Recognition of foreign vocational education and training

Why apply for recognition?

• Include the NOKUT statement in job applications
• Use your recognition documents for salary negotiations
• Add your recognition documents to your application for central approval in the Building Application Regulations
• Apply for recognition of your master craftsperson certificate which requires prior recognition of your craft or journeyman’s certificate

Applying for recognition is free of charge. You may need to pay for the translation of your documents.

What does NOKUT take into consideration when assessing qualifications?

• Your qualification’s official status in the country where you completed your vocational education and training
• Your documents’ authenticity
• Your vocational education and training in scope and level
• Your qualification’s vocational content in comparison to the vocational content of a Norwegian craft or journeyman’s certificate

NOKUT only assesses work experience that was part of your official vocational education and training. We do not assess any work experience that you gained after you received your qualification.

Recognition of foreign vocational education and training includes an assessment of vocational content. That means that NOKUT assesses your vocational education and training and compares it in scope, level and vocational content with a Norwegian craft or journeyman’s certificate.

Recognition of your vocational education and training means that your qualification is comparable with a Norwegian craft or journeyman’s certificate. Recognition is voluntary, and intended to assist you on the Norwegian job market by providing information about your qualification. You can use NOKUT’s recognition when applying for jobs in non-regulated professions. Employers decide whether they would like you to apply for recognition.

Conditions for the recognition of foreign vocational education and training as comparable with Norwegian craft or journeyman’s certificate or diploma:

1. The Qualification must be formal and issued by a responsible authority.
2. The Qualification must be completed, be of minimum three years’ duration, with at least one year of documented practical training.
3. The Qualification shall largely be based on knowledge, skills and competence equivalent to those described in the Norwegian Qualifications Framework level 4A, thus equivalent to Norwegian craft or journeyman’s certificate. The professional profile of the qualification will be the decisive element in the recognition of comparable vocational education and training.

Read more information about NOKUT’s terms for recognition

What if NOKUT cannot recognize your qualification?

• Apply for vocational education and training in Norway
• Apply to take the Norwegian craft exam as a so called praksiskandidat
• Apply to train for the Norwegian crafts certificate while you are working (fagbrev på jobb)

You need to get in touch with the vocational education and training office in your region. You‘ll find more information in English at vilbli.no and in Norwegian at VIGO.

Who can apply?

NOKUT assesses foreign vocational education and training completed on upper secondary level in comparison to Norwegian crafts and journeyman’s certificates.

NOKUT accepts applications for recognition of vocational education and training from Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland in the following qualifications:

• Bricklayer
• Butcher
• Cabinet maker
• Carpenter
• Cook, institutional cook
• Cosmetologist
• Glazier
• Hairdresser
• Industrial concrete worker
• Industrial machinery mechanic
• Meat cutter
• Motor vehicle mechanic, light and/or heavy vehicles
• Retail butcher
• Plumber
• Roofer
• Sausage maker
• Tinsmith
• Upholsterer
• Waiter
• Wood products carpenter

The recognition procedure will gradually include more countries and qualifications. Please see our website for information.

You will receive a statement about the comparability of your foreign qualification in Norway, but NOKUT does not issue Norwegian craft or journeyman's certificates. We do not evaluate foreign master craftsperson certificates.

Want to know more about these Norwegian craft or journeyman's certificates? You’ll find a description of them at vilbli.no or utdanning.no (Norwegian only)

Documentation requirements

What do you need to upload with your application?

• NOKUT requires copies of your documents in the original language and translations of these documents (read more about translations). You must upload all pages of the document.
• You may upload other documents with a short description and explanation as to why you think they are relevant.
• You are responsible for providing the required documentation, and that all documents are clear and legible. NOKUT recommends that you upload scanned copies of the original documents. 
• Submission of fraudulent documentation and/or false statements will be reported to the police.

How to apply?

• Complete your application in NOKUT’s applicant portal and upload all required documentation. You can log into the portal by clicking on “Apply for recognition” below.
• Double check that you upload all the required documentation.
• You are responsible for providing the required documentation, and for making sure that, the uploaded documents are clear and legible. NOKUT recommends that you upload scans of the original documents. See guidelines for uploading documents.
• NOKUT does not return original translations or (apostilled) copies.

What happens with my application?

Processing time starts as soon as we have received all the requested documents. It normally takes four months from we receive all the documentation, until we have finalized the assessment.

Only once you have submitted all required documents will NOKUT begin to assess the content of your application.

First, we check whether your documents are authentic or not

We assess whether your qualification is comparable to the educational level of completed upper secondary vocational education and training (VET) in Norway. You can find more information about the Norwegian VET system here.

We then assess the vocational content of your qualification and whether it overlaps with any of the Norwegian craft and journeyman’s certificate programmes that are covered by the recognition scheme. A group of experts from the relevant professional area assesses the content of your qualification based on information from curricula, regulations, and learning outcomes provided by national authorities.

If NOKUT does not have access to information about the content of your qualification, we will contact national authorities abroad, which may take time.

Once the external experts have given their advice, NOKUT makes the final decision and sends you a statement (in Norwegian).

How do I receive my decision letter?

NOKUT issues letters to a secure, digital mailbox. This means that if you are to receive important letters from us digitally, you'll need to create your own digital mailbox.

You will be notified that you have received a document that you can access in your digital mailbox and in NOKUTs applicant portal (Document overview).

Questions?

You can find more information about recognition of foreign vocational education and training on the page for Frequently Asked Questions. If you cannot find the answer to your question there, please contact us:

Telephone: + 47 21 02 18 60 (Tuesday and Thursday 12–14)
Email: utland@nokut.no

* Please keep in mind that all email is unencrypted. We therefore recommend that you do not disclose sensitive personal data when you contact us.Please read the information below about how we process your personal data.

Personal data

NOKUT is handling your personal data when we are processing your application and receiving inquiries. You must create a profile in our applicant portal to register an application. It is necessary for NOKUT to process your personal data from your profile to process your application. We encourage you not to provide sensitive information in your profile. We would like to inform you that if you choose to register more or other personal data than what we ask for, these data will be a part of your profile and your application.

We provide this information to ensure a level of knowledge about our Privacy Notice and to inform you about your rights.

Further information about how NOKUT processes personal data can be found in our Privacy Statement.

Important when logging in

• When logging in to NOKUT's applicant portal, use one of the following browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge. Please do not use Internet Explorer.
• We recommend that you apply from a PC, not from a mobile
  
  

Apply for recognition