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Individuals from other countries can generally apply for Norwegian citizenship after legally residing in the country for seven years. Unless you are a citizen of a European Union member state, this means you must obtain a permanent residence permit before applying for Norwegian citizenship. Norwegians take pride in their language and culture, which is reflected in the requirement to learn and pass tests on societal knowledge and the Norwegian language before becoming a citizen.
Steps
Apply for Permanent Residence
You must have a valid residence permit for at least 3 years. Generally, you can only qualify for permanent residence after legally residing in Norway with a residence permit for at least 3 years. Residence permits are typically granted for work or study purposes.
- If you are the spouse or partner of a Norwegian citizen working for the Embassy or Consulate, you are exempt from the residence permit requirement.
- If you are a citizen of an EU country, you automatically gain permanent residence in Norway after living there for 5 years. You must provide proof of legal residence, employment, studies, or other self-sufficient activities during this period.
Become fluent in Norwegian. Although many Norwegians speak English, if you wish to become a permanent resident, you must master their national language. Free online Norwegian courses are available at https://www.ntnu.edu/learnnow/.
- There are various options to learn Norwegian for free, or you can opt for paid courses or private tutors. Find links to language resources at https://www.kompetansenorge.no/English/Immigrant-integration/#Norwegianlanguagetuition_5.
Pass the Norwegian language and social studies tests. If you are between 16 and 55 years old, you must pass an oral Norwegian test at a minimum A1 level and a written social studies test in a language of your choice.
- To learn more about the Norwegian language test, visit https://www.kompetansenorge.no/norwegian-language-test/. Here, you can register for the summer (July 5–12) or winter (November 26–December 6) exams. The site includes links to study materials and practice tests.
- To register for the social studies test, go to https://www.kompetansenorge.no/test-in-social-studies/.
Maintain a clean record. During the 3 years of residence in Norway before applying for permanent residency, you must not commit any criminal offenses. You will also be ineligible if you have been subject to involuntary psychiatric treatment.
- A criminal offense does not permanently disqualify you from Norwegian citizenship. However, you must wait an additional 3 years from the date of conviction to reapply.
Submit your application through the Application Portal. Most applicants can complete their permanent residency application online via the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) Application Portal. Visit https://selfservice.udi.no/ to create an account.
- From your user account on the portal, you can fill out the application, submit it, schedule appointments, and check the status of your submission.
Demonstrate financial stability. UDI grants permanent residency only to applicants who meet the minimum income requirement for the previous year. In 2018, this threshold was 238,784 NOK.
- The minimum income requirements and supporting documents are listed in the application form.
- You must not have received any social welfare benefits during your residence period before applying for permanent residency.
Pay the registration fee. In 2018, the application fee for permanent residency for adults was 3,100 NOK. Applicants under 18 are exempt from this fee. For updated fee information and payment methods, visit the UDI website.
- If you complete and submit your application online, you can pay the fee simultaneously using a Visa or MasterCard.
- Review all your answers in the application before submitting. Once you proceed to payment, you cannot go back to make any changes.
Bring supporting documents to the nearest police station. After submitting your application, you can schedule an appointment at your local police station to provide additional required documents.
- To find out which documents to bring, visit https://www.udi.no/en/checklists-container/citizenship-travel-permanent/checklist-permanent-residence/ and answer a few questions about your application.
Wait for notification. Once your application is submitted, UDI will begin processing it. This stage typically takes 3-6 months. You may be contacted for additional information or documents before your application is approved.
- You can track the processing time by visiting https://www.udi.no/en/word-definitions/guide-to-case-processing-times-for-applications-for-permanent-residence/ and answering a few questions.
- If your application is denied, you can appeal. Instructions for appealing will be included in the notification you receive.
Schedule an appointment with the police. If your permanent residency application is approved, you must visit the nearest police station to complete the process and receive your residence card. The police will take your fingerprints and photograph, then issue your card.
- You can also schedule the appointment online through the Application Portal if you have an account set up.
- If you encounter issues with online scheduling, contact the police station directly. UDI cannot assist with appointment bookings.
Receive your residence card by mail. Your card will be sent once it is ready. Allow at least 10 working days for delivery. If you plan to travel abroad, ensure you leave enough time to receive your residence card before departing. Otherwise, you may face difficulties re-entering Norway.
- Although the card includes your photo, it cannot be used as an identification document. When traveling outside Norway, you must carry your passport.
Meet the naturalization requirements
Reside in Norway for 7 years. The "residence period" is the primary condition you must fulfill to qualify for Norwegian citizenship. Most applicants must live in Norway with a permanent residence permit for at least 7 consecutive years.
- Exceptions exist for specific groups, such as spouses of Norwegian citizens, athletes, or Norwegians working abroad at embassies or consulates.
- Short trips outside the country are allowed without interrupting the residence period. However, if you live outside Norway for more than 2 months in any year, your residence period will be reset.
Maintain a clean record while living in Norway. To become a Norwegian citizen, you must prove that during your residence, you have not committed any criminal offenses or been subjected to involuntary psychiatric treatment.
- If you have a criminal record, you can still become a Norwegian citizen. However, you typically must wait, with the waiting period depending on the severity of the offense.
Have a clear identity. The Norwegian government must verify your identity through reliable documents before you can qualify for citizenship. In most cases, this requires a valid passport from your home country.
- If you no longer have a valid passport, other documents, such as a birth certificate, may be used.
- Norway does not consider documents from countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia as reliable due to political instability. If you are from such countries, additional steps are required to confirm your identity.
Pass an oral Norwegian test at level A2. To become a Norwegian citizen, you must demonstrate proficiency in Norwegian at level A2 or higher. If you previously passed the A1 level test for permanent residency, you must retake the test to achieve level A2.
- If you already passed the A2 level test during your permanent residency application, you do not need to retake it.
- Information about the language test is available on the Skills Norway website at https://www.kompetansenorge.no/English/.
Pass the Norwegian citizenship test. When taking the social studies test for permanent residency, you are allowed to use a language of your choice. However, if you chose a language other than Norwegian, you must retake the test in Norwegian to qualify for citizenship.
- Information about the citizenship test (social studies) is available on the Skills Norway website at https://www.kompetansenorge.no/English/.
- If you previously passed the citizenship test in Norwegian during your permanent residency application, you do not need to retake it for your citizenship application.
Submit your citizenship application
Complete the application. You can submit your application through the UDI Application Portal at https://selfservice.udi.no/. If you already have an account from a previous residency application, you can use the same account for your citizenship application.
- After logging into your account, follow the steps to complete the citizenship application. Ensure your answers are as clear and detailed as possible. All fields marked with a yellow asterisk must be filled before submission.
Pay the fee. The Norwegian citizenship application fee in 2018 was 3700 NOK. Check the UDI website for the most updated fee information. Applicants under 18 are exempt from the fee.
- If submitting through the Application Portal, you can pay the fee simultaneously using a Visa or MasterCard.
- Once you click the "Proceed to Payment" button, you cannot make further changes to the application. If there are errors, you can correct them during your appointment at the police station.
Bring additional documents to the police station. After submitting your application, you can schedule an appointment at the nearest police station to provide supplementary documents supporting the information in your application.
- Required documents may vary but typically include a birth certificate, marriage or relationship certificate, passport, tax returns, a police clearance certificate, proof of language proficiency, and results from language and social studies tests.
- Visit https://www.udi.no/en/checklists-container/citizenship-travel-permanent/checklist-for-citizenship/ and answer the questions to get a list of documents you need to bring.
Wait for a response. UDI will review your application after receiving all supplementary documents. They may contact you for an additional interview or request further documentation to complete your file.
- To track the processing time of your application, visit https://www.udi.no/en/word-definitions/guide-to-case-processing-times-for-applications-for-norwegian-citizenship/ and answer the questions.
- If your application is denied, you can appeal. Information about the appeal process will be included in UDI's decision letter.
Schedule an appointment to receive your citizenship decision. If UDI approves your citizenship application, you can collect your documents at the nearest police station. The citizenship decision must be received within 3 months of its issuance.
- After receiving your citizenship decision, you can apply for a Norwegian passport.
- Bring your citizenship notification letter, old passport, and residence card to the police station.
Renounce your previous citizenship. Norway does not allow dual citizenship. To become a Norwegian citizen, you must formally renounce your previous citizenship. Visit the nearest embassy or consulate for guidance on the renunciation process.
- The government is currently working on a proposal to allow dual citizenship. However, until the law is passed by Parliament, you must still renounce your previous citizenship to become Norwegian. If the new law is passed, the current rule will remain in effect at least until 2019.
Attend the citizenship ceremony. After becoming a Norwegian citizen, you will be invited to a citizenship ceremony where you will officially be recognized as a Norwegian citizen. Although the ceremony is voluntary, it is a special event for new citizens like you.
- If you do not attend the ceremony, you will still be a Norwegian citizen.
