British Citizen Living in Thailand and Working in Norway in 2021

[vibration]

I am a British Citizen retired and living permanently in Thailand and an opportunity for working in Norway in 2021 is very highly possible for me in the very near future.

 

As the UK has left the EU and the transition period for leaving expires on the 31.12.2020 can anybody answer the following questions:

 

▪Can I travel to Norway for the purpose of working after 31.12.2020 without a Visa?

▪Can I work in Norway after 31.12.2020 without a Work Permit?

 

Previously I have worked in Norway for 32 years and during this time I did not need a Visa and I did not need a Work Permit however because of Brexit the conditions may have changed. I also have two adult Norwegian daughters from a previous marriage who live in Norway so I still have a strong family connection to Norway.

 

I have done a lot of online research myself however it is far from clear.

 

I have sent an email to the Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok however the automatic reply states that they are very busy with Covid related emails so I dont expext to get a reply soon.

 

Many thanks in advance for any help.

Edited December 20, 2020 by vibration
incorrect grammer

[Bruce Aussie Chiang Mai]

The 2020-2021 excuse, we busy because of Covid.

If they were Aussies I be calling them <deleted>.

 

[Bigz]

I am afraid nobody can answer this question right now. You can ask Boris he won't have clue. I am a dual British/EU citizen running a small UK based business and 10 days from the end of the transition period I still don't know how Brexit will affect my imports from the EU thanks to UK's inept government. Although Norway is not part of the EU they are pretty much following their rules so you can only pray that this madness comes to an end in the next week or so.

[NanLaew]

Since Norway isn't an EU member state either, the Brexit "deal, no-deal" should make little difference.

 

However, it is a member of the European Economic Area (EEA), so...

 

British citizens coming to Norway after 31 December 2020
British citizens and their family members who wish to come to Norway to live, work or study after 1 January 2021 will be treated according to the rules that apply to citizens of countries outside the EEA/EU. This means that British citizens wishing to work in Norway will need to apply for a residency permit. The same rules will apply for British citizens that are temporary service suppliers. Under the current regime, service providers can come to Norway for work for up to three months without the need to register.

British citizens that are temporary service suppliers that have a contracts or assignments that start in 2020 but end after 1 January 2021, will also have to apply for the residency permit.

 

https://www.regjeringen.no/en/topics/european-policy/brits_brexit/id2630241/

 

What does make a difference is the increasing amount of European nations suspending any travel to and from the UK which knocks out one of the more convenient travel hubs for an exiled Brit heading for Norway. Right now it looks like Norway's Covid-19 inbound traveler restrictions are as follows.

 

Updated 16 December 2020

In the Government’s latest update on travel restrictions, it has been decided that people travelling to Norway from a “red” country must provide a negative corona test upon arrival. You must take the test no more than 72 hours before you enter the country. You can be denied entry if you cannot provide this documentation.

There are a few exemptions to this rule, for instance for Norwegians travelling home, people that have a place of residence in Norway, or people frequently travelling to Norway to work, for instance from Finland.

People who travel to Norway and do not have a place of residence must stay in quarantine at a hotel for 10 days after arrival. The cost of staying at a quarantine hotel is NOK 500 per night for both private individuals (adults) and employers.

 

https://www.visitnorway.com/plan-your-trip/coronavirus-and-travelling-to-norway/

 

[theoldgit]

You also may find this useful, and whilst Norway, or its fish, are not in the EU they are in EFTA and mirror Schengen Visa rules.

 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-norway

[vibration]

Many thanks to all for great help and advice.

[khunPer]

British citizens don't need a visa to enter Norway, but permitted stay might be limited to 90 days like for other Commonwealth citizens, or continue follow the EEA and EFTA agreements.

 

About the hard Brexit, which it seems like at the moment, where Norway is not member of EU, but member of the "economic community" (EEA), you might need to apply for both a work permit and for permission for long stay. The situation might not be clear right now, but so far it has been that those Brits already staying, and eventually working in other EU-countries, will not be affected by Brexit, whilst new arrivals will.

