 (including a new requirement: the HMS-kort will also apply to goods transport from January) and Polish accents (consular fees, Polish school in Oslo).
First Steps: Registration and Numbers
Residence Registration (up to 3 months)
As an EU/EEA citizen, you do not need a residence permit, but if you stay longer than 3 months, you must register: online application at UDI + visit to the police or SUA (Servicesenter for utenlandske arbeidstakere). Free of charge; you receive a registreringsbevis (indefinite certificate). After 5 years of continuous residence, you are entitled to permanent residence (varig oppholdsrett – with a separate document upon application).
D-number or fødselsnummer
Two worlds: D-number (temporary – for short-term workers, taxpayers, bank clients; you do not apply for it – it is requested by the employer, bank, or authority; expires after 5 years of inactivity) and fødselsnummer (full number – for stays longer than 6 months, after reporting a move and identity verification ID-kontroll at the tax office, not at the police). Fødselsnummer opens everything – from full banking services to fastlege.
BankID – the Digital Key to Norway
BankID (level “high” eID) is obtained at your bank, in person, with a passport – and from then on, you log in everywhere: NAV, Skatteetaten, helsenorge, UDI. With just a D-number, it can be challenging (bank account yes, full BankID usually only with fødselsnummer). You receive official correspondence in a digital mailbox (Digipost or eBoks – you choose on norge.no). Technical change in 2026: the old Altinn 2 portal will be shut down in June – services have moved to Altinn 3 and the new Skatteetaten mailbox.
Registration Really Works
Moving in Norway = registration with folkeregisteret within 8 days; leaving Norway for 6+ months = reporting your departure (no earlier than 31 days before). From December 2, 2024, foreigners with a fødselsnummer can also obtain a Norwegian ID card (nasjonalt ID-kort, from 2026 840 NOK) at the police – a convenient document for everyday use, though without travel rights.
Work: HMS-kort and Minimum Wages
- HMS-kort (personal health and safety card with a photo) is mandatory in construction, cleaning, car washes/tyre repair – and from January 1, 2026, also in goods transport by cars and vans. It is ordered by the employer (hmskort.no, approx. 139 NOK + VAT); you must carry it visibly, and Arbeidstilsynet can halt work without it. Lack of a card = a red flag that the employer is operating in the gray market.
- Minimum wages (allmenngjort) apply in about 10 industries – rates (from June 15, 2025, check for updates): construction – skilled worker 264.32 NOK/h, inexperienced 239.61; cleaning – 236.54 NOK/h (+ night supplement min 29 NOK). Outside industries covered by general minimum wage agreements, there are none in Norway.
- Your Rights: a written employment contract is mandatory for the employer; Arbeidstilsynet publishes materials on workers' rights (including in Polish in the “Know Your Rights” campaigns) and accepts reports – Norway is intensively pursuing so-called a-krim (crime in the labor market), and the 2026 budget has allocated funds for this. Delegated by Polish companies: keep an eye on the A1 certificate from ZUS.
Health and Housing – Minimum Knowledge Required
- Fastlege (general practitioner) – you choose/change through helsenorge.no (BankID); visits with a personal fee (egenandel) up to the annual limit frikort: 3278 NOK in 2026 – above this, treatment is free (the card arrives automatically). Dentists for adults are fully paid (children up to 18 years are free) – hence the popularity of “dental check-ups during visits to Poland” (our guide on private treatment in Poland). You can order the EKUZ card from the Norwegian system (for travels within the EEA) through helsenorge/Helfo.
- Rental: the deposit (max 6 times the monthly rent) must go to a separate deposit account in your name – cash “in hand” to the owner is illegal and must be returned with interest. A written contract is required, rules in husleieloven; consumer guides: Forbrukerrådet.
Polish Affairs in Norway
- Institution: The Polish Embassy in Oslo with a consular department (plus honorary consuls); visits through e-Konsulat. Fees from April 1, 2026: passport 1570 NOK (reduced fee 785, children under 12 years 505, temporary 561).
- Children: register the birth certificate of a child born in Norway at the Polish USC (transcription through the consulate) and obtain a Polish passport; supplementary Polish education is provided by the Polish School named after the Heroes of Narvik at the Polish Embassy in Oslo (ORPEG) – and remotely ORPEG online (the guide on school after returning also describes preparation before moving).
- Pension and Taxes Between Countries – in twin guides about pension from Norway and ZUS and about taxes between Norway and Poland.
Checklist for the First 90 Days: (1) registration UDI + police/SUA; (2) ID control at Skatteetaten and skattekort (without it, the employer deducts 50%!); (3) bank account → BankID as soon as possible; (4) digital mailbox (Digipost/eBoks); (5) work in construction/cleaning/transport – ensure HMS-kort and minimum wage; (6) stay 6+ months – report your move after obtaining fødselsnummer and choose fastlege; (7) rental only with a deposit in a deposit account.
Sources
| Source | Type | Status / Credibility |
|---|---|---|
| UDI: residence of EU/EEA citizens | Official site | Primary source |
| UDI: FAQ EEA (3 months, permanent residence after 5 years) | Official site | Primary source |
| Skatteetaten: fødselsnummer | Official site | Primary source |
| Skatteetaten: D-nummer | Official site | Primary source |
| Skatteetaten: registration (8 days) | Official site | Primary source |
| BankID: how to obtain | Official site | Primary source |
| Arbeidstilsynet: HMS-kort (from 2026 also transport) | Official site | Primary source |
| Arbeidstilsynet: minimum rates (allmenngjort) | Official site | Primary source |
| Helsenorge: egenandel in frikort 2026 (3278 NOK) | Official site | Primary source |
| Polish Embassy in Oslo: consular fees (from 1.04.2026) | Official site | gov.pl |
| Polish School in Oslo (ORPEG) | Official institution | ORPEG |
| Forbrukerrådet: rental and deposit | Consumer organization | Credible |
| norge.no: eID and digital mailbox | Official service | Primary source (site may be unavailable for bots) |
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