Child allowance when the child lives in another EEA country

You can get Norwegian child allowance when your child lives in another EEA country and you work in Norway. Here's how the supplementary allowance works, how to apply, and your reporting obligations.

Hlib SuslovPublished:August 5, 2026Last updated:August 5, 20267 min read

Important. This article gives general information, not individual advice. Always check your specific case with the responsible authority before acting.

See the official source: nav.no

Key takeaways

3 points · 30 sec

Work in Norway gives you the right, even when your child lives abroad If your child lives in another EEA country, you can get full Norwegian child allowance of 2,012 kroner a month, applicable from 1 February 2026. You must apply separately and enclose NAV form 34-00.15.
If both parents work, the home country pays first Then the child's country of residence is the main responsible, and NAV adds only the supplementary allowance up to the Norwegian level. The exchange rate decides how large the supplement becomes.
EEA applications take 9 months, so apply early NAV states 9 months' processing time, against 3 for ordinary applications. The waiting time costs you nothing, but NAV only back-pays 3 months before you applied. Changes must be reported within 14 days, or NAV can demand the money back.

You can get Norwegian child allowance when your child lives abroad, if you work in Norway and your child lives in another EEA country. This is a right you have under EEA rules. But you must apply separately, and you must report when anything changes.

Who can get child allowance when the child lives abroad?

You can get Norwegian child allowance if at least one of the parents has an active connection to Norway. The main rule at NAV (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration) is that the child must live in Norway, but rules in the EEA (European Economic Area) make exceptions.

At least one of these must apply:

One of the parents works in Norway, on the Norwegian continental shelf or on a Norwegian ship.
One of the parents receives disability benefit or pension from Norway from previous work.
One of the parents receives sickness benefits, work assessment allowance or another benefit based on work from Norway.
Both parents live together with the child and are members of the national insurance scheme.
Both parents live in Norway while the child stays in another EEA country.

If you are an EEA worker, you may have the right to child allowance even if you will live in Norway for less than 12 months. The parent who lives with the child in the home country has a separate right to apply, even if you are divorced or have never lived together. SamfunnPrep brings together the rules on the theme page about labour immigration.

A common misunderstanding: the article about reporting obligations and time abroad at NAV mentions a three-month limit. That applies to time outside the EEA, not to children who live in an EEA country.

How much is the child allowance?

Ordinary child allowance is 2,012 kroner per child per month, applicable from 1 February 2026. If you are a sole provider, you can get extended child allowance of 2,572 kroner in addition to the ordinary child allowance. Child allowance is tax-free.

The rate is the same for all children from 0 to 18 years. The rates became equal on 1 May 2025, and NAV combined them into one rate from 1 October 2025. More rates are in the article about child allowance in Norway 2026.

Which country pays first?

The country where someone works pays before the country where the child only lives. Work comes before pension, and pension comes before residence. The rule is in article 68 of the social security regulation, regulation 883/2004. This gives two typical situations:

The other parent does not work in the child's country of residence. Then Norway is the main responsible and pays full child allowance.
Both parents work, each in a different country. Then the child's country of residence decides. The home country pays first, and NAV pays only the supplementary allowance up to the Norwegian level. NAV calls it itself the supplementary amount.

Calculation example: how the supplementary allowance works

Tomasz works in Norway. His eight-year-old daughter lives with her mother in the home country, and the mother works there. The calculation looks like this:

Find the Norwegian rate: 2,012 kroner per month, applicable from 1 February 2026.
Convert the benefit from the home country to Norwegian kroner.
Subtract the amount from the Norwegian rate. What is left is the supplementary allowance.

Child lives in	Benefit in home country	Approximately in kroner	NAV pays approximately
Lithuania	129.50 euros per month	1,424 kroner	588 kroner
Romania	292 lei per month, child 2–18 years	611 kroner	1,401 kroner
Poland	800 zloty per month	2,042 kroner	approximately 0 kroner

The exchange rate decides. The rate on 4 August 2026 was 10.9925 kroner for one euro, 2.5527 kroner for one zloty and 2.0934 kroner for one lei. The Polish benefit was then approximately at the same level as the Norwegian one. If the rate changes, the answer changes.

NAV does not use Norges Bank's rate, but the rates from the European Central Bank. The rule is in article 90 of implementing regulation 987/2009. In practice, NAV uses the December rate for the whole year and recalculates at the annual review. Your amount may therefore differ by a few kroner from the table. The figures from abroad are illustrations, not official NAV figures.

Employees sent abroad do not get Norwegian child allowance

If you are sent to Norway on assignment by an employer in another EEA country, you do not have the right to child allowance in Norway. You remain a member of the social security scheme in the other country, and the A1 form in the name of the home country is the document that shows it. See the article about A1 forms and social security for EEA workers.

How to apply, and what NAV needs

You apply on nav.no after logging in. Child allowance under EEA rules does not come automatically. You must apply separately and enclose NAV form 34-00.15, "Supplementary form for payment of benefit under the EEA agreement". The same form also covers cash-for-care benefit.

NAV needs this when the child lives abroad:

Birth certificate for the child, completed by the authorities in the home country
ID number and address in the home country for you, the child and the other parent
copy of your employment contract in Norway
if you are self-employed: invoices, assignment confirmations, accounts receivable statements and register extracts from Brønnøysund Register Centre
if you are not an EEA citizen: confirmation of residence permit
if you are a sole provider: name, address and ID number of the person living with the child

Also state which municipality and region the family lives in. In some countries one central institution answers, in other countries it happens locally.

The rest NAV retrieves itself: NAV and the home country's authorities exchange SED (structured electronic documents) with each other, for example F001 about who has main responsibility. If you apply in the wrong country, you lose no money — that institution will forward the application, and the date you first applied counts.

How long does it take, and how far back does NAV pay?

NAV states 9 months processing time for EEA applications, against 3 months for ordinary applications. The reason is that NAV must obtain documentation from foreign authorities.

The waiting time costs you nothing, but waiting to apply costs money. Child allowance is back-paid for up to 3 months before the date of application. In very special cases, for example if NAV has given you wrong information, NAV can back-pay for up to 3 years.

NAV has also changed practice in the past: from 1 January 1994 for child allowance and from 1 August 1998 for cash-for-care benefit. If you have had a connection to another EEA country since 1994, you can ask NAV to review your case. Call 55 55 33 33 and press menu choice 1, then 4.

Cash-for-care benefit follows the same rule, plus one requirement

Cash-for-care benefit is coordinated like child allowance: work comes before residence, and NAV pays the difference. The rate is 7,500 kroner per month for children without a nursery place, unchanged since 1 August 2018. It applies to children between 13 and 19 months, for a maximum of 7 months.

Cash-for-care benefit has one additional requirement: five years' membership in the national insurance or in social security schemes in other EEA countries. Insurance time from other EEA countries counts, but you must obtain the documentation yourself. Only EEA citizens, and third-country citizens in a family with an EEA citizen, can combine time in this way. If the time is from another Nordic country, Austria, the Netherlands or Luxembourg, citizenship means nothing. If the child lives with both parents, both must have been members for at least five years. See the article about cash-for-care benefit 2026 and the five-year requirement.

The United Kingdom and Switzerland: two important exceptions

The United Kingdom: family benefits are not covered by the social security agreement. Child allowance, cash-for-care benefit and benefits for sole providers fall outside. Only the separation agreement helps, and it applies to those who moved before 1 January 2021 without interruption.

Switzerland: Switzerland is not an EEA country. Social security rules apply there only if you are a citizen of an EFTA country (European Free Trade Association): Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland. If you are a Polish citizen, they do not apply.

Reporting obligation: you have 14 days

You must inform NAV right away, and no later than 14 days, when anything changes. The requirement is in the child allowance act § 17.

The most important change is when the other parent starts to work in the child's country of residence. Then the countries switch places: the home country becomes the main responsible, and Norway pays only the supplement, sometimes nothing. If you stop working in Norway, the basis falls away.

If you do not report, NAV can demand the money back under child allowance act § 13. NAV can deduct the amount from future child allowance, or send the demand to the Collection Agency. For child allowance there is no interest surcharge of 10 percent, as there is for benefits under the national insurance act.

Child allowance when the child lives abroad is a right you can claim. If you are new to the country, you will find the first steps in the checklist for your first week in Norway.

Many of these rules are part of the curriculum for the civics exam. You can practise for free on SamfunnPrep and test your knowledge about NAV, rights and obligations.

Sources

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Do I get Norwegian child allowance if my child lives in another EEA country?

Yes, if one of the parents works in Norway, on the Norwegian continental shelf or on a Norwegian ship, or receives pension, disability benefit, sickness benefits or work assessment allowance from Norway. You must apply separately under EEA rules and enclose NAV form 34-00.15.

Do I get the full amount or only part of it?

If neither of you work in the child's country of residence, Norway pays full child allowance: 2,012 kroner per child per month, applicable from 1 February 2026. If the other parent works there, that country pays first, and NAV pays only the difference up to the Norwegian level.

What happens if the other parent starts to work in the home country?

Then the countries switch places. The child's country of residence becomes the main responsible, and Norway pays only the supplement. You must report to NAV within 14 days. If you do not, NAV can demand the money back under child allowance act § 13. NAV can deduct the amount from future child allowance.

How long does it take, and do I get money for the waiting time?

NAV states 9 months for EEA applications, against 3 months for ordinary applications, because information must be obtained from abroad with structured electronic documents (SED). Child allowance is back-paid for up to 3 months before the date of application, so it pays to apply early.

Do the same rules apply to cash-for-care benefit?

Cash-for-care benefit follows the same supplementary rule, but additionally requires five years' membership in the national insurance or in social security schemes in other EEA countries. Time from other EEA countries can be combined, but you must obtain the documentation yourself.

Do the rules apply to children in the United Kingdom or Switzerland?

United Kingdom: family benefits are not covered by the social security agreement, and only the separation agreement helps those who moved before 1 January 2021. Switzerland: social security rules apply there only if you are a citizen of an EFTA country.