Security Guard

If you have a foreign education or professional qualification and wish to practice your profession in Norway, you generally need approval or authorisation. You will find information about documentation requirements, the application process and regulations here. The competent authority will assess whether you meet the requirements to practice the profession and use the professional title in Norway. If you intend to establish in Norway and work permanently in your chosen profession, the rules below apply to you. However, if you wish to work in Norway for shorter periods of time within your chosen profession, the rules for temporary provision of services apply.

About this form

Applications can only be submitted by the professional/individual. Please submit your application with attachments to the National Police Directorate by e-mail politidirektoratet@politiet.no or by mail: P.O 2090 Vika, 0125 Oslo. 

Establishment: 

If you wish to establish or work for an extended period in Norway within your profession, you must apply for approval/authorization from the responsible approval authority before practicing this profession in Norway. 

Temporary/occasional provision of service: 

You can work temporarily in this profession if you are already legally established in an EEA country or Switzerland and are allowed to practice the same profession in that country. To work temporarily in this profession in Norway, you must submit a prior notification to the approval authority.

Documentation requirements for application upon establishment:

  • Documentation on your education, including courses or subjects.
  • Documentation on your work experience as a Security Guard.
  • Copy of evidence of formal qualifications issued in another EEA state or Switzerland.
  • Documentation of nationality.

Documentation requirements for temporary/occasional provision of service:

  • Proof of nationality.
  • Evidence of professional qualifications.
  • If the profession in question is not regulated by law in the country where you are established, you must provide evidence of having practiced the profession for at least one of the last ten years.
  • Documentation that the professional has not been convicted of any criminal offence.

Comments

  • Any documents issued in a language other than English, Danish or Swedish must be translated by a government authorised translator. 
  • A certificate of good conduct is required to be able to work as a Security Guard in Norway. A certificate of good conduct is not required on application for recognition but must be presented to the employer before appointment. 
  • Security guard training in Norway is extensive, and in most cases, compensation measures will be imposed on EEA nationals. The compensation measure will consist of completing the parts of the Norwegian security guard education and training that the EEA qualification does not include. This primarily concerns law, ethics, HSE and rules and regulations that specifically regulate how the security guard profession is practised in Norway.

Approval of recognition concerns everyone who plans to work as a Security Guard in Norway. The Security Guard training is a course of basic training. Additional education and training will be required to carry out certain duties, such as security escort services, steward services and guarded transport of valuables. To serve as security personnel at Norwegian airports, qualified security guards must complete additional education and training as required by the Civil Aviation Authority in Norway.

The education of Security Guards in Norway is extensive, and in most cases EEA citizens will be required to complete compensatory measures if the professional qualifications are approved. The compensatory measures consist of completing those parts of the Norwegian security education that are not covered by the qualification from the EEA state. This applies primarily to law, ethics, health, security and regulations that specifically regulate the exercise of the profession in Norway.

Language requirements:

No.

No documentation stating language skills is required when applying for recognition of qualifications, but good language skills is a requirement for completing compensatory measures (as these are only offered in Norwegian). In addition, it is required that security guards must have satisfactory language skills in order to communicate with the public and government authorities, both orally and written.

Criteria/conditions for recognition: 

The statutory qualification requirements related to the practice of the profession are stipulated in the Norwegian Act relating to Security Guard Services of 2004 and the Regulations relating to security guard services of 2011.

The statutory requirements for being entitled to recognition of professional qualification from abroad are stipulated in the Act on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications (Professional Qualifications Act) and the Regulation on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications (Professional Qualifications Regulation).

Case processing deadlines:

  • Establishment:

The competent authority must acknowledge receipt of your application within one month of receiving it and inform you of any missing or incomplete documentation.

Following the submission of a complete application, the competent authority should complete processing your application within four months.

  • Temporary provison of services:

You can practice your profession after you have sent the notification with required documents to the competent authority.

Fees:

The National Police Directorate does not charge a fee for processing applications for recognition.

If compensation measures are imposed, this will entail expenses for the applicant.

Right of appeal:

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the decision, you may appeal in writing, pursuant to Chapter VI of the Public Administration Act. If your application is processed in accordance with the Professional Qualifications Act, the right of appeal also applies if the competent authority has exceeded the case processing deadlines (see Case processing deadlines above).

Competent authority

The National Police Directorate
P.O. Box 8051 Dep
NO-0031 Oslo

E-mail: politidirektoratet@politiet.no
Phone: (+47) 23 36 41 00

Office address: Fridtjof Nansens vei 14-16, 0369 Oslo

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