Apply for Norwegian citizenship 2026: step by step and ceremony

You apply for Norwegian citizenship digitally with UDI, pay 6 500 kroner, and meet with the police. Processing now takes approximately 28 months. If your application is approved, you are Norwegian – the ceremony with oath of allegiance is optional. Here is the entire process, step by step.

What is required for Norwegian citizenship in 2026?

To become a Norwegian citizen, you must meet several conditions at the same time. The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) checks that you meet all requirements before making a decision. Per 8 July 2026, these main requirements apply:

• Age: you must as a rule be at least 18 years old (separate rules for children).
• Residence permit: you must have a valid and usually permanent residence permit.
• botid: you must have lived in Norway long enough (see table below).
• Clarified identity: UDI must know for certain who you are.
• Clean record: if you have been convicted, you receive a waiting period – a grace period – before you can become Norwegian. The length depends on the conviction.
• Economic self-sufficiency: if you want to apply with shorter botid, you must have had sufficient income (more on this below).
• Spoken Norwegian: you must have passed a test in spoken Norwegian at level B1.
• Knowledge test: you must have passed the statsborgerprøven or the Samfunnskunnskapsprøven in Norwegian.

There are exceptions. For example, people who came as refugees and are 55 years old or older are often exempt from language and knowledge requirements. Each requirement is explained in more detail in the article about requirements for Norwegian citizenship.

Important in 2026: The government has proposed to tighten the statsborgerloven, among other things with a requirement for continuous botid. The proposal is under consultation with a deadline in October 2026 and has not been adopted. Follow the news about the government tightening the statsborgerloven, but use the rules below as long as they apply.

botid: how long must you have lived in Norway?

The main rule is that you must have lived in Norway for 8 of the last 11 years with residence permits that each last at least one year. But botid is shorter for several groups:

If you want to use the exception of economic self-sufficiency and apply after 6 years, you must in the last completed tax year have had income of at least three times the National Insurance base amount (3 G). For the 2024 tax year, it was 366 675 kroner, and for 2025 approximately 384 000 kroner. UDI retrieves the figure directly from the Tax Authority.

If you are unsure whether you have enough botid, you can calculate it with the botid calculator before you apply.

Step by step: how you apply

The application itself follows a fixed order:

1. Fill out the application on udi.no. You log in and answer questions about identity, residence and background.
2. Pay the fee. The application will not be processed before the fee is paid.
3. Book an appointment and meet with the police. You meet in person to submit documents and confirm your identity. If you live abroad, you meet at the Norwegian embassy or general consulate.
4. The police send the case to UDI, which makes the decision.

Bring the documents you need to the police appointment:

• Valid passport or travel document.
• Proof of passed spoken Norwegian (B1) and the statsborgerprøven or Samfunnskunnskapsprøven.
• Documentation of residence permits and botid.
• Any documentation of income if you apply with shorter botid.

The tests are arranged by the Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir). Submit everything correctly the first time – missing information in the application is one of the most common reasons cases take longer. If you are unsure which test applies to you, read about the difference between the statsborgerprøven and Samfunnskunnskapsprøven. With SamfunnPrep, you can practice with real questions for both tests in Norwegian at your own pace before you apply.

Fee and processing time

The fee to apply is 6 500 kroner for adults. For children under 18 years, the application is free. The fee is paid online before the police appointment.

Processing time is now long. UDI states approximately 28 months from when you submit documents with the police until you get an answer, among other reasons because many applications are in queue. Some cases proceed faster and partly automatically. You follow the status on My page at UDI. The waiting time changes often, so check updated figures at UDI before you plan.

Can you keep your old citizenship?

Yes. Norway has allowed double citizenship since 2020. You do not need to apply separately or notify UDI that you want to keep your old citizenship. But it is your home country's law that decides whether you actually get to keep your old citizenship – some countries withdraw it automatically when you become Norwegian. Check the rules in your home country, and read more about double citizenship before you apply.

Citizenship ceremony and oath of allegiance

When your application is approved, you are already a Norwegian citizen – the ceremony itself has no legal significance for your status. You are nonetheless invited to a citizenship ceremony that the county governor arranges in the county where you live, usually once or twice a year.

The ceremony is optional. It is a solemn welcome as a new Norwegian citizen. Participants who are 18 years old or older take an oath of allegiance in which they promise loyalty to Norway and Norwegian society. The oath is optional and gives no new duties beyond what all citizens have. For children, both participation and oath are optional, and the ceremony is open to family.

After you have become a Norwegian citizen

As a new Norwegian citizen, you can apply for a Norwegian passport and vote in parliamentary elections. You also have the right to run for office and to stay in Norway without a residence permit. If you have children, they can in many cases become Norwegian at the same time or shortly after you. Remember that a Norwegian passport must be applied for separately with the police – it does not follow automatically with the decision. If you want to understand how language level is connected to both residence and citizenship, read about Norwegian language level on the path to citizenship.

What you should remember

• The application is digital on udi.no, followed by a personal appointment with the police.
• The main rule is 8 of the last 11 years botid; shorter for spouses, Nordic citizens, refugees and economically self-sufficient persons.
• The fee is 6 500 kroner for adults and free for children under 18.
• Processing now takes approximately 28 months – plan in good time.
• The ceremony and oath of allegiance are optional and do not change your status.

Numbers and deadlines above are based on UDI's information per 8 July 2026 and may change. Always check updated information at UDI before you apply. This article is information, not legal advice.

The most important thing you can do yourself is to pass the two tests. With SamfunnPrep, you practice with real questions for both the statsborgerprøven and Samfunnskunnskapsprøven in Norwegian, at your own pace.

Ready to practice? Try SamfunnPrep free.