Membership in the National Insurance Scheme is the key to eligibility for rights to services from NAV. In Norway, your membership can be based on residence or employment. You can also be a member of the National Insurance Scheme during stays abroad.
The provisions of the National Insurance Act or of social security agreements Norway has entered into with other countries determine whether you are a member or not. Your membership is not determined by whether you are a Norwegian citizen, registered in the National Population Register or pay tax to Norway.
When are you a member of the National Insurance Scheme?
Compulsory membership pursuant to the provisions of the National Insurance Act
Membership as a resident
If you live in Norway, you are as a general rule a member of the National Insurance Scheme.
In order for you to be considered resident in Norway, your stay in Norway must last, or be intended to last, for at least
12 months. Membership requires that your stay in Norway is legal. When you move to Norway to be here for at least 12 months,
you become a member from your date of entry to Norway.
When you are member as a resident of Norway, you can stay abroad for up to 12 consecutive months and still remain a member
of the National Insurance Scheme. You can also commute between Norway and abroad and be abroad for up to six months in two
or more years. If you are working, it is also a requirement that you work for a Norwegian employer who is required to pay
an employer's National Insurance contribution in Norway, and that you do not receive a salary from a foreign employer.
Not resident in Norway
Even if you do not live in Norway, you have a compulsory membership in the National Insurance Scheme if you
Voluntary membership pursuant to the provisions of the National Insurance Act
Voluntary membership during stays in Norway
If you will be staying in Norway between 3 and 12 months, will not be working and have strong ties to Norway, you may be entitled to a voluntary membership in the National Insurance Scheme.
Voluntary membership during stays outside of Norway
If you have a compulsory membership in the National Insurance Scheme and will be staying abroad, the stay abroad may mean that your membership in the National Insurance Scheme ends. If the compulsory membership ends, you should find out whether you are entitled to a voluntary membership in the National Insurance Scheme during your stay abroad.
Social security agreement
Norway has signed social security agreements with a number of countries. The most extensive agreements are with the EEA countries , and Norway also has social security agreements with the USA, Canada and Australia among others.The provisions in the social security agreements take precedence over the provisions in the National Insurance Act. This means that the provisions on voluntary membership may not apply to you. You should find out whether a social security agreement applies in your case.
National Insurance contribution
Membership in the National Insurance scheme means that you have to pay a national insurance contribution if you have an income from a pension or from work,
The amount you must pay depends on
When does the membership end?
Work or long-term stays abroad can end your membership in the National Insurance Scheme.
Consequences of not being a member of the National Insurance Scheme
If you are not a member of the National Insurance Scheme, you have no rights pursuant to the National Insurance Act.
This also means that you do not pay a national insurance contribution.
