If you are registering a foreign marriage in the Population Register (Folkeregisteret), the marriage is usually already valid in Norway. Registration is a separate document case with the Tax Authority (Skatteetaten), and it takes up to 10 weeks as of July 2026.
Register a foreign marriage in the Population Register: two cases, two agencies
A marriage entered into under foreign law is recognized in Norway if it was validly entered into in the country where the ceremony took place. This is stated in the Marriage Act § 18 a. The recognition follows from the law from the day you got married — without an application.
The Population Register does not update your marital status on its own after a marriage ceremony abroad. You must send documentation to the Tax Authority, and first you must be registered in the Population Register with a national identity number.
One general exception exists: a marriage is not recognized if it "would manifestly be contrary to Norwegian legal order" (ordre public). This is a matter of discretion.
| Topic | Recognition | Registration |
|---|---|---|
| Question | Is the marriage valid in Norway? | Is it in the Population Register? |
| Legal basis | Marriage Act § 18 a and § 18 b | Population Register Regulations chapter 8 |
| Who decides | Follows from the law; rejections go to the County Governor (Statsforvalteren) | Tax Authority |
| Form | BDIR-001 | RF-1569 |
| Time | not specified | up to 10 weeks (as of July 2026) |
Check first: are you already registered as married?
Log in to the Tax Authority and check your marital status before you send anything in the mail. Many are already registered as married without having submitted any form.
On first-time immigration, marital status is normally registered on the basis of your own statement in the notification of residence from UDI (Norwegian Directorate of Immigration). If you receive a residence permit for six months or longer, the Tax Authority retrieves the marital status from the message from UDI.
If UDI has approved family reunification and you immigrated as married, the Population Register must use UDI's decision as the basis and register you as married.
The marriage certificate in original form is irreplaceable, so check before you send it. If the Tax Authority needs further information, you will receive a letter that you must respond to within 30 days. If you believe your marital status is wrong, contact the Tax Authority — not UDI.
How to register the marriage with the Tax Authority
Two things must be submitted: a declaration of marriage and the original marriage certificate. Here is how to do it:
- Be registered in the Population Register with a national identity number.
- Fill out form RF-1569 "Declaration of My Marriage". Each spouse fills out their own declaration. If one spouse has no connection to Norway, only the other submits the form.
- Obtain the marriage certificate in original form, with stamp and signature. Electronic certificates are not accepted.
- If the certificate is from Denmark, Finland, Iceland or Sweden, you do not need an apostille. From all other countries, the certificate must have an apostille, or be legalized by the country's foreign ministry and then confirmed by a Norwegian foreign service mission.
- If the document is in a language other than English or a Nordic language, it must be translated by a certified translator. If the translation takes place abroad, the translation must also have an apostille or legalization. Send the original together with the translation.
- Send everything by post to the Tax Authority, P.O. Box 9200 Grønland, 0134 Oslo. You may send it registered, although this is not required.
- Wait. The processing time is up to 10 weeks as of July 2026, compared to 2 weeks for a marriage ceremony in Norway. The 10 weeks include authentication of the documents and registered return of your original certificate.
When the marriage is approved, you will receive a confirmation.
"We sent an apostille and still got rejected" — the 35 countries
Certificates from 35 countries are rarely accepted on their own. The Tax Authority states directly: "Documents from these countries will rarely be sufficient documentation … because they have low credibility. This applies even if the certificate has an apostille or legalization." The statement concerns document control in the issuing country, not the people.
The list is a regulation, not an editorial list on a website: Population Register Regulations § 8-4-2 second paragraph, "group 2 states". It includes 22 countries in Africa, 12 in Asia and one in Europe (Kosovo). The list itself is on the Tax Authority's page on registration of foreign marriages, and you can refer to the paragraph in an appeal.
There are three ways forward:
- Your UDI decision. If UDI has accepted the marriage in connection with family reunification, an exception can be made. Most common for those who have already obtained family immigration with a spouse.
- Verification. The marriage can also be registered if a Norwegian foreign service mission has verified it (Population Register Regulations § 8-4-11). This is not stated on the Tax Authority's public page.
- Exemption. The Tax Directorate (Skattedirektoratet) may in special cases grant an exemption from the documentation requirements when the case otherwise shows "beyond reasonable doubt" that the marriage took place (§ 8-4-21).
None of the three gives a guarantee.
Four reasons why Norway does not recognize the marriage
Marriage Act § 18 b applies only if at least one of you was a Norwegian citizen or permanently resident in Norway at the time of the ceremony. The marriage is not recognized if:
- the ceremony took place without both parties being present (proxy marriage),
- one of the parties was under 18 years old,
- one of the parties was already married, or
- you are siblings or closer relatives than siblings.
The rules apply from 1 January 2025. However, the sibling point shall be recognized where the EEA Agreement requires it (§ 18 b second paragraph). If you are siblings and married before 2025, the legal situation is unclear — contact the County Governor of Østfold, Buskerud, Oslo and Akershus.
The County Governor can nevertheless recognize the marriage "if strong reasons support it" (§ 18 b third paragraph). You submit the application on form BDIR-001 to the County Governor of Østfold, Buskerud, Oslo and Akershus — regardless of where in Norway you live. The application must contain a power of attorney to obtain documents from UDI, marriage certificate with apostille or legalization, certified translation and a copy of both passports.
If neither of you was a Norwegian citizen or resident in Norway, § 18 c applies instead. This only affects marriages from 1 January 2025 onwards where one party was under 18 years old.
The Tax Authority's own Population Register Handbook still cites the old wording of § 18 a — it is the legislation text on Lovdata that applies.
If the marriage is not recognized, Marriage Act § 4 second paragraph states that the parties "may still marry each other" in Norway, if the act's other conditions are met. For many proxy marriages, this is the fastest solution.
What does it mean in everyday life that the marriage is not registered?
As long as the marriage is not registered, you are treated as unmarried by the authorities.
Residence. The marriage must be capable of recognition in Norway for the spouse to obtain residence under the rules for spouses. UDI may instead consider a permit as a cohabiting partner or a permit to marry in Norway. If you obtain residence on another basis, UDI registers your marital status as "not stated".
Taxes. The rules on taxation as spouses apply first from the income year after you got married; in the year of marriage you are taxed separately.
Inheritance. The spouse inherits one quarter when there are surviving heirs, but at least four times the National Insurance basic amount (G). If the nearest heirs are parents or their descendants, the minimum inheritance is six times G. With G at 136,549 kroner as of 1 May 2026, 4 G = 546,196 kroner and 6 G = 819,294 kroner. A cohabiting partner does not have the same right: only cohabiting partners who have, have had or expect common children with the deceased have statutory inheritance rights, and that is four times G (Inheritance Act § 12) — see what marriage provides in terms of rights compared to cohabitation.
Name. The Name Act § 4 first paragraph no. 4 lets you take your spouse's surname or middle name, and then you must be registered as married. Cohabiting partners who have lived together for at least two years or have a common child can choose the same way (§ 4 second paragraph).
The rules are linked to the rest of the rules for family immigration on SamfunnPrep.
You receive a rejection: appeal within three weeks, or marry in Norway
The appellate authority in Population Register cases is the Tax Directorate, and the appeal deadline is 3 weeks from when you received notice of the decision (Public Administration Act § 29). You submit the appeal in writing through the Tax Authority.
Appeal is not always the fastest way. If the marriage is not recognized, you can instead marry in Norway with a certificate of ability to marry and a marriage ceremony. The certificate of ability to marry is valid for four months.
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