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Label Element Value
Prospectus [Line Items] rr_ProspectusLineItems  
Document Type dei_DocumentType 485BPOS
Document Period End Date dei_DocumentPeriodEndDate May 01, 2016
Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName Northern Lights Variable Trust
Central Index Key dei_EntityCentralIndexKey 0001352621
Amendment Flag dei_AmendmentFlag false
Trading Symbol dei_TradingSymbol nlvt
Document Creation Date dei_DocumentCreationDate May 01, 2016
Document Effective Date dei_DocumentEffectiveDate May 01, 2016
Prospectus Date rr_ProspectusDate May 01, 2016
Changing Parameters Portfolio  
Prospectus [Line Items] rr_ProspectusLineItems  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading

PORTFOLIO SUMMARY
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective:
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Portfolio’s investment objective is total return.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio:
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The following table describes the annual operating expenses that you indirectly pay if you invest in the Portfolio through your retirement plan or if you allocate your insurance contract premiums or payments to the Portfolio. However, each insurance contract and separate account involves fees and expenses that are not described in this Prospectus. If the fees and expenses of your insurance contract or separate account were included in this table, your overall expenses would be higher. You should review the insurance contract prospectus for a complete description of fees and expenses.
Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination Apr. 30, 2017
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover:
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). These costs, which are not reflected in annual portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 700% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 700.00%
Other Expenses, New Fund, Based on Estimates [Text] rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates Restated based on estimated borrowing of the current fiscal year.
Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text] rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees The operating expenses in this fee table will not correlate to the expense ratio in the Portfolio’s financial highlights because the financial statements include only the direct operating expenses incurred by the Portfolio.
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example:
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
Expense Example by, Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. You would pay the same expenses if you did not redeem your shares. However, each insurance contract and separate account involves fees and expenses that are not included in the Example. If these fees and expenses were included in the Example, your overall expenses would be higher. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based upon these assumptions your costs would be:
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies:
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in a combination of long and short positions in equity securities (which may include common stocks, preferred stocks, shares of open-end and closed-end investment companies and exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”)), futures contracts, options on futures contracts and U.S. Treasury instruments. The open-end and closed-end investment companies may include those that invest in equity and fixed income securities (including lower rated, high yield “junk” bonds). The Portfolio defines high yield junk bonds as those rated below Baa3 by Moody’s Investors Service or below BBB- by Standard and Poor’s Rating Group, or if unrated, determined by the advisor to be of similar quality. The ETFs and other investment companies are referred to as “Underlying Portfolios” in this Prospectus. The Portfolio may borrow amounts of up to 33⅓% of its total assets, less liabilities other than such borrowings, to take advantage of leverage opportunities by buying additional securities when the Portfolio’s advisor deems it advisable and to increase liquidity to meet redemption requests.

 

In general, the Portfolio’s investments in equity securities, futures contracts, options on futures contracts and high yield bonds are intended to achieve the capital appreciation component, and the Portfolio’s investments in money market instruments, fixed income securities (including high yield bonds) and to a lesser extent U.S. Treasuries, are intended to achieve the income component of the Portfolio’s total return objective. The Portfolio typically invests in U.S. Treasuries with maturities of any duration, or their derivatives, and the Portfolio’s allocation of its investments between the equity and fixed income market segments may vary without limitation. The Portfolio may sell securities short and establish short positions in derivatives for both investment and hedging purposes.

 

The Portfolio will invest in specific market segments when the Advisor’s proprietary investment models indicate a high probability that the applicable investments in such chosen market segments are likely to outperform investments in other market segments. The Portfolio will sell interests or reduce its investment exposure among specific market segments when the Advisor’s models indicate that investments in such markets are likely to underperform. The Portfolio sells short securities that the Advisor believes are overvalued or to hedge all or a portion of the Portfolio’s portfolio. The Portfolio covers (buys back) these securities when the Advisor believes they have reached their target price or the Advisor’s proprietary investment models indicate that hedging is no longer needed. The Portfolio’s Advisor may engage in frequent buying and selling of portfolio securities to achieve the Portfolio’s investment objective.

 

Investing in futures contracts or options on such futures contracts requires an investment of only a small portion of the Portfolio’s assets in order to produce a return that approximates the return of the underlying bond or stock index. This effect is referred to as “leverage”. The Portfolio is diversified.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading

Principal Investment Risks:
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

As with all mutual funds, there is the risk that you could lose money through your investment in the Portfolio. Many factors affect the Portfolio’s net asset value and performance.

 

• Derivatives Risk. Even a small investment in derivatives (which include futures and options on futures) may give rise to leverage risk, and can have a significant impact on the Portfolio's performance. Derivatives are also subject to credit risk and liquidity risk.

 

• Fixed Income Risk. When the Portfolio invests in fixed income securities directly or indirectly by investing in Underlying Funds that invest primarily in fixed income securities, the value of the Portfolio will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Defaults by fixed income issuers in which the Portfolio invests will also harm performance. Recently, interest rates have been historically low. Current conditions may result in a rise in interest rates, which in turn may result in a decline in the value of the fixed income investments held by the Portfolio. As a result, for the present, interest rate risk may be heightened.

 

• High-Yield Bond Risk. Lower-quality bonds, known as "high yield" or "junk" bonds, present greater risk than bonds of higher quality, including an increased risk of default. An economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market for these bonds and reduce the Portfolio’s ability to sell its bonds. The lack of a liquid market for these bonds could decrease the Portfolio’s share price.

