Survival Checklist for New International Students

If you are one of these freshly debarked internationals, don’t stress! Take a deep breath. Gather all the sense you spilled everywhere during summer and buddy week. Buckle up and check our essentials’ checklist to ensure a smooth start of semester.

1: Register Your Existence

If you haven’t already, you need to attend a police appointment and receive 1) your residence permit card, 2) a letter from the Tax Administration, and 3) a Norwegian identity number which is what will open most doors and services to you. You will receive a temporary D-number after your police appointment, and then you can apply for the P-number with the Norwegian Tax Administration. The P-number will enable you to use Vipps (mobile payment app like Venmo), open a bank account, and become a member of the National Insurance Scheme. And if like some of us you could only book an insanely late appointment, make it your new religion to refresh the Application portal every morning to see if there are any closer spots.

2: Get Your Student Card

Make sure to get your student ID card at SiO Kunderservice on the main Blindern Campus. Pay you semester fee and book an appointment online (see siobooking.ibooking.no) to get it, as it will open many doors on campus such as libraries and reading rooms, but also open up student discounts for your where you can have them.

3: Get Your Transport Ticket

Even though Oslo is a relatively small city, it is wise to know your way around public transport to move around both freely and safely. The Ruter company is responsible for transport in Oslo and Viken county, and you can purchase a ticket through their app RuterBillet. If you plan on taking public transport regularly, you may want to get a monthly ticket for 477 NOK for 1 zone with the student discount (remember to have your student ID and phone with you in public transport for inspection, fine prices can go very high!). And with the app RuterReise you can plan your journeys, or just with good old Google Maps. Oslo Zone 1 is quite big, you can make the most out of your monthly ticket by going on ferry for a trip the islands or use it to thoroughly explore Oslo, and also it will be of upmost use those first few weeks where you will definitely miss some bus stops or take the wrong metro.

4: Get Your Norwegian Phone Number

If you are an EU/EEA student, you can always «roam like at home», but for non-EU/EEA students getting a Norwegian phone number will just generally make your life easier as it saves you from high roaming costs or you SIM straight up not working at all. You can have a contract plan for 200-235 NOK/month with the main mobile carriers Telenor, Telia, and Ice, or more lenient conditions with network providers such as MyCall, OneCall, Lycamobile. You can only get a contract plan with your Norwegian identity number, but you can buy a prepaid SIM card (Kontantkort) with just your passport at a Narvesen or 7-eleven store if you don’t have one yet.

5: Get Your Essentials at the Best Price

In order of cheapest to most expensive, you can do your groceries at Kiwi, Rema 1000, COOP prix/mega/extra, MENY, and Joker. Opening hours are usually 07-23 from Monday to Saturday and closed on Sunday (except for Joker). And if you are in need of wine or alcohol, Vinmonopolet is the (only) place to go, open from 10:00-18:00 during weekdays and closed at as soone as 16:00 on Saturdays. So be aware!

For clothing and house essentials, you can shop for good deals on [Finn.no](ii) or in secondhand stores around town like Fretex or UFF. For the transition from summer to fall, make sure to always have a rain jacket with you, as the weather can change very quickly. Popular among students are also stores like Normal (for makeup and cosmetics) and The Flying Tiger (for cute, tempting miscellaneous).

5: Download Some Apps

Studentkalender’ shows coupons for student discounts.

«Studentbevis» is the valid student ID showing if you have duly paid the semester fee.

«Æ – REMA 1000» shows you discounts for the grocery store REMA 1000.

«Ruter reise» is the app to travel your public transport journey.

«Ruter billett» is to buy your public transport ticket.

«Vipps» is for mobile payment. You need a Norwegian phone number, P-number, and bank account to use Vipps.

«Tise» is an app for used clothes, shoes, decorations etc.

«TooGoodToGo» is an app to reduce food waste where you can buy a surprise bag from restaurants, bars, cafés, or even grocery stores, where they give you what they can’t sell at the end of the day.

6: Don’t Forget to Have Fun

Now that you’re not some unregistered foreign ghost, that you can get yourself from A to B freely, and have more cards, keys and app IDs than you can count, it’s time to step back a little and remember all the things that made you keen to come to Norway in the first place: the beautiful nature, the learning opportunities, the delicious milk chocolate… Go on a hike on one of Oslo’s beautiful and easily accessible trails, join a student association, explore Sentrum and take some pictures at the Opera Hus, or visit the Viking Ship Museum in Bygdøy before it closes in October until 2025. Have some fun, and make your semester a great experience.