The information on this page was collected from public resources.

Is there cash assistance available? Who is eligible? How does someone apply?

Ukrainian refugees living in private homes (outside reception centres) can receive financial support for subsistence and other municipal services โ€ฏuntil they are settled by the Directorate for Integration and Diversity (IMDi).

Norwegian Government is offering financial aid to Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian citizens registered as a student or PHD candidate at a Norwegian university, university college or vocational school. You can read more about the scheme here .

Ukrainians who are unable to provide for themselves are entitled to cash assistance in Norway to cover basic needs: food, accommodation, access to medical services, primary, secondary and higher education. Monthly payments at the Norwegian krone exchange rate were approximately โ‚ฌ1,800 per adult. However, in 2024, the Norwegian Government decided to limit financial assistance to displaced people from Ukraine in order to avoid excessive burden on municipalities. In particular, a number of the following changes are proposed: - Ukrainians will no longer receive payments if they decide to live in private housing instead of refugee reception centers.- In order to receive a one-off financial aid of NOK 93,000 (โ‚ฌ8,200) you will need to live in Norway for at least one year. - A requirement for a longer period of residence in Norway will be introduced to receive basic benefits and benefits. Source
How do I set up a bank account?

A Ukrainian citizen should be able to open an account in a Norwegian bank without any problem. DNB (the biggest bank in Norway) provides bank accounts even to refugees who donโ€™t have valid ID. Other banks might request the following documents:

  • passport or other valid proof of identity (ID);
  • card for asylum seekerโ€™ or residence permit;
  • a D number (temporary identification number) and a postal address.
How do I withdraw cash or exchange my currencies?

You can withdra cash at ATMs or at the bank. However, as Norway goes mostly cashless, you can almost always use a card. If you want to exchange your currency, you can do this at the bank or the local exchange office. Often you will get the best excahnge rate by using credit cards at the cash machine. It is even normal here to withdraw cash in stores as you purchase groceries, gasoline etc. It is advisable to have cash when using public transportation, such as bus, tram, metro, etc.

How do I pay taxes in a country?

If you stay in Norway for more than 183 days during a twelve-month period cumulatively, you will become a tax resident in Norway. The same applies if you stay in Norway for more than 270 days during a thirty six-month period cumulatively.

To pay tax you need a tax deduction card. The tax deduction card shows how much tax your employer should deduct before you are paid. You must give your tax deduction card to your employer. Foreign workers who come to Norway must go in person to a tax office to obtain a tax deduction card.

Generally, any income defined as income from work (including most income that replaces income from work, such as social benefits, pensions, etc.) which is subject to Norwegian taxation requires a tax deduction card.

Passive income (rental income, bank deposit, etc.) which is subject to Norwegian taxation should not require a tax deduction card.

If I already work remotely, how should I pay my taxes?

In this case, individual consultation with a professional lawyer is necessary.

How to avoid double taxation?

There is an ingenious, but not perfect, solution โ€” to prove to the tax authority of the state in which the citizen does not plan to pay taxes that he is a resident of another country where he fulfills this duty.

A natural person has such a right, as Ukraine has valid conventions and treaties on the avoidance of double taxation with 73 countries of the world. Among them are almost all European countries, as well as the USA and Canada. According to these conventions, Ukrainians who pay taxes in Ukraine have the right to avoid taxation in the country of residence.

If such a situation arises in which a citizen falls under the criteria of a tax resident of Ukraine and at the same time another state defines him as its resident, he has the right to contact the tax authorities of the country of residence and make a request to the Ukrainian tax authorities to confirm that he pays taxes.

That is, in order to prevent double taxation, it is necessary to determine the resident status of an individual and, if necessary, obtain a document that will confirm it. But this may require the help of specialists - tax consultants or lawyers. Specialists advise in advance to collect evidence of the presence of a center of economic interests in Ukraine (if you plan to pay taxes only in Ukraine).

Among them may be:

  • certificate of payment of taxes in Ukraine;
  • certificate of tax resident of Ukraine (soon to be available in electronic form);
  • actual place of registration in Ukraine;
  • evidence of the presence of an individual entrepreneur registered in Ukraine (registration documents and tax declarations);
  • certificates of current accounts in Ukrainian banks;
  • certificates about the child's attendance at educational institutions in Ukraine;
  • receipts for the payment of utility bills.

If a citizen of Ukraine is recognized as a resident of Ukraine, but paid taxes in another country, the taxes paid can be credited in Ukraine. But if a person does not meet the criteria of a resident of Ukraine, it allows to change the tax resident status and consider another country as the place of tax payment.

It is important to check the registration of a natural person as a subject of entrepreneurial activity in the Unified State Register. Even if the activity has not been carried out for a long time, but the registration has not been terminated, this is a criterion for recognizing a person as a resident of Ukraine, which is accompanied by the obligation to pay taxes on income received abroad in Ukraine.

Being a citizen of Ukraine, but a tax NON-resident, you will still have to pay taxes in Ukraine for some types of income:

  • when receiving inheritance and gifts from persons who are not relatives of the 1st and 2nd degrees of kinship;
  • when receiving an investment profit;
  • when selling/leasing immovable and movable property to a natural person.

Source mceclip0.png.

How can I send money back to Ukraine?

You can transfer money from Norway to Ukraine via an international transfer or money transfer at a corresponding provider or a bank.

For an international transfer at the bank you have to fill out a special form and usually pay fees. Other special money transfer providers (e.g. Western Union, Moneygram, Wise, Revolut, Paypal) are often a cheaper and faster alternative.