 

• Issuer-Specific Risk. The value of a specific security can be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform worse than the market as a whole.

 

• Leveraging Risk. By borrowing money for leverage, the Portfolio incurs the risk that interest expenses may exceed the returns on the securities purchased with borrowed funds. If the value of the securities purchased declines, the Portfolio would face decreased returns as well as the costs of the borrowing. The use of leverage, such as borrowing money to purchase securities, will magnify the Portfolio's gains or losses.

 

• Management Risk. The Advisor's judgments about the potential appreciation of a particular security or instrument in which the Portfolio invests may prove to be incorrect.

 

• Short Sale Risk. Positions in shorted securities are often speculative and riskier than "long" positions (purchases). Unlike long positions, losses on short positions are potentially unlimited.

 

• Stock Market Risk. Stock prices can fall rapidly in response to developments affecting a specific company or industry, or to changing economic, political or market conditions.

 

• Turnover Risk. A higher portfolio turnover may result in higher transactional and brokerage costs.

 

• Underlying Fund Risk. Underlying Funds are subject to investment advisory fees and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Portfolio. As a result, your cost of investing in the Portfolio will be higher than the cost of investing directly in Underlying Funds and may be higher than other mutual funds that invest directly in stocks and bonds. Each Underlying Fund is subject to specific risks, depending on its investments.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney As with all mutual funds, there is the risk that you could lose money through your investment in the Portfolio.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Performance:
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio by showing changes in the Portfolio’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Portfolio’s average annual returns compare with those of a broad-based securities market index and two supplemental indexes. The bar chart shows performance of the Portfolio for each full calendar year since the Portfolio’s inception. You should be aware that the Portfolio’s past performance may not be an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost by calling 1-866-618-3456.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The following bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio by showing changes in the Portfolio's performance from year to year and by showing how the Portfolio's average annual returns compare with those of a broad-based securities market index and two supplemental indexes. The bar chart shows performance of the Portfolio for each full calendar year since the Portfolio's inception.
Performance Availability Phone [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone 1-866-618-3456
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture You should be aware that the Portfolio’s past performance may not be an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading

Performance Bar Chart For Calendar Year Ended December 31,
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best Quarter:

1st Quarter 2012

3.45%

Worst Quarter:

4th Quarter 2009

(6.64)%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Best Quarter:
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Mar. 31, 2012
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 3.45%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Worst Quarter:
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Dec. 31, 2009
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (6.64%)
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading

Performance Table

Average Annual Total Returns

(For periods ended December 31, 2015)
Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text] rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes Indices do not reflect any fees or expenses.
Changing Parameters Portfolio | Barclay's Aggregate Bond Index  
Prospectus [Line Items] rr_ProspectusLineItems  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 0.55% [1]
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 3.25% [1]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 4.45% [1]
Changing Parameters Portfolio | Changing Parameters Portfolio  
Prospectus [Line Items] rr_ProspectusLineItems  
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 1.50%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.45%
Component1 Other Expenses rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.12% [2]
Component2 Other Expenses rr_Component2OtherExpensesOverAssets 1.03%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 1.15%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets 0.44% [3]
Expenses (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ExpensesOverAssets 3.54%
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.73%) [4]
Net Expenses (as a percentage of Assets) rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 2.81%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 284
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 1,018
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,774
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 3,762
Annual Return 2008 rr_AnnualReturn2008 (2.38%)
Annual Return 2009 rr_AnnualReturn2009 (6.35%)
Annual Return 2010 rr_AnnualReturn2010 (2.82%)
Annual Return 2011 rr_AnnualReturn2011 (0.72%)
Annual Return 2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 9.12%
Annual Return 2013 rr_AnnualReturn2013 2.33%
Annual Return 2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 1.41%
Annual Return 2015 rr_AnnualReturn2015 (2.57%)
Label rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel Returns
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (2.57%)
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 1.84%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception (0.20%) [5]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Oct. 02, 2007
[1] The Barclay's Capital Aggregate Bond Index is a market capitalization-weighted index, meaning the securities in the index are weighted according to the market size of each bond type. Most U.S. traded investment grade bonds are represented. Municipal bonds and Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities are excluded due to tax treatment issues. The index includes Treasury securities, Government agency bonds, mortgage-backed bonds, corporate bonds, and a small amount of foreign bonds traded in U.S. Unlike the Portfolio's returns, however, the indices do not reflect any fees or expenses.
[2] Restated based on estimated borrowing of the current fiscal year.
[3] Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are the indirect costs of investing in other investment companies. The operating expenses in this fee table will not correlate to the expense ratio in the Portfolio's financial highlights because the financial statements include only the direct operating expenses incurred by the Portfolio.
[4] The Portfolio's advisor has contractually agreed to waive its fees and/or reimburse expenses of the Portfolio, at least until April 30, 2017 such that the Total Annual Operating Expenses after Fee Waiver (exclusive of any front end or contingent deferred loads, brokerage fees and commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses, fees and expenses associated with investments in other collective investment vehicles or derivative instruments (including for example options and swap fees and expenses), borrowing costs (such as interest and dividend expense on securities sold short), taxes, and extraordinary expenses, such as litigation expenses (which may include indemnification of Fund officers and Trustees, contractual indemnification of Fund service providers (other than the Advisor)) do not exceed 2.25% of the Portfolio's average net assets. This agreement may be terminated by the Portfolio's Board of Trustees on 60 days' written notice to the advisor.
[5] The inception date of the Portfolio is October 2, 2007.