Norwegian citizenship for children: all the paths

A child born in Norway does not automatically become Norwegian. Norwegian citizenship for children follows the parents: by birth, by adoption, by joint application with a parent, or by their own application from age 12. For children under 18 years, the application is free.

Does my child become Norwegian just because it was born in Norway?

No. Birthplace does not grant citizenship in Norway. UDI (Directorate of Immigration) is clear: a child born in Norway to two foreign parents does not become Norwegian at birth. The parents' citizenship determines this.

According to statsborgerloven § 4, a child becomes Norwegian at birth if the mother or father is Norwegian and parentage is established under the Children Act. This applies to children born on or after 1 September 2006, regardless of birthplace and whether the parents were married.

For children born before 1 September 2006, a Norwegian mother granted citizenship, while a Norwegian father did so only if married to the mother. Children born before 1979 were subject to different rules — contact UDI. Here lies a trap: UDI still has the form "Notification of citizenship for adopted children and children with a Norwegian father", but the notification in § 37 applies only to children under 18 years — and all born before September 2006 are now over 19 years old.

See also how to register a newborn in Norway and the theme page on Norwegian citizenship on SamfunnPrep.

If the child does not become Norwegian at birth, there are several application routes, with different requirements for residence (time lived in Norway) and permanent residence permit (PRP). The adult rule of eight of eleven years does not apply to children.

Adoption and joint application with parents

If a child is adopted by a Norwegian citizen, it becomes Norwegian on the same day as the adoption, without application. A child applying jointly with a parent has the right to citizenship without language requirements and without a fee.

The requirement in § 5 is that the adoptive parent is Norwegian, that the child is under 18 at the time of adoption, and that the adoption is granted or recognized under Norwegian adoption law.

According to § 17, children under 18 of a parent who becomes Norwegian have the right to citizenship upon application:

• Under two years: no residence requirement. The child must have a clear identity (usually a passport), live permanently in Norway and have a residence permit at the time of the decision.
• Two to 18 years: must have lived in Norway for the last two years with permits for at least one year, and a maximum of two months abroad per calendar year.
• Both groups: no PRP, no Norwegian test, no citizenship test, no self-sufficiency requirement.

Children over 12 applying on their own grounds

Once a child has turned 12, it can gain citizenship on its own grounds and not just as a co-applicant with a parent (§ 7 first paragraph letter b). The application must nevertheless be made by the parents, cf. § 31. Children under 12 generally gain citizenship together with a parent.

According to § 11, applicants who came to Norway before turning 18 must have five years of residence within the last seven years, with permits for at least one year. The child must also have PRP, or meet the requirements for it, when UDI makes a decision; for children, PRP requires three or five years of residence. From age 15, the child must themselves order a police certificate.

Twelve years appears in two places in the law: in § 7 it is the lower limit for applying independently, in § 31 the age at which the child must consent to the parents' application.

According to § 8, applicants between 18 and 67 years must have level B1 in spoken Norwegian test and have passed the citizenship test, and the 18-year limit "is calculated from the time of application". If the child applies the day before their 18th birthday, they escape both tests — even if the decision comes a year later. If they apply the day after, they must take the tests. See the complete path to Norwegian citizenship for adults.

Stateless children born in Norway have the shortest route

A stateless child born in Norway can become Norwegian without PRP, without a passport and without a fee — in some cases before it turns one year old.

According to § 16, neither the twelve-year limit nor the residence requirement in § 7 apply to stateless children. UDI requires that the child lives permanently in Norway, and that one of the following is met:

• the child has lived continuously in Norway for the last three years, or
• the child is under one year old and has parents who have or meet the requirements for PRP, or
• the child is under one year old and has parents who in the last three years have been registered as EU/EEA citizens or have had a residence card as a family member.

The child cannot have been outside Norway for more than seven months during the three-year period. If the child is under one year old, the family can apply for PRP and citizenship at the same time.

17 March 2025 UDI received an instruction from the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion that stateless persons can apply after three years; before this, UDI required five years of stateless persons without PRP. Read more about what it means to be stateless in Norway.

Who must sign the application?

• If the parents have joint parental responsibility, both must sign. If one parent has parental responsibility alone, they sign alone (§ 31).

One exception exists: if one parent is "at an unknown location", the other can apply alone. That the parent lives abroad, does not answer or does not want to sign is not an exception. If the parents are dead, the guardian acts.

If the child has turned twelve, the child's own consent on UDI's form is also required. Children under twelve should be given the opportunity to express their views, which should be given weight according to age and maturity.

What does it cost, and how long do you have to wait?

An application for Norwegian citizenship for children under 18 years is free: statsborgerforskriften § 15-1 exempts them from the fee requirement. The fee of 6,500 kroner in § 15-2 applies to adult applicants.

As of 25 June 2026, UDI states a processing time of 19 months for a standard application, and around 11,000 await a response. Children under 18 receive an answer within three months if the parents have become Norwegian. Here lies a detail that costs many families a year:

• If the parents have joint parental responsibility, both must have become Norwegian for the application to be prioritized.
• If only one of them has become Norwegian, the child waits as long as an adult.
• If one parent has parental responsibility alone and has become Norwegian, the requirement is met.

If the child applies without PRP, the case is not processed automatically, and it takes longer. Applying is a right when the requirements are met: in 2025, UDI granted 95 percent of all applications, and 9,891 of the 35,021 new citizens were children under 18 years (SSB, table 04767).

Dual citizenship and life after the decision

Norway has permitted dual citizenship since 1 January 2020: the child does not need to renounce the citizenship it has from before, and you do not need to notify Norwegian authorities.

Norwegian law is nevertheless only half the picture: if the child's home country does not permit multiple citizenships, the child may lose the old one when becoming Norwegian. This is determined by the other country, not by Norway, so check the rules there. More is found in the rules on dual citizenship after 1 January 2020.

After the decision, the child must be registered as Norwegian in the Population Register — contact the tax office yourself — before you can apply for a Norwegian passport. The County Governor invites new citizens who have turned 12 years to a voluntary citizenship ceremony; younger children do not receive an invitation.

On 21 June 2026, the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion sent a proposal for amendments to the citizenship act for consultation, including on residence requirements. This is a proposal, not current law: the Storting has not considered it, and the rules above apply as of 23 July 2026.

Parents applying for themselves must pass the citizenship test and Norwegian test themselves. Ready to practice? Try SamfunnPrep free.