Parental leave & kindergarten in Oslo: a guide for international parents

New to Norway with a baby or a small child? Two things shape the first years here more than anything else: parental leave (foreldrepermisjon) and kindergarten (barnehage). This is a plain-English starting point – not legal advice, and the exact rules and amounts change, so always check the official sources linked below. Everything on OsloFamilie is also available in English: use it to fill the days while you are home with your child.

Parental leave (foreldrepermisjon)

Parental-leave pay in Norway is called foreldrepenger and is administered by NAV, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration – not by your employer. To be entitled to it, you generally need to have worked and earned a pension-qualifying income for at least six of the ten months before your leave starts. If you have not earned enough, there is a one-time lump-sum grant (engangsstønad) instead.

You choose between two coverage levels for the same total amount of money: roughly 49 weeks at 100% of your qualifying income, or about 59 weeks at 80% (both up to a yearly cap). The leave is split into three parts:

• The mother's quota – weeks reserved for the birth parent, including three weeks before the due date and the first six weeks after birth.
• The other parent's quota (fedrekvote/co-parent's quota) – weeks reserved for the second parent. It is "use it or lose it": if it is not taken, it is generally forfeited rather than transferred.
• The shared period – the rest, which the parents divide as they wish.

You apply through NAV, usually online via nav.no, and you can split, postpone or combine leave with part-time work in many ways. Because the exact number of weeks, the income cap and the quota lengths are adjusted from time to time, confirm the current figures on NAV's parental-benefit pages before you plan.

Kindergarten (barnehage)

Norwegian barnehager are for children roughly aged one to five; formal school (skole) starts the year the child turns six. Kindergartens are heavily subsidised, widely used, and combine care with early-years pedagogy and lots of outdoor time.

The right to a place

Children have a statutory right to a kindergarten place (lovfestet rett til barnehageplass) if they turn one year old by the end of November in the year you apply and you apply by the deadline for the main annual intake (hovedopptak). Places in the main intake start in August. If your child is born later in the year, or you arrive mid-year, you can still apply in the year-round supplementary intake and take any place that becomes free.

How to apply in Oslo

Oslo uses a coordinated admission system (samordnet opptak): a single application through oslo.kommune.no covers both municipal and most private kindergartens. You list several kindergartens in order of preference. The main-intake application deadline is 1 March each year for a place the following August. Applying does not require you to already have a Norwegian personal number in hand for every step, but you will need one for your child before the place can be finalised – start the process early.

What it costs

The monthly fee is capped nationally by a government maximum price(makspris), so a full-time place costs the same modest amount at almost every kindergarten, plus a small separate charge for food (kostpenger) that varies by place. Low-income families pay less: there is a reduced-payment scheme (the fee is capped as a share of household income) and free core hours (gratis kjernetid) for children aged two to five in low-income households. Check the current maximum price and the reduced-payment rules on Oslo kommune's price pages.

Comparing kindergartens

On OsloFamilie you can browse every kindergarten in Oslo on a map and list, each with official key figures from Barnehagefakta (staffing, play area per child, opening hours, the parent-survey score and more). If your choice depends on the daily commute, the kindergarten finder ranks them by real travel time from your home – and optionally your workplace – by bike, car, public transport or on foot. Official national data lives at barnehagefakta.no.

While you are home with your child

There is often a stretch between the end of leave and the August kindergarten start – and plenty of slow days before that. A few things that help:

• Open kindergartens (åpen barnehage) are free drop-in meeting places – no application, no enrolled place, just show up. See our open kindergartens in Oslo overview.
• Parental-leave activities – baby swimming, baby singing, postpartum exercise classes and cafés with a play corner, filterable by what you need.
• Playgrounds across the city, and activities for slightly older children for when they are on their feet.
• Child-friendly places to eat (filterable by pram access, high chairs, changing tables and play corners), and more themed guides including rainy days, free things to do and baby-friendly beaches.

This page is general information for orientation, not legal, financial or medical advice. Rules and amounts change – always confirm the current details with NAV and Oslo kommune.