What you can expect from us

The phones must be answered as quickly as possible. There is usually little to no waiting time when you call our switchboard. When you call the switchboard, you will be transferred to the right professional. If the person is not present, you will receive

• Information about when he/she will be back
• offer to talk to another person who works in the same field
• offer that the switchboard sends a case officer/other professional a message by e-mail
• If you call a case officer directly and do not receive an answer, you will be told how long the person is occupied.

If you hold the line, you will be transferred to the switchboard. From the switchboard you get

• offer to talk to another person who works in the same field
• offer that the switchboard sends a case officer/other professional a message by e-mail

We recommend that all first-time inquiries via email are sent to post@sdir.no to ensure prompt and correct handling.

If you have the name of the relevant contact person in the NMA, this must be written in the address field (letter) or in the subject field (e-mail).

A good rule of thumb is also to write "Norwegian Maritime Authority" as the recipient before the name of the case officer – which ensures faster processing when the letter arrives at our mail reception.

Deeds, mortgage documents and other registration documents must always be sent directly to the Norwegian Maritime Authority, Dept. of the Ship Registers, P.O. Box 73 Nygårdstangen, 5838 Bergen.

Documents with couriers should be sent to: Nygårdsgaten 114, 5008 Bergen.

Similarly in English, the email address is: nis-nor@sdir.no

When you apply for a position with us, you will receive an electronic confirmation that we have received your application immediately. When the application deadline has passed, we call in relevant candidates for an interview. After interviews and reference checks have been completed, it is the appointment council that decides who is recommended and offered the position. When the process is finished and the person who has been nominated has said "yes", you will be notified by email.

Hiring processes can take different amounts of time depending on how many people apply.

You must ensure that the application is as complete as possible and that it is signed (applications via Altinn are signed when logging in). ). If the application is incomplete or lacking necessary information, the Directorate will notify you and provide an overview of what is missing before a decision can be made. Incomplete applications may result in longer processing times.

Turnaround

The cases we receive for processing require different case processing, and the response time will therefore vary. As a general rule, the applicant is entitled to an answer within one month. If the application is not processed by this deadline, you will receive a preliminary response with information about the expected processing time.

When processing new buildings and renovations, the application processing will follow an agreed project plan. The applicant will be assigned a contact person in the Directorate who will be able to answer questions about case processing time.

If the application is complete, this will facilitate the Directorate's case processing and affect the processing time. The same applies if the application is submitted electronically and not on paper. Our forms can be found either on the current topic page or collected on our form portal.

Expected processing time – registration of ships and rights in ships:

• Documents received for registration in NIS, NOR and BYGG (deeds, mortgages, etc.): same day
• Allocation of call sign/IMO number/ship name: one working day
• Return of fully registered documents in the NIS/NOR/BYGG registers: 14 days

Expected processing time – certificate for seafarers

The processing time for personal certificates (seafarers) can vary widely. We encourage everyone who has a maritime certificate that is about to expire, to apply for renewal no later than 3 months before the expiration date.

When the NMA makes an individual decision, the recipient shall at the same time be informed of the right to appeal against the decision. Information must also be provided about the right of access to the case's documents.

Which decisions can you appeal?

The main rule is that all individual decisions made by the NMA can be appealed. An individual decision is a decision that concerns the rights or obligations of one or more specific persons, such as the rejection of an application.

Deadline for appeals and requirements for the appeal

The deadline for appealing is 3 weeks from the date of the decision. The appeal must be sent to the NMA and must be justified.

Appeals body

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries is the NMA's overarching ministry and decides appeals against decisions made by the NMA.

In environmental matters, the Ministry of the Environment is the appeal body for decisions made by the Norwegian Maritime Authority. The NMA prepares the appeal before it is sent to the Ministry, if the NMA finds no reason to change the appealed decision.

Processing time in appeals

Complaints are processed on an ongoing basis. We strive to send all complaints to the Ministry within 1 month. If the caseload is large and it is clear that the complaint will not be processed within a month, a preliminary response must be sent to the complainant stating this and how long the processing time is expected to be.

From the time the NMA receives the complaint in cases concerning the issuance and renewal of personal certificates, no more than six weeks shall elapse before the complaint has been sent to the Ministry. Submission to the Ministry of all other complaints, including cases concerning the imposition of infringement fines, shall not exceed 3 months from the date of receipt of the complaint.

The NMA has a duty to inform and guide you about the regulations we administer and make them available to you.

You have the right to have the content of the laws and regulations administered by the NMA explained.

The main rule is that our case documents are public. However, we handle a number of documents that contain confidential information. Such documents are exempt from public disclosure. Internal documents can also be exempted. 

You have the right to:

• Explain the content of the laws and regulations administered by the NMA
  to have the content of inspection reports explained
• An objective and fair treatment of the matters that concern you
• Get access to the documents that apply to your case
• Find out about any sanctions that the NMA can implement
  to appeal against individual decisions made by the NMA