UDI notification and police appointment.

Banking in Norway is not an option until you have a Norwegian ID and a Bank ID, so the banking process actually begins long before even approaching a bank (building or app). Before I left for Oslo, I needed to secure an in-person appointment one of the five Norwegian Ministry of Immigration (UDI) centers in the United States. Ultimately, I decided to travel to Washington, D.C., for an appointment on June 9th. There, I had to pay a fee and submit a temporary residency application with proof of an apartment, health insurance, and adequate income in Norway. I also had my picture and fingerprints taken and relinquished my passport to the UDI (it was mailed it to my US address two weeks later).

People can be in Norway for 90 days without a temporary resident permit, so as a Fulbright Rover, I needed to be patient and wait for the paperwork to be processed… I arrived in Oslo on August 11, and I received word that my temporary residence application was approved on September 9th.

The next step was to make an appointment with the politi (police). I emailed the police station and quickly received a response asking what dates/times worked best. I submitted my preferred dates and was scheduled for an appointment on September 29th. I arrived at the Service Center for Foreign Workers building early, but it didn’t open until 9:00, so I couldn’t enter until it was time for my appointment, which was also at 9:00. I walked in, along with many others, and had to enter my information into a kiosk to get a customer number to wait in queue. When my number was called, I was directed to a small room with a glass divider and a woman on the other side. She verified all my information, took my photo and fingerprints, then gave me my Norwegian ID number.

With my Norwegian ID number paperwork in hand, I marched into the nearby bank office. I had to get a customer number and wait in queue for 50 minutes, only for someone to tell me that I couldn’t open a bank account until I completed the online application first. Uff!

I trugged back to my apartment and went to the bank’s website, but it was not clear how to submit an application. I called the helpline and a nice person walked me through the online application. Since I didn’t have a bank ID, I couldn’t complete the ‘normal’ online application. They had to provide me with a different link… Uff!

I submitted the online application and then had to wait for a PHONE INTERVIEW. With my busy travel and teaching schedule, it was extremely difficult to connect with the bank representative. I emailed the bank requesting phone calls after 2:00, but they always seemed to call in the morning when I was teaching… Uff!

After a few weeks, I was finally able to connect with a bank representative. She asked a variety of financial questions (e.g., Will you be depositing money from outside of Norway? Do you use cryptocurrency?). I must have passed the phone interview, because she then asked me when I was available for an in-person appointment at the bank building. She couldn’t secure the appointment, just relay the information to someone who manages the schedules.

Another email later and I was scheduled for a bank appointment on November 22. I went to the bank a little early to ensure extra time to wait in queue. A cheerful woman named Sunneva (my niece’s name), guided me through the crazy online process that went something like this:

· Downloaded three apps (Nordea ID, Bank ID, and Nordea mobile bank) on my US phone.

· While the apps were downloading, Sunneva sent me an email with a Nordea pin and a text to my Norwegian phone to verify the pin that was sent to the email. I had to activate the bank account with the email, using the code texted to me on my Norwegian phone while using my US phone.

· Next, back and forth between the three apps to:

o Create a new pin.

o Create a new password.

o Verify the pin.

o Verify the new password.

· Success! But the process was not yet complete. I had to go home and wait for one hour, then click on the Nordea mobile bank app, on my US phone, to finish the online account process. If I hadn’t click on the app by the end of hour 2, I would have needed to redo the process…

At this point, I still had no money in my account and had no credit card. I was told that I’d receive my credit card in the mail within 4-5 days. Next month, the bank will withdraw 950 kroner ($95) as a one-time set-up fee and 25 kroner ($2.50) each month for use of a credit card…Uff!

So why am I so excited to have a bank account? I can finally buy things without the ‘US signature required’ that slows down the checkout process, or I can join grocery discount clubs… I can also get VIPS account (think of Venmo in the US). Norway is a cashless society, so rarely do you see people pay with cash. The same is true for credit cards. Most people have their bank accounts aligned with their phone or use VIPS. Without a Norwegian bank account, I’ve needed to use credit cards, which meant additional transaction fees for foreign charges. What made things worse is that my travel card (Delta- American Express) is rarely accepted in stores. Delta- please fix this!

Technically, I have a bank account, but there isn’t any money in there yet. I still need to coordinate my deposits with the Fulbright office and figure out how to use VIPS. It’s been 3 and 1/2 months since I arrived in Norway, but I’ll get there- it’s all about paperwork and patience while living in Norway. I’m just so glad that I’ll have a Norwegian payment system in place in time for shopping at the Christmas markets!

Paperwork & Patience: Banking in Norway

Godhjerthet: Kindness