The citizenship test is a digital exam about Norwegian society. If you are between 18 and 67 years old, you must pass it to apply for Norwegian citizenship. The civics exam in Norwegian also counts.
What is the citizenship test, and do you have to take it?
The citizenship test is a civics exam where you choose between three answers. You take it at an approved test centre. The requirement is set out in the Citizenship Act § 8 and applies to applicants between 18 and 67 years old, effective from 1 October 2022.
HK-dir (Directorate for Higher Education and Competence) is responsible for the test, while the test centres in the municipalities administer it. UDI (Immigration and Integration Authority) decides the citizenship application itself. You must have passed the tests already when you hand in your application documents at the police station, not first when UDI processes your application. To get Norwegian citizenship you need both an oral Norwegian exam at level B1 and the citizenship test.
You can use the civics exam instead, but it must be passed in Norwegian. If you took it in another language, it does not count. The details are in the difference between the citizenship test and the civics exam, and the guide to Norwegian citizenship covers the whole topic.
The test is just one of the requirements. Residence, permanent residence permit and character (if you have been convicted) are explained in all requirements for Norwegian citizenship in 2026. If you are unsure about the residence period, you can calculate your residence time.
The citizenship test in numbers: tasks, time and price
The test has 36 tasks with three answer options each, and you have a maximum of 60 minutes. Only 32 of the tasks give points, and you must have 24 correct answers to pass.
The four tasks that do not count are new tasks that HK-dir is testing out. They are not marked, so you do not know which four they are. Therefore you should answer all the tasks, even ones you are unsure about.
You can have the tasks read aloud with audio files during the test.
What does the citizenship test cost?
The municipality decides the price. As of 4 August 2026 HK-dir states that the test costs between 300 kroner and 1800 kroner, and the correct price is shown in the registration portal.
There is no national scheme for a free citizenship test. The one free test applies only to the civics exam, and only to you if you have the right to instruction in Norwegian and civics. Oslo Adult Education makes it clear: everyone must pay to take the citizenship test.
Two examples as of 4 August 2026: Trondheim charges 1200 kroner, Drammen charges 1000 kroner. A few municipalities have their own schemes, so always check the price for your test centre in the registration portal.
How to register
You register in HK-dir's registration portal. You first choose your county and then the test centre. You cannot choose test centres that do not have a scheduled date.
The citizenship test has no common registration deadline and no common test period for the whole country. The test centre sets the dates, and capacity varies greatly. Oslo administers the test several times a month, while Trondheim states that they do not administer the test in August and December 2026.
The registration is binding. If you register and do not show up, you must pay anyway. If you have a medical certificate, you can take the test at another time. The call letter with date, time and location comes from the test centre two weeks before the test.
If you need adjustments, you must contact the test centre at the latest three days after you registered. This can be extra time, a separate room or an oral test. If you have dyslexia, speech problems or trauma, you need a statement from a doctor, psychologist, speech therapist or the PP service (educational psychology service). If you read poorly, you can ask for an oral test without such documentation. Adjusted test for dyslexia or health problems goes into more detail on this.
What you must bring on the test day
You take the test on the test centre's computer and must show valid ID with the same ID number you registered with. HK-dir accepts these documents:
- valid passport
- Norwegian bank card with photo
- Norwegian driving licence, original and copy – digital driving licence is not valid
- national ID card issued within the EEA
- travel document for refugees and alien passport
- residence card for foreigners
- asylum seeker certificate with name registration and information about place of birth
You cannot use aids. Mobile phone, smartwatch, smart glasses, dictionary and notes you have brought count as cheating. If you are caught cheating or attempting to cheat, you can be asked to leave the room, you can lose your test certificate, and you can have to wait one year before you can take the test again. You receive a decision on cheating, and you can appeal it.
Who is exempt from taking the citizenship test?
The Citizenship Regulations § 4-2, effective from 1 October 2022, lists seven grounds for exemption. You are exempt from the test if you:
- have passed the civics exam in Norwegian
- have a grade of 2 or higher in social studies from lower secondary school
- have a grade of 2 in civics from upper secondary school
- have completed and passed at least 10 credits in social studies that give knowledge about Norway at university or university college
- have been admitted to and completed studies in Norwegian or Sami at university or university college in Norway
- cannot pass the test due to particular health reasons, other serious reasons or personal circumstances beyond your control
- have a decision from the municipality to exempt you from the duty to take the final civics test
Exemption from the test and exemption from the requirement for B1 oral Norwegian are two different things. You can get one without the other. You apply for exemption with UDI (Immigration and Integration Authority), not with the test centre.
The Government submitted on 21 June 2026 a proposal for changes to the Citizenship Act and Citizenship Regulations for consultation. The proposal is mainly about who can apply, not the test itself, and it is described in more detail in the Government's proposal for a new citizenship law. The rules above apply as of 4 August 2026, but the proposal is under consultation, so they may be adjusted.
Result, appeal and new attempt
You see the result the day after the test, by email and on My page. If you pass, the test centre sends the test certificate by post two to four weeks after the test.
You cannot appeal the result. You can appeal a formal error, for example technical problems on the test day. The deadline is three weeks after the test, and the appeal is sent to the test centre.
HK-dir does not state an upper limit for how many times you can take the test. If you want to try again, you register for a new date and pay again.
How to prepare
The questions are taken from the curriculum in Norwegian and civics for adult immigrants. The syllabus is on samfunnskunnskap.no and consists of three modules and thirteen chapters.
The syllabus is available in 24 language versions – Bokmål, Nynorsk and 22 other languages – even though the test is only in Norwegian. Read the material in your own language first, then practise the Norwegian words and concepts.
In 2025, 5,973 people took the citizenship test, and 92.4 per cent passed, according to figures HK-dir published on 19 March 2026. Only 1.3 per cent took the test in Nynorsk. Many of the problems are practical: binding registration, wrong ID and a forgotten deadline for adjustments.
In SamfunnPrep you practise tasks similar to those you get on the test, with timing as on the test day. SamfunnPrep covers the entire syllabus and shows you which chapters you should review.
Ready to practise? Try SamfunnPrep for free.
