Section 62. Permanent residence permit

A foreign national who for the last three years has resided in the realm under a temporary residence permit that provides a basis for a permanent residence permit is entitled, upon application, to a permanent residence permit provided
  1. a.
    the foreign national has not stayed outside the realm for more than seven months in total over the course of the last three years,
  2. b.
    the foreign national continues to satisfy the conditions for a temporary residence permit that provides a basis for a permanent residence permit,
  3. c.
    no circumstances as mentioned in section 66 apply,
  4. d.
    the foreign national has completed compulsory Norwegian language training in accordance with the Introduction Act and has achieved a minimum level of spoken Norwegian in the final Norwegian language examination,
  5. e.
    the foreign national has completed compulsory training in social knowledge in accordance with the Introduction Act and has passed the final examination in social knowledge in a language he or she understands, and
  6. f.
    the foreign national has been self-supporting for the past 12 months.
An application for permanent residence may be rejected if weighty considerations relating to immigration control apply, including that the foreign national has actively sought to prevent clarification of his or her own identity following arrival in the country.
If the applicant is suspected of or charged with an offence as mentioned in section 66, the application for a permanent residence permit shall be suspended. The application may be granted, at the earliest, once the case has been dropped or a final decision has been made on the question of guilt.
When circumstances as mentioned in section 66 apply and the foreign national is not expelled, a longer period of domicile than that mentioned in the first paragraph is required in order for a permanent residence permit to be granted. The King may issue regulations containing further provisions on calculation of the additional period when circumstances as mentioned in section 66 apply.
A permanent residence permit shall give the right to reside in the realm indefinitely, and provides extended protection against expulsion; see section 68. The provision in section 60, third paragraph, (a) to (c), applies correspondingly.
The permit lapses when the holder has stayed outside the realm for a continuous period exceeding two years. The stay outside the realm is deemed to be continuous even if the foreign national has had one or several stays of a certain duration in the realm; see the seventh paragraph. Administrative decisions regarding lapse shall be made by the Directorate of Immigration. A foreign national may upon application be granted the right to stay outside the realm for a period exceeding two years without the permit lapsing.
The King may issue regulations containing further provisions, including on the lapse of a permanent residence permit under the sixth paragraph. The King may also issue further provisions on how long an intervening stay in Norway must be in order for a stay abroad not to be deemed continuous under the sixth paragraph. The King may issue regulations providing that a permanent residence permit may be granted in cases other than those mentioned in the first paragraph. The King may issue regulations containing further provisions on the requirements regarding command of a minimum level of spoken Norwegian and the passing of an examination in social knowledge, and on the content of the self-supporting condition, pursuant to the first paragraph, (d), (e) and (f), including exceptions to the requirements. The King may also issue regulations containing further provisions on what are deemed weighty considerations relating to immigration control under the second paragraph.