A stateless person (apatride) is a person who is not recognized as a citizen of any country. This is a particularly vulnerable legal situation. Norway has committed to protecting stateless persons through UN conventions and national legislation.

Who is stateless (apatride)?

You are stateless if you:

  • Never had citizenship in any country
  • Lost citizenship without gaining another (e.g., due to state dissolution, discriminatory laws)
  • Are not recognized as a citizen of any country, even if you were born there

Statelessness is globally common among:

  • Palestinians (who do not have recognized citizenship)
  • Rohingya from Myanmar
  • Certain populations in Eastern Europe and the Middle East
  • Children of stateless parents (statelessness can be "inherited")
  • Certain Kurdish groups

Important distinction: Stateless is not the same as refugee or asylum seeker – though many stateless persons are also fleeing. Statelessness is independent of protection needs.

Rights in Norway as a stateless person

Stateless persons who reside lawfully in Norway have rights under:

  • The UN Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons (1954) – which Norway has ratified
  • Norwegian Immigration Act

Rights include:

  • Right to residence permit (see below)
  • Right to travel document (see below)
  • Right to work on equal terms with other permit holders
  • Access to public health services, education and welfare on equal terms with others with residence permits
  • Exemption from certain discriminatory practices

Travel document for stateless persons: UN Convention Travel Document

Stateless persons often cannot obtain a passport from any country. Norway issues a travel document for stateless persons ("Convention Travel Document") in accordance with the UN Convention of 1954:

Who can apply:

  • You are formally recognized as stateless in Norway
  • You have a valid residence permit in Norway
  • You cannot obtain a travel document from any other country

Application: Apply via the police (politiet.no) or the County Governor (Statsforvalteren). Documents: proof of statelessness, proof of residence permit, passport photo.

Limitations: The Convention Travel Document is not accepted by all countries. It does not automatically grant right of entry everywhere.

Applying for residence permit as a stateless person

Stateless persons apply for residence permit on the same basis as other foreign nationals – but with some adjustments:

  • Can apply for asylum/protection if they have fled persecution
  • Can apply on grounds of family reunification, studies, work – depending on situation
  • UDI assesses stateless persons by the same criteria as others, but takes into account that they may have difficulty documenting identity (due to lack of passport)
  • Temporary residence permit may be issued while identity and background are investigated

Some stateless persons are recognized under the special provision in the Immigration Act § 96 (temporary permit for stateless persons born in Norway who have no right to citizenship in any other country).

Citizenship: the path for stateless persons in Norway

Stateless persons can apply for Norwegian citizenship after meeting the normal requirements:

  • 7 years of lawful residence in Norway (8 years for some groups)
  • Valid residence permit
  • Passed Norwegian language test (A2 oral, A1 written)
  • Passed citizenship exam (Norwegian public knowledge test / Samfunnskunnskapsprøven)
  • No serious criminal record

Exception for stateless children born in Norway: Children born in Norway to stateless parents who cannot gain citizenship in any other country have, by law, a right to Norwegian citizenship under special conditions. Contact the County Governor (Statsforvalteren).

Note: Stateless persons are normally not required to renounce another citizenship (since they have none to renounce).

See also the asylum process in Norway and residence permit renewal and deadlines.

Statelessness: why does it happen and who is affected?

Statelessness means that a person does not have citizenship in any country in the world. This may sound unusual, but it happens more often than many believe – the UN estimates that at least 4 million people are stateless globally.

There are several reasons why someone becomes stateless. One common cause is that a state dissolves or changes borders. This happened when Yugoslavia broke apart in the 1990s, and many people living there suddenly lost their citizenship. The same happened when the Soviet Union collapsed and when Czechoslovakia divided. Thousands of people became stateless overnight.

Another cause is ethnic discrimination. In some countries, people from certain ethnic groups are not registered as citizens even though they were born there. This has been a major problem, for example, for the Rohingya people in Myanmar, who were denied citizenship for generations even though they had lived there for generations.

Statelessness can also occur at birth. If your parents are stateless or if you are born in a country that does not grant automatic citizenship to all children born there, you can be born stateless. A child can become stateless if their mother and father come from different countries that do not grant citizenship, or if the country where the child is born does not grant citizenship to children of immigrants.

Administrative errors and lack of documentation are also a reason. In some countries, the registration system is poor, and it is easy to be "forgotten" in the system. If you cannot find a birth certificate or other documentation, it can be difficult to prove that you are a citizen.

Sometimes people lose their citizenship because they expressed views that the state ideologically disagreed with, or because they were political prisoners. Some countries revoke citizenship as a punishment, though this is illegal under international law.

Travel document for stateless persons: what is the Convention Travel Document?

If you are