Study costs & money in Norway
Tuition, living-cost context, banking, taxes and practical money guidance for students planning to study in Norway.
Read the complete Norway study abroad guide.
Bank Accounts
A Norwegian bank account requires your national identity number or D number, so it follows registration rather than arrival. Bring your passport, your residence card and your registration documents.
The account brings BankID, the electronic identity used to log in to public services, sign contracts and file your tax return. Almost nothing official happens without it.
Norway is close to cashless. Cards work everywhere and Vipps, a phone based payment app, is how people split bills and pay individuals. Carry no cash; several shops no longer accept it at all.
If your study permit required funds in a Norwegian account, that account is usually opened through your institution before you arrive. It is not the same as your everyday account.
Source: https://studyinnorway.no/cost-and-requirements
Taxes
If you work you need a tax deduction card, a skattekort, from Skatteetaten, the tax administration. Your employer downloads it directly. Without one, tax is withheld at a punitive flat rate that you then have to reclaim.
Income tax is deducted at source. Every spring you receive a pre filled tax return, check it, and correct anything wrong. It is the least painful tax system most international students will ever meet.
Students earning modestly across a year often pay little in the end, but tax is still withheld through the year and reconciled afterwards.
You cannot be self employed or run your own business on a study permit. This is a hard condition, not a formality.
Source: https://studyinnorway.no/cost-and-requirements
Common questions
What should international students know about banking in Norway?
A bank account needs your national ID or D number. BankID unlocks public services. Nobody uses cash.
What should international students know about taxes in Norway?
Get a skattekort before you start work. Tax is withheld at source and reconciled with a pre filled return.