PRE-ARRIVAL GUIDE Fall Semester 2017 Welcome to the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences! The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences has the pleasure of welcoming you! This booklet will help you prepare for your study abroad experience in Oslo. Please read the information carefully. The International Office, the teaching and administrative staff at NSSS are looking forward to meeting you in August! Norwegian School of Sport Sciences P.O Box 4014 Ullevål Stadion Visitor adress: Sognsveien 220 0863 Oslo Direct line: + 47 2326 200 www.nih.no Welcome to Oslo! Oslo is Norway’s capital and largest city. With around 625 000 inhabitants within the city limits, close to a million inhabitants in the greater Oslo area and home to around 73 000 students, the city have all the advantages of a metropolitan city. With a well-functioning transportation system, it is easy to move around the city with only one ticket. Oslo has become much more international in the last 10-15 years. Trendy cafes, restaurants with cuisines from all around the world, bars and pubs, shopping in different varieties and several modern cinema facilities are among the many things the city has to offer. Oslo hosts more concerts than any other Scandinavian city – and is host to many sporting events. Sites to see There are several remarkable sites in Oslo that is worth a look; Akershus Fortress, the Royal Norwegian Guards detachment ceremony outside the castle, Aker Brygge etc. One of the places to go if you are out sightseeing is the new Opera House, which has won several awards for its iceberg shape architecture. There are also many galleries and museums around the city and most of them have free entrance. If you are a fan of the outdoors, you should go to the famous Vigeland Sculpture Park, visit the world's famous ski jump Holmenkollen, or use your monthly pass and take one of the many ferries that go to the islands to the Oslo Fjord. There are plenty of opportunities to spend your leisurely time outside of school time! The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences! As a specialized university, the NSSS have a national responsibility for education and research within the field of sport. We have a broad study portfolio, and offer courses at Bachelor, Master and Doctorate levels – in addition to a wide range of part time studies in further education. As a small institution with about 600 full- time students and approximately the same number of part time students, NSSS is known for its high academic standard and an eventful student life. NSSS has increased the number of courses taught in English, and receive between 40 -60 incoming exchange students every semester. Our premises and sport facilities are located a few kilometers from the center of Oslo. With the surrounding forests and lakes as the nearest neighbor, the location is ideal for physical and recreational activities. However, the city center is only 15 minutes away with the metro. We hope, and believe, that you will have a great experience here at NSSS! Norwegian School of Sport Sciences P.O Box 4014 Ullevål Stadion Visitor adress: Sognsveien 220 0863 Oslo Direct line: + 47 2326 200 www.nih.no Preparations Residence permit EU/EEA/Swiss citizens Citizens from the EU/EEA and Switzerland are not required to apply for a residence permit, but you do have to register with the police if staying in Norway for more than three months. How to register with the police Please submit an online registration on the UDI application portal (https://selfservice.udi.no/en-gb/ ). You can register online from your home country or you can wait until after arrival in Norway. Upon arrival in Norway, you need to submit copies of certain documents to the police in order to receive a registration certificate. Valid passport/EU identity card You need to Letter of admission from the Norwegian School of Sport bring the Sciences following Private health insurance or European health insurance card documents to Documentation of satisfactory accommodation in Oslo the police: Documentation of financial subsistence Where and when to register with the police The International Office at NSSS offers to assist EU/EEA/Swiss citizens to register with the police. Submit the documents listed to the International Office within a week after the semester starts. We will then take the documents to the Police for registration. You can also book an appointment with the police in order to submit copies of your documents. An appointment can be booked while registering online (choose Oslo, Service Centre for foreign workers). The address for the office is Schweigaardsgate 17, Oslo (Skatt Øst). Non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens All students from outside the EU/EEA-area are advised to apply for a residence permit from home. Citizens under the Norwegian visa regulations are required to apply for a visa and residence permit before entering Norway. Please note that students who enter Norway without the necessary permit will not be allowed to remain in the country. Students from visa waiving countries must apply for a residence permit if they are going to stay in Norway for more than 3 months. They can apply upon or after arriving in Norway. We advise that Canadian students apply from Norway as they will save time and money. Students who need to apply for visa or residence permit must submit the application as soon as possible after receiving the Letter of Admission from NSSS. How to apply Please submit an online registration on the UDI application portal if you are applying through the Norwegian Embassy. Due to a Nordic representation agreement, the Danish Embassy Norwegian School of Sport Sciences P.O Box 4014 Ullevål Stadion Visitor adress: Sognsveien 220 0863 Oslo Direct line: + 47 2326 200 www.nih.no handles all applications for visa and residence permits for Norway from Canada. Hence, the Canadian students cannot use the application portal, but are asked to follow the instructions on the Danish Embassy´s website. We do recommend Canadians to apply for a visa after arriving in Norway, you will save both time and money. NSSS´s organization number is: 971526033 How to register with the police As a non-EU/EEA/Swiss student, you will have to make an appointment and register with the police within 7 days after your arrival in Norway. Please make an appointment with the Police on the UDI application portal (https://selfservice.udi.no/en-gb/). Choose Oslo Police District, Department of Immigration, when setting up the appointment. Please note that if you have applied for a residence permit from home through a non- Norwegian Embassy (i.e. Canadian students applying through the Danish embassy), you cannot book the appointment through the application portal. You still need an appointment, which you can get by calling +47 22 34 21 00 (09:00 - 13:00) or go in person to the Oslo Police, Foreign Section, Monday-Thursday 08:15 - 10:00 – Again, Canadians, apply from Norway! The address for the registration is Schweigaards gate 15b. Please note that you need to bring certain documents to the appointments. You will be informed by the embassy or the self service portal/police which documents are necessary. Documentation of financing Students from outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland applying for a student residence permit to Norway, need to show documentation of financing in order to be granted the permit/visa. The amount required by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration corresponds to the amount of full support from the Norwegian State Education Loan Fund. This money may consist of student loans, grants, own funds that you have in a Norwegian bank account or the deposit account of the educational institution, or a combination of the above. The amount is currently: . NOK 100 920 for one year . NOK 50 460 Valid passport/EU identity card for one semester Letter of admission from the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences Private health insurance or European health insurance card Documentation of satisfactory accommodation in Oslo Documentation of financial subsistence Please note that bilateral exchange students from countries who do not need a visa for entering Norway do not need to deposit money in an account in Norway, but must still present documentation of subsistence when applying for a student residence permit. Student loans, grants, own funds, or income from employment can be included. Norwegian School of Sport Sciences P.O Box 4014 Ullevål Stadion Visitor adress: Sognsveien 220 0863 Oslo Direct line: + 47 2326 200 www.nih.no Students from EU/EEA countries who plan to stay in Norway for a period of less than three months, and all students from the Nordic countries do not need a residence permit. How to get to Norway... By Plane Most international flights arrive at Oslo’s main airport called Oslo Airport Gardermoen (OSL), located about 50 km outside of Oslo. There are several means of transportation you can use to get from Gardermoen to Oslo. The fastest is the airport express train (Flytoget), which will take you to Oslo’s central train station in about 20 minutes. However, the fares are quite expensive so remember to buy a student discount ticket and have some form of student ID ready for any inspection. You can also use the regular local trains or airport buses (Flybussen). The estimated time of travel on an airport bus is 45 minutes to the Oslo Bus Terminal (Galleriet). Although we recommend you to fly to Gardermoen, it is also possible to fly into Torp Airport Sandefjord (TRF) and Rygge Airport (RYG) at Rygge close to Moss. Both of these are smaller airports.