Frequently asked questions – vocational education and training

On this page, you will find questions and answers related to the recognition of vocational education and training.

On 1st of January 2023 all of NOKUT's recognition services for foreign education moved to the Directorate of Higher Education and Skills (HK-Dir).

All requirements and guidelines decided by NOKUT are continued in the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. The information about foreign education on this website is still valid. Until a new website is launched, you will find all information about the services here.

  • Do you have a Norwegian national ID number?

    You can log in using MinID. When you log in through MinID, your contact information will already be registered and you do no need to fill in your personal information or create a password.

    You will hear back sooner from NOKUT if you have a digital mailbox. If you do not have a digital mailbox, you receive letters by post and your letters will be available in the applicant portal.

    You can update changes in name or address on the webpages of the Norwegian Tax Administration.

    What to do if you do not have a Norwegian national ID number?

    Applicants without a Norwegian national ID number or D number can also apply through the applicant portal. At the bottom of the login page, you will find the alternative: Proceed to alternative login methods. Here you can create an application by filling in your personal information. You must have an email address in order to use this service. In addition, you must upload copies of an ID document.

    If you are going to work and reside in Norway less than six months, you must have a D number, in order to be registered in the Norwegian National Registry. A D number is required to receive a tax deduction card.

    Please take care of your login information and use it to log in every time you use the Application Portal.

    Forgotten user name/password

    If you don`t remember your user name, send us an email to enic-naric@hkdir.no

    If you don’t remember your password, you can easily request a new one (“Request new password” under “Password” field).


    Having trouble logging in?

    Check Frequently asked questions – Login, error messages etc.

  • This means that the foreign vocational education and training contains all the essential elements of Norwegian vocational education and training. Read more about the terms/conditions for recognition.

  • When you submit an application through the applicant portal, it will automatically be registered in NOKUT’s system, and you will receive a confirmation email with a reference number. In addition, you will receive a letter from NOKUT confirming that your case is being processed.

    If we have not received all the documents we need to process your application, you will receive a letter describing which documents you have to submit. You can log into the applicant portal to find the letter with information about which documents are missing in your Document overview (left menu).

    If we have not received all the required documents within two months, your application will be rejected.

    Processing time starts once we have received the required documentation. The regular processing time is four months. As the assessment procedure is a newly established procedure, some cases may take longer than four months. If that is the case for your application, you will be notified by email.

    When NOKUT has finalized the evaluation of your application, you will be notified. You will find NOKUT’s decision letter in your digital mailbox and in the applicant portal (Document overview).

  • In order to make the correct decisions, NOKUT makes use of experts on Norwegian vocational education and training. We appoint experts based on advice from professional councils within vocational education and training. As a result of their education, skills or experience, the experts hold extensive knowledge about specific vocational education and training.

  • No. NOKUT can only recognize completed qualifications, as comparable with Norwegian craft and journeyman’s certificates or diplomas. NOKUT cannot recognize parts of the vocational education and training. If NOKUT cannot recognize your qualification, it might be relevant for you to obtain a Norwegian craft or journeyman’s certificate. Read more under the question What if NOKUT cannot recognize my vocational education and training?

  • You can send your documents to:

    The Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills
    P.O. Box 1093
    NO-5809 Bergen
    Norway

    Contact us

    Remember to state your case number.

    Do not send in a new application. At the moment it is not possible to send in documents that are missing in your application for recognition of foreign vocational education and training, via NOKUT’s applicant portal.

  • Official documents (*) issued in a different language than English or one of the Nordic languages, must be translated into Norwegian or English. The translation must be done by the educational institution or a government-authorised translator. The name of the translator must be apparent in the documents.

    (*) For instance diploma, craft or journeyman’s certificate, transcript of grades and proof of name change.

    Other documents than those mentioned above, must not necessarily be translated by a government-authorised translator. In these cases, the name of the translator must be apparent on the translation.

    – NOKUT recommends that you use a government authorised translator. You can find authorised translators in Norway at The Brønnøysund Register Service.

    – If you were given documentation in two languages by your educational institution (where one of the languages is Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Icelandic, Finnish or English), this documentation can be submitted instead of translations.

    – NOKUT does not require translation of documents issued in Icelandic and Finnish, but we do recommend that you have them translated into Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English. This is to ensure faster processing of your application. It may also be that the case officer will require a translation.

    – You can have your documents translated in Norway or abroad.

    – If the submitted translations are not good enough, NOKUT reserves the right to ask for new translations.

  • If you do not have all your documents, you might be able to request them from the authority that issued them.

  • NOKUT’s recognition of foreign vocational education and training is a tool to help you to establish yourself in the Norwegian job market. You can use NOKUT’s recognition when applying for jobs within professions that are not regulated. It is up to the each employer to decide whether they require NOKUT’s recognition or not.

    NOKUT's recognition is a decision letter, and it will be sent to your digital mailbox and to the applicant portal. NOKUT does not issue a diploma for approved craft or journeyman’s certificate.

  • In Norway, a craft or journeyman’s certificate is a formal vocational certificate, which is a documentation of your competences within a specific vocational field. When you have completed a vocational education and training programme, including training in an enterprise, you receive a craft or journeyman’s certificate. After completed training, you do a qualifying examination. When you have passed this exam, you receive a craft or journeyman’s certificate.

    If your vocational education and training is within one of the traditional skilled crafts, you normally receive a journeyman’s certificate. For most other vocational fields, you receive a craft certificate.

    NOKUT's recognition is a decision letter, and it will be sent to your digital mailbox and to the applicant portal. NOKUT does not issue a diploma for approved craft or journeyman’s certificate.

  • You can apply for NOKUT’s recognition of foreign vocational education and training if you have completed your vocational education and training.

    The recognition of foreign vocational education and training was established in November 2016. As this is a recently established procedure, it is limited to applicants with vocational education and training from certain countries and with certain qualifications. Recognition will gradually include more qualifications and countries. Check the application guide to see which countries and qualifications are included today.


    Requirements for applicants:
    NOKUT’s decision on recognition shall be based on authentic information on the qualification.

    1. You as applicant are responsible for giving sufficient information. This information must be provided in good faith. 
    2. NOKUT can ask you to document the information required to assess your qualification in line with NOKUTs terms and conditions. 
    3. Your application will be rejected if you do not submit appropriate, authentic and sufficient information that will enable NOKUT to process the application.

  • NOKUT’s recognition of foreign vocational education and training was established in 2016. In this first phase, we only offer recognition of certain craft and journeyman’s certificates from Estonia, Latvia, Litauen, Germany and Poland. We will later gradually include other countries and professions in the recognition procedure.

    If your vocational education and training is not part of the recognition procedure, you can ask for an assessment of prior experiential learning. If you have long and comprehensive experience within a profession, but you do not have a craft certificate, you might be qualified for the practice candidate scheme. For more information about the assessment of prior experiential learning or the practice candidate scheme, please contact the vocational education and training office in your county municipality. Read more under the question What if NOKUT cannot recognize my vocational education and training?

  • You can find updated information on the recognition procedure on our website.

  • There can be several reasons why an application is rejected:

    – There are essential differences between your qualification and Norwegian vocational education and training

    – Your country/profession is not part of the recognition procedure

    – Your profession is a regulated profession

    – Have you submitted all the documentation we need to assess your application?

    Do you have questions about the result of the evaluation? Contact us.

  • If you cannot get recognition of your foreign qualification, you can achieve an equivalent craft and journeyman’s certificate through Norwegian vocational education and training. The county municipality offers vocational education and training. As an adult, you can for example:

    – Apply for upper secondary education and training

    – Apply for an assessment of prior experiential learning: this is an evaluation of the skills and competences you have acquired through formal training, employment, courses, on-the-job training, etc.

    – Sign up for a qualifying examination (as a candidate for experience-based trade certification)

    Be aware that the practice is different in the various county municipalities. If you want to read more about vocational education and training for adults, please check these websites:

  • Do get in touch with us. We will provide you with advice and information.

    You do not need to send in an appeal if you would like to receive more information. If you disagree with the decision, you have the right to appeal.

  • No, NOKUT’s decision is meant as an aid for those who are working or applying for jobs in Norway, or who are applying for admission to further studies in Norway. It is not intended to be used abroad. This is why NOKUT’s decision is issued in Norwegian only. 

  • You have the right to appeal NOKUT’s decision. The appeal must be in written form and sent to NOKUT. You have to send your appeal within three weeks after you have received the decision letter.

    You should give reasons for why you are appealing. You must include the following in your appeal:

    – Mention the decision that is appealed
    – Mention what you want to be changed in the decision
    – Signed by you or an authorised person

    If you have documents that support your appeal, that you have not yet sent to NOKUT, please attach them.

    What happens after you sent your appeal?

    Once you have sent your appeal, NOKUT checks that your appeal fulfills the formal requirements. If we find that it does not fulfill the requirements, we will contact you. You will be given a deadline to send in more information, or correct your appeal. If you do not get back to us in time, your appeal will not be accepted.

    Given that the formal requirements are fulfilled, you receive a letter that your appeal is registered. NOKUT will look at your application once more, taking into account your reasons and new information that you might have submitted. If we find that your application fulfills NOKUT’s term for recognition, you will receive a new decision letter. If your application does not fulfill the terms for recognition, your appeal will be sent to the Appeals Board. The Appeals Board is an independent entity, appointed by the Ministry of Education and Research.

    The possibility to claim costs of the case is regulated in the The Norwegian Public Administration Act, Section 36 (Law 1967-02-10). The law states that if an administrative decision is altered in favour of a party, this party have the right to claim to be awarded such substantial costs as have been necessarily incurred to get the said decision altered.

  • NOKUT does not recognize foreign master craftsman's certificates. The requirements for master craftsman's certificates in Norway are set by the Master Craftsman Certificate Committee. To become a master within a vocational field, a minimum requirement is that you have a Norwegian craft or journeyman’s certificate, or equivalent education and training from abroad. Foreign education and training will always be evaluated against an equivalent profession/craft or journeyman’s certificate in Norway.

    More information on master craftsman's certificate from the Master Craftsman Certificate Committee (in Norwegian)

  • Some professions in Norway are regulated. This also applies to certain professions with craft and journeyman’s certificates, for instance health care worker, crane operator and electrician. In order to work in a regulated profession in Norway, you must first apply for recognition (authorization) from the appropriate recognition office responsible for your profession. Check whether your profession is regulated in Norway.

    There are separate regulations for recognition of professional qualifications for EU/EEA nationals.

  • The Norwegian qualifications framework for lifelong learning (NQF) gives an overview of official qualifications in Norway, and shows on which level the qualifications are. NQF is also a tool for comparison of Norwegian qualifications with qualifications from other countries. NQF is a contribution to the promotion of lifelong learning.

    Read more about NQF on our website.

  • We recommend that you apply for recognition through NOKUT’s electronic applicant portal. If you cannot apply through the electronic applicant portal, you must notify us that you wish to opt out of online communication. We will then send you a paper application form.

    There are many advantages to applying through NOKUT’s electronic applicant portal. You will save time, you can easily track the progress of your application, and the result of your application is always available as a downloadable PDF-document.

    If you still want to opt out of online communication, you will need to register via ID-porten if you have previously registered your mobile phone number or e-mail address when logging in to an online public service via ID-porten.

    In order to receive a paper application form from NOKUT, you must send an email to enic-naric@hkdir.no. The email must include a text that explains your wish to opt out of online communication. In addition, you must include the following information:

    • Name
    • Address
    • Language preference: You can choose between English and Norwegian
    • Desired recognition procedure: You can choose between General recognition of higher education and Recognition of vocational education and training

    A paper application form will be sent to your mailing address.

  • Europass CV is a document that presents an overview your competences. Read more about Europass on the website of the Norwegian Center for International Cooperation in Education (in Norwegian).