Work Rights Guide

Employment Contract

Every employee must have a written contract. It must include:

• Name and address of both parties
• Start date
• Job title and description
• Place of work
• Working hours
• Salary
• Holiday entitlement
• Notice period

Probation Period (Prøvetid)

• Maximum 6 months
• Notice period during probation: 14 days
• Cannot be extended

Notice Period (Oppsigelsestid)

For the Employee

• Minimum 1 month

For the Employer

• Under 5 years employment: 1 month
• 5–10 years employment: 2 months
• Over 10 years employment: 3 months
• Over 10 years + aged 50: 4 months
• Over 10 years + aged 55: 5 months
• Over 10 years + aged 60: 6 months
• Note: The extended age-based notice periods apply only to employer-initiated dismissal. Employees always retain the right to resign with 3 months' notice regardless of age.

Holiday (Ferie)

Minimum by Law

• 25 working days (4 weeks + 1 day) per year
• Note: Working days include Saturday, but NOT Sunday
• Many collective agreements give 30 working days (5 weeks)

Over 60 Years Old

• Extra 6 working days
• Total: 31 working days by law

Earning Holiday

• Full holiday from day 1 if you start before 30 September
• If you start after 30 September: Only 1 week the first year

Main Holiday Period

• 1 June – 30 September
• You can demand 3 consecutive weeks (18 working days) during this period

Holiday Pay (Feriepenger)

• Holiday pay is earned the year before and paid out the following year
• Usually paid in June
• If you leave your job, you receive all earned holiday pay

Sick Leave (Sykepenger)

• First 16 calendar days: Employer pays
• From day 17: NAV pays
• Self-certification (egenmelding – standard): Up to 3 consecutive calendar days per occasion, up to 4 times per 12 months (statutory minimum for all employers)
• Self-certification (egenmelding – extended): Up to 8 calendar days per occasion, up to 24 days per year – applies to IA workplaces (inclusive working life agreement) and many other employers; not a universal right
• Sick note required: From day 4 (standard) or from day 9 (extended scheme)
• Pay: 100% of salary
• Maximum: 6G (780,960 kr in 2025)
• Note: Quarantine is not covered – only illness

Parental Leave (Foreldrepenger)

• 49 weeks at 100% or 61 weeks and 1 day at 80% (applies to children born on or after 1 July 2024)
• Mother's quota: 15 weeks
• Father's quota: 15 weeks
• Shared period: 16 weeks (49-week option) or 18 weeks (61-week option)
• 3 weeks before birth included
• Requirement: Must have worked 6 of the last 10 months
• Pay: 100% or 80% of income up to 6G
• Can be combined with part-time work

Overtime

• Statutory minimum: 40% supplement on agreed hourly rate
• Common tariff rates: 50% on evenings/weekdays, 100% on Sundays and public holidays – check your collective agreement or contract
• Maximum per week: 10 hours
• Maximum per 4 weeks: 25 hours
• Maximum per year: 200 hours (300 with collective agreement, 400 with individual agreement)

Pension (OTP)

• Minimum 2% of salary from 0–12G
• 12G = 1,561,920 kr (2025)
• Mandatory from day 1
• For employees over 13 years old
• Must be set up within 6 months of starting
• Employer pays for everything
• Many collective agreements have higher than 2% (5–7% is common)

Å-melding

• Monthly report from employer to NAV and Skatteetaten
• Deadline: 5th of the following month
• Check your income at skatteetaten.no
• If missing: Contact your employer immediately

Health, safety & trade-specific rules

General employment law is only part of the picture. Arbeidstilsynet (the Labour Inspection Authority) sets how health and safety must be managed on site, including rules for machinery and hazardous work. Some roles – for example operating certain construction plant – require a Norwegian maskinførerbevis and documented training, not just a foreign licence. For official HSE information, vocational pathways into Norwegian trades, and third-party resources that follow the same syllabus, see Workplace safety & vocational training on our Sources page.

If you plan to work in regulated security (vekter), Norwegian law requires approved basic training and passing a national theory exam set under the Police Directorate – not something you can replace with experience alone. The Guarding Services Act sets suitability and licensing rules for the sector. Official course and exam information, the legal framework, and independent theory practice are grouped under Security guarding & vetting on our Sources page.