If you have professional qualifications from another EEA country or Switzerland, and wish to practise your regulated profession as a rock blaster or rock blasting supervisor in Norway, you must submit an application to the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB) before you can practise this profession in Norway.
The same applies if you are technically skilled in blasting, a professional pyrotechnician or a stage pyrotechnician.
From 2021, you can also apply for recognition of your professional qualifications if you have professional qualifications from countries outside the EEA and Switzerland.
Go to Altinn.no (link below) to apply for recognition of your professional qualifications:
- Rock blaster
- Rock blasting leader
- Technical blasting expert
- Professional Pyrotechnician
- Stage Pyrotechnician
Go to Altinn.no (all applications)
Regulations for the assessment of your professional qualifications
Assessment of your professional qualifications is carried out in accordance with Act No. 69 of 16 June 2017 on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications (the Professional Qualifications Act) and Regulations of 22 December 2017 No. 2384 on the recognition of professional qualifications. The legislation implements Directive 2013/55/EC.
In addition, DSB will assess your professional qualifications against what is required to qualify for the profession in Norway. Anyone who, for example, wants recognition of their professional qualifications as a rock blaster, rock blasting supervisor and technical blasting expert, must meet the requirements of Regulations No. 844 of 15 June 2017 on the civil handling of explosive substances (the Explosives Regulations). Professional pyrotechnicians and stage pyrotechnicians must meet the requirements of Regulation No. 922 of 26 June 2002 on the handling of explosive substances. We recommend that you familiarise yourself with the relevant regulations for your situation.
In the application, you must indicate whether you wish to establish yourself permanently as a professional in Norway, or whether you wish to provide your services temporarily in Norway. Applicants from countries outside the EEA and Switzerland can only have their professional qualifications recognised upon establishment.
Requirements for applicants
Recognition of your professional qualifications in accordance with the Professional Qualifications Act and the Regulations of 22 December 2017 no. 2384 on the recognition of professional qualifications applies to regulated professions, and is based on the fact that you already possess the competence that you wish to have recognised. If, for example, you apply for recognition of your professional qualifications as a rock blaster, it is assumed that you are already a rock blaster in another EEA state or in Switzerland at the time of application.
Rock blasting can only be carried out by companies that have employed a sufficient number of rock blasting supervisors and rock blasters with a valid certificate. As a minimum, the enterprise shall have one rock blasting supervisor who is employed full-time in the enterprise, see Section 79, second paragraph, of the Explosives Regulations.
It is assumed that you are trained in, and comply with applicable relevant regulations, in order to practice the profession in question in Norway.
Documentation to be attached to the application
- Copy of passport or other proof of identity or nationality.
- Copy of a valid certificate showing that you are a legally established professional in another EEA state or Switzerland.
- Confirmation from the issuing authority/certificate issuer that the certificate is valid at the time of application.
- Curriculum Vitae (CV).
- Police certificate, not older than 3 months, from the state where you have practiced your regulated profession. If you have lived in Norway for more than 6 months, a Norwegian police certificate must also be submitted. The requirement for a police certificate only applies to applications as rock blasters and rock blasting supervisors.
- Information about the course of education for the regulated profession in the state in which you acquired your professional qualifications, including the name of the school, length of the course of education, description of courses and internships, etc.
- Information about the requirements for issuing the certificate for the regulated profession, and what the certificate gives permission to work with, as well as contact information for the issuing authority.
- Information about the duration and type of work you plan to carry out in Norway, as well as the name of the employer, project title, etc.
- A copy of a diploma, if a certificate for the profession is not issued in the home country.
The DSB only accepts documentation and information that has been translated into Norwegian or English by an approved translator, with the exception of documentation and information that is available in Swedish or Danish.
Proxy
If someone other than the applicant submits the application, a power of attorney must also be attached. An example of this is companies that apply on behalf of their employees.
The power of attorney should include the following:
- Which case it concerns
- The principal's contact information (name, address, e-mail and telephone number)
- The representative's contact information (name, address, e-mail and telephone number)
- How long the power of attorney is valid for
- Signature of the principal
- Date and place
Turnaround
The processing time only starts after all necessary documentation and information has been received by DSB. It is important that you take into account that the case processing time will vary based on the type of case, and whether compensatory measures must be implemented to compensate for the significant difference between your competence and what is considered necessary to practice the profession in Norway.