After Norwegian citizenship, ten practical steps await: order a passport from the Police, check the rules in your old home country, and start using your new rights. Most importantly: your residence permit is invalid from day one, so do not travel abroad before you have a Norwegian passport or ID card with travel rights.
What Should You Do After Norwegian Citizenship?
The first steps after Norwegian citizenship are to read the decision letter, order a passport from the Police, and check your home country's rules about dual citizenship. After that come the rights: ceremony, voting rights, and free movement in the EU/EEA. The decision from UDI (the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration) gives you full rights in Norway—and a few new duties. This checklist takes you through everything in the right order. You can find more guides about the entire process on SamfunnPrep's topic page about Norwegian citizenship.
1. Read the Decision Letter and Check the National Registry
UDI sends you a letter when your application is decided. If you have digital mail, you get the message right away; with regular mail it takes about two weeks. The authorities report your new citizenship to the National Registry, which the Tax Agency is responsible for—you pay nothing. Still, check on skatteetaten.no that your citizenship is registered before you order a passport appointment. The Police check your information against the National Registry.
2. Book an Appointment for a Passport – Ideally Passport and ID Card at the Same Time
Your first Norwegian passport is ordered from the Police on politiet.no. You must attend in person, because your photo and fingerprints are taken on site. If you apply for a passport and a national ID card at the same appointment, you get a 20 percent discount. The prices are valid from 1 January 2026:
| Document | Price |
|---|---|
| Passport, from 16 years | 840 kr |
| Passport, under 16 years | 510 kr |
| National ID card (10 years and older) | 840 kr |
| Passport + ID card at the same time, from 16 years | 1 340 kr |
You can pay with card, cash, or Google/Apple Pay – not Vipps or invoice. The entire process is explained in the guide about passports and national ID cards in Norway.
3. Can I Travel Before I Get a Norwegian Passport?
No, you should wait. Your residence permit is invalid from the moment citizenship is granted—even if the date on your card has not expired. UDI warns that you may have problems at the Schengen border control if you travel without a Norwegian passport or Norwegian ID card. Do not book international travel before the new passport is in your hands. A tip: an ID card with travel rights counts as a travel document in the EU/EEA and Switzerland, and serves as a backup if your passport is lost.
4. Check the Rules in Your Old Home Country
Norway has allowed dual citizenship since 1 January 2020, and you do not need to renounce your old one. But it is your home country that decides whether you can keep it. Two important examples as of July 2026:
- Ukraine: The law on multiple citizenship came into force on 16 January 2026, and Norway was added to the approved list on 8 May 2026. Ukrainians who become Norwegian no longer automatically lose Ukrainian citizenship.
- Russia: Russian citizens must inform the authorities of new citizenship within 60 days. If you live abroad, this obligation applies from your first entry to Russia. Hiding it is punishable.
Rules for more countries can be found in the article about dual citizenship in Norway.
5. Say Yes to the Citizenship Ceremony – If You Want To
The citizenship ceremony is voluntary and free. It is the County Governor (Statsforvalteren) in your county who arranges it. If you became a citizen between 1 January 2025 and 1 March 2026 and are over 12 years old, you will receive a digital invitation in May 2026. You can bring up to two guests. The ceremony includes a loyalty oath, a gift book, and the national anthem—a nice celebration, but no obligation.
6. Update Your ID in Your Bank and BankID
Take your new passport to your bank so your ID is updated. The BankID app may ask you to confirm your identity again by scanning your new passport or ID card. You do not need to do anything with your driver's licence. And benefits from NAV (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service) continue as before—membership in the National Insurance follows from living in Norway, not from citizenship.
7. Can I Be Called Up for Military Service?
Yes, conscription applies to Norwegian citizens from the year they turn 19 until the end of the year they turn 44 (the Armed Forces Act § 6). In practice, the Armed Forces decide who is actually called up, and military service in another country can give full or partial exemption under § 30. If you are in this age group, you should know the rules—the article about conscription in the Norwegian Armed Forces explains them.
8. Use Your Right to Vote
As a Norwegian citizen, you can vote in parliamentary elections—the next one in 2029. You are automatically added to the voter register via the National Registry; the Electoral Authority is responsible for conducting the election. One exception: if you have lived abroad for more than ten years, you must apply to be added to the voter register again. You can read how the election works in the guide about the electoral system in Norway.
9. Explore Your New Opportunities
As a Norwegian citizen, you are an EEA citizen (the EEA is the European Economic Area) and can live, work, and study throughout the EU/EEA without permission. You never have to renew a residence permit or pay a fee to UDI for your stay. Some jobs also open up: the Police University College requires Norwegian citizenship by 1 March in the admission year—dual citizenship is fine. Some positions in the Armed Forces also require citizenship and security clearance.
10. Travel Smart With Two Passports
The Norwegian passport is among the world's strongest: 4th place on the Henley Passport Index 2026, with visa-free access to 185 destinations as of April 2026. And the 90/180-day rule in the Schengen area no longer applies to you. If you keep your old citizenship, three simple rules apply: keep your old passport valid, use each country's own passport at that country's border, and book plane tickets in exactly the same name as in the document you are travelling with. Norway is not in the EU, but in countries without a Norwegian embassy, other Nordic countries' foreign stations can help you (the Helsinki Treaty).
The Way Forward
You have done the hard part: the tests, the residence period, and the application. Now it is about using your rights. On SamfunnPrep you can find guides about everything from passports to voting rights—and practice exercises for friends and family who are still preparing for the civics and Norwegian tests. Ready to practise? Try SamfunnPrep free.
