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Practising law in Norway as a foreign lawyer

A route exists, with conditionsYou can advise on your home-country law

Lawyers from the EEA can practise in Norway after notifying the regulator, and can earn a full Norwegian licence by passing an aptitude exam or by practising for three years. Lawyers from outside the EEA may practise foreign and international law only, with the regulator's permission.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Rules change. This page describes the kinds of route that exist. The regulator listed under “Official sources” publishes the current requirements, fees and dates, so always confirm with them. This is general information, not legal advice.

The routes

Lawyers from the EEA

For: Lawyers who are entitled to practise in an EU or EEA state.

  1. Notify the regulator that you are starting practice, and document your registration at home. You may then practise foreign, international and Norwegian law under your home title.
  2. For a full Norwegian licence (advokat), pass the aptitude exam run by the University of Oslo, or show at least three years of work as an EU or EEA lawyer that was mainly in Norwegian law.

Lawyers from outside the EEA

For: Lawyers qualified elsewhere.

  1. Ask the regulator for permission before starting. You may practise only foreign and international law, and the permit can carry conditions.
  2. To qualify for a Norwegian licence, a person with a foreign legal education first needs recognition as a 'jurist' under the Lawyers Act, and may need an aptitude test run by the University of Oslo's law faculty.

Authorisation as a trainee lawyer is possible for non-EEA applicants, but one source calls the practice very restrictive. The Lawyers Act changed in 2025, and sources disagree on the regulator's name, so check the current forms.

Practising only your home-country law

Foreign lawyers who do not plan to settle can provide legal assistance without applying, using their home title. Lawyers from outside the EEA who settle need the regulator's permission and may practise only foreign and international law.

Understand the legal system first

Norway belongs to the Civil law family. Knowing how its system works makes the admission route easier to follow.

Read the Norway legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
Compare Norway with another country →

Official sources

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TheLawToKnow Tools’s Bar Admission guide is an educational overview of general rules. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace the regulator’s own information. Report a mistake.