Workshop manager
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.
Find the form at vegvesen.no (in Norwegian only)
If you are going to work as a workshop manager at a vehicle workshop, you must have received personal approval as a workshop manager from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. If you have completed education or worked in an EEA state or Switzerland, you must obtain recognition of your professional qualifications.
If you have a Norwegian national identity number or D-number, you can use the digital application solution. If you do not have a Norwegian national identity number or D-number, you can send the required documentation by post to the following address:
Statens vegvesen
Postboks 1010 Nordre Ål
2605 Lillehammer
Or by e-mail to: firmapost@vegvesen.no
Establishment:
You must apply for recognition from the competent recognition authority before you can practice this profession in Norway.
Temporary provision of services:
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.
The competent authority will assess whether they will allow professional practice without further scrutiny or conduct further scrutiny of your professional qualifications.
Documentation requirements for establishment:
- Certified copy of a qualification certificate issued by the competent authority in another EEA state or Switzerland, or other documentation of your professional qualifications
- Information about which workshop category you are applying for approval as a workshop manager for.
- Proof of your identity and nationality.
Please note:
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration may request further documentation and translation of essential documents if necessary.
Documentation requirements for temporary provision of services:
- Certified copy of a qualification certificate issued by the competent authority in another EEA state or Switzerland, or other documentation of your professional qualifications
- Information about which workshop category you are applying for approval as a workshop manager for.
- Proof of your identity and nationality.
There is a requirement for personal approval of the workshop manager at vehicle workshops. The application for personal approval as a workshop manager at a vehicle workshop is linked to secure identification and requires that you apply for approval yourself.
Language requirements:
Norwegian language skills are not a prerequisite for the recognition of professional qualification, but you will be required to have sufficient Norwegian skills to be able to carry out your responsibilities at the workshop.
Criteria/conditions for recognition:
The statutory qualification requirements related to the practice of the profession are Norwegian workshop regulations vehicle repair shops and Regulations relating to recognition of professional qualifications from other EEA states under the scope of the Road Traffic Act.
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 three months.
Temporary provision of services:
The competent authority shall, within one month of receiving the notification, determine whether you can start working without further scrutiny of your qualifications.
If the competent authority needs more than one month to determine this, you shall be notified of the reason for the delay within one month after the notification was received. In such cases, the competent authority shall make a decision within two months after the reason for the delay has been resolved.
If the competent authority has not processed the application within these deadlines, you may practice the profession.
Fees:
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration charges a fee for processing the application for approval as a workshop manager. From January 1, 2026, the fee is NOK 6,820. The fee must be paid even if your application is rejected. The invoice for the fee will be sent separately.
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
Postal address:
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration,
P.O.Box 1010 Nordre Ål
2605 LILLEHAMMER
E-mail: firmapost@vegvesen.no
Phone: +47 22 07 30 00