What You Need to Know When You’re Moving to Stavanger

Relocating to Stavanger

Stavanger has a diverse and interesting cultural history. It is not a bustling city compared to London or Paris, or even Oslo for that matter, but it possesses a delightful mix of industry, chilled city life and quaintness that allows most tastes to find their neutral space within its confines. There are also a wide variety of housing options on offer, from city apartments to larger suburban dwellings.

About Stavanger

Stavanger is the third largest city in Norway, and the administrative hub of the county of Rogaland. The city covers approximately 70 square kilometers and has a population of around 130,000 people. This equates to a population density of roughly 1,800 people per square kilometer, made up almost entirely of Norwegians, Brits, and Poles.

The Climate in Stavanger

The local climate qualifies as a maritime mild temperate one. There are no huge fluctuations in temperature throughout the year, with monthly average highs ranging from 3–18°C. The region receives a fair amount of rainfall, particularly in winter months, but is blessed with a fairly good amount of sun through the middle summer months.

Being a coastal Scandinavian city, Stavanger does get its fair share of wind, and that can carry some cold fronts with it. On the whole, Stavanger is a fairly mild area weather-wise, and in fact offers a good window for growing plants, certainly compared with other nearby cities.

Visas for Norway

There are a number of visa options for Norway, but usually the two of most interest to expats are the working residence permits. These come in either skilled or non-skilled options, but having a skill is obviously a major advantage when moving to an industrious country such as Norway. For the skilled permit, a generally high standard of certification is required, although working experience and references can be taken into account. You can find more information on visas in our corresponding Norway Guide.

Another useful site for visa applicants is Norway.info, the country’s own dedicated website.