One thing that I am finding so often in Norway is that the Norwegian authorities are SO slow at replying or processing things.
Take for example the annual tax refund. This takes 6 months or more to receive, even though everything is computerised and most of the financial information is reported automatically to the tax authorities.
Try applying for a visa and it will take MONTHS to get replies and decisions. Same thing when you contact the local councils....replies take ages and you often need to send so many emails to get replies. Even when they have all the information that they need, they take AGES to make a decision.
Norway is supposed to be an advanced nation but my experience is that they are very very bad at administration. And of course, in Norway they want pieces of paper for almost everything, another sign that they do not want to move with the times.
So my experience is that it is a slow and inefficient country. The opposite of what most people think.
Jerry
Delays in Norway
Hi HappytravellerOslo, I feel bad for your experiences (delays) in Norway. Although it's understandable that delays are not good, but I hope you enjoy your travel or stay in Norway. 
I would like to say that when it comes to delays, maybe it's not always the case for Norway.
I'm not saying that something went wrong on your papers, I feel sorry for you that you experienced those.
I just want to lighten this impression for other readers who wanted to know more of Norway when it comes to this topic.
-I applied for tourist visas twice and I only waited 3 days for the results, and everytime I send queries to them (example: Skatteetaten and Nav) they always respond/reply within two days. You can even actually call them.
-All of my friends here and even a family member experienced swift and fast response from the government sector, and if they waited longer, that means something went wrong (wrong or lack of required docs / info,, etc)
-Yes I experienced some delays too like when I applied for a reunification visa where I waited almost two months, but that was because they changed the processing body (from embassy to UDI itself) which caused longer processing time, and also because I forgot to include one of the requirements. But they did not rejected my application, instead they informed me and when I send it to them, the result came out after few days.
-Also, about processing with papers (physical papers), that is somehow true if you do not have a bankID. But government sectors and services are accessible through internet and you can also process your documents paperlessly, all you need is a bankID in which you can avail if you have a resident permit.
Hi
how are you today hope you are fine .. well ; thats bad thing to hear about norway administration but its okey because every country must do like that for any expat from other countries .. now i hope find what im looking for ..
enjoy your day
Kady
My experience of dealing with government departments in Norway is that they are extremely inefficient. Often they will refuse to accept forms via email and ask for them to printed and posted to them. Also the processing times for applications often run to months.
Norway has a reputation as a modern and efficient country but more and more my experiences are showing me that it is the opposite. One of the advantages in working in many different countries is that you get to see and experience day to day life. Norway is far behind many other countries in using technology and government offices seem on average to be very slow at doing things.
Jerry
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