Edited December 21, 2020 by khunPer
typo

[LivinLOS]

20 hours ago, vibration said:

I am a British Citizen retired and living permanently in Thailand and an opportunity for working in Norway in 2021 is very highly possible for me in the very near future.

 

As the UK has left the EU and the transition period for leaving expires on the 31.12.2020 can anybody answer the following questions:

 

▪Can I travel to Norway for the purpose of working after 31.12.2020 without a Visa?

▪Can I work in Norway after 31.12.2020 without a Work Permit?

 

Previously I have worked in Norway for 32 years and during this time I did not need a Visa and I did not need a Work Permit however because of Brexit the conditions may have changed. I also have two adult Norwegian daughters from a previous marriage who live in Norway so I still have a strong family connection to Norway.

 

I have done a lot of online research myself however it is far from clear.

 

I have sent an email to the Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok however the automatic reply states that they are very busy with Covid related emails so I dont expext to get a reply soon.

 

Many thanks in advance for any help.

Hi,

This is exactly what I do, supply (primarily) UK workers to EU countries for work.. Everyone I have currently engaged who is working prior to 31st can obtain a frontier worker permit (which has to be applied for by the 31t Dec) and continue to do so, I can not however send a new worker to replace any who leave and or otherwise stop working, as we have constant turnover of construction staff that means I will have to gradually stop sending UK workers. 

Also of course last night, 'super COVID' has resulted in travel bans which may effect workforces travelling back to work Jan 3rd for the new years start. 

The legal text that covers this is the withdrawal agreement, however each country is reading it thier own way. The determination of 'recent work' is in some countries meaning work done in 2020 in other countries only continuous work (so early december) qualifies. I have no idea when you last worked in norway so have no way of knowing if that can help. Also the FWP is not required to be shown until July 1st so how that is policed in the first 6 months is again, totally up in the air and country by country. 

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2020/9780348212228

In short the whole thing is a mess, deal or no deal. 

If you have not recently been performing work in Norway then the likelyhood is that you need a work permit to do domestic activity (not a business meeting etc) and to obtain that work permit they likely have to prove they tried and failed to get an EU citizen to take the job, which in short is not likely to happen. 

The whole area is unclear, undecided, and each government making it up as they go along. I have been arguing with Dutch and Belgian ministry officials for weeks. No one says the same thing. Add in that there may or may not be a deal, and that deal may or may not include worker free movement, and even though its 10 days away, there is no clarity at all. 

[vibration]

Many thanks to all once again.

 

I have after a lot more research now determined that I need to apply for a Norwegian Residence Permit based on being a Skilled Worker.

 

This should not be a problem for me as I have worked as a Specialist in the Oil Industry for 32 years however I do need a formal offer for work before I can apply and the application review can take up to 8 weeks.

 

I am so glad that I am fluent in Norwegian as when I read the requirements first in translated english for the Norwegian Residence Permit it stated that the applicant must have had a Residence Permit for the previous 6 months in Thailand and I do not have this. The Norwegian text stated instead that you have to prove that you have stayed legally in Thailand for the previous 6 months which I can.

 

What a relief.

[vibration]

VFS Global in Bangkok in connection with Visa Applications for Norway are offering a Covid 19 PCR Test as detailed below:

 

"Customers can have their PCR test screening done either at a partnered certified laboratory, or at a location of choice within Bangkok city limits using the ‘At Your Doorstep’ service. The test reports are directly sent by the partnered laboratory to the registered email address of the individual within 24 hours, ensuring confidentiality of the result."

 

The "At Your Doorstep Service" costs 2850 THB and a 150 THB Courier Service for getting a physical copy of the Test Certificate delivered.

 

Just wondering if anbody has used this service and what was their experience,

 

Many thanks in advance for any help.

 

 

 

 

[liddelljohn]

My Agents  tell me that If you have a seamens book  and work in Oil and Gas offshore you wont need a visa  for Norway or EU only a letter of introduction  and a contract   but if working onshore  things are more complicated .

 

[David9810]

Thanks for your information. Your help is so useful for me.