* This contact form is only meant for those who are employed at institutions from outside of Norway. Requests sent through the form guide will follow our privacy policy.

Requests sent through the form guide will follow our privacy policy.

Do I need to recognise my foreign education?

 

When you come to Norway with a foreign education or professional qualification, you should check whether you need authorisation or recognition to be able to work.

Some professions are regulated. This means that you must meet some minimum requirements before you are allowed to practice the profession and/or use a specific professional title. To work in a regulated profession, you must have authorization/recognition from the recognition office responsible for your profession.

See a list of regulated professions
 

HK-dir is responsible for the recognition of the following regulated professions:

1. Teacher in Norwegian primary and secondary education
2. Head of kindergarten or educational supervisor

 

I can't find my profession in the list above

Authorization/recognition is not always required before you start working. If you can't find your occupation in the list of regulated professions, you most likely don't need authorization or recognition. You can choose to apply for a job without our recognition, and it is a good idea to translate your educational documents so that the employer understands the content.

 

Automatic approval

 

We have also prepared information showing how certain educational degrees from selected countries are evaluated by us. The document is ready for use as soon as you download it. This applies only to those with foreign higher education. Click here to see if you can download an automatic recognition document.

 

Why do I need approval from HK-dir?

 

It is up to each individual employer whether they require you to have recognition from us or not. Here are three reasons why a recognition from HK-dir can be useful:  

1. job and salary placement
2. confirmation that your education is genuine
3. equates your foreign education with Norwegian education

 

I want to study in Norway

 

You do not normally need recognition from us to apply for admission to higher education in Norway.

• If you are planning to study a bachelor's degree, profession-programme, one-year programme or individual courses, you can find more information about how to apply on the website of the Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service.
• If you are planning to take a master's or doctoral degree, you can contact the university or college you want to study at directly.
• You can find more information about studying in Norway at Study in Norway and utdanning.no (Norwegian language only).

Verification of decision letters

 

Has someone sent you a decision from the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) or NOKUT? Are you wondering if the information in the document is correct? Then you can send the decision to us for verification.

 

This is how you do it:

1. Scan the decision letters with a scanner or a suitable app on your smartphone.

2. Send an email with the scanned decision to recognition@hkdir.no with Decision letter verification in the subject line.

3. In the email, we would like the following information:

1. Your first and last name

2. Title and organization

3. Your contact information

 

You will receive a statement from us within five working days.

 

* Remember that all emails are unencrypted. We encourage you not to provide information of a sensitive nature. If you choose to provide us with more information than we need, we will inform you that such information will be deleted. Please read our Privacy Policy before sending us an inquiry.

Turbo Assessment for Employers

 

The Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills offers turbo evalution for employers who have job applicants or employees with foreign higher education.

 

This service can:

• help employers understand foreign educational documents
• give a brief assessment of the scope and level of the foreign higher education, whether it can normally be equated with a Norwegian degree
• give feedback within five business days

 

The assessment can be used by employers who, for various reasons, need to know more about their employees' or applicants' higher education from abroad, such as in connection with position or salary placement.

 

Click this link to send a turbo request.

Apply for recognition of

foreign vocational education and training

 

We recognise foreign vocational education and training at upper secondary level (trade/journeyman's certificate), in 24 recognized trades and from 7 countries: Denmark, Estonia, Germany Iceland, Latvia and Poland.

 

Even if you want to help your employees apply for this recognition, you must be aware that you cannot submit the application on their behalf. Each employee must submit the application themselves from their own profile. However, you can support them by helping with completing and offering assistance along the way.

 

The applicant can also authorize you as the employer, to contact HK-dir on their behalf. This can be done in the application form under the field "Other information" or the applicant can send an email regarding this.

Go to our page on how to apply for recognition of foreign vocational education and training for information on how to apply.

 

Contact HK-dir about the case processing time

 

If you would like to help an employee who has submitted an application for recognition as a teacher in school or educational supervisor in kindergarten, and is still waiting for a response, please contact us directly at recognition@hkdir.no to find opportunities to expedite the case processing time.

Request for a copy of the decision letter

If you received a decision letter from NOKUT before January 1, 2023, you will no longer have access to it. If you had a digital mailbox when you received the decision letter, you will find the letter there. If you cannot find the decision letter in the application protal or in your digital mailbox, you can contact us at recognition@hkdir.no. Please specify whether you want the decision letter sent via email or by mail. If you prefer to receive it by mail. Please note that email is not considered a secure channel. If you wish to receive it by mail, you must provide your postal address.

Do you have questions about recognition of

foreign education?

 

You will find information about our services, processing times, documentation requirements and more on this page on questions and answers.

 

Go to application portal

Download decision letter from application portal

 

If you have submitted your application to HK-dir after 01.01.2023 and have already received a decision letter, you can find the decision letter in our application portal under 'Document Overviews'. Click here to log in to the application portal.

How do I apply for recognition to HK-dir?

 

The Norwegian Direcotrate for Higher Education and Skills has the following recognition schemes:

• Recognition of foreign higher education
• Recognition of foreign tertiary vocational education
• Recognition of foreign vocational education and training
• Recognition as teacher in school
• Recognition as head of kindergarten or educational supervisor in kindergarten

Click on the links above for more information about the recognition that is relevant for you for more information on how to apply, what we assess and what documents you need to ready before you submit an application.

 

Go to application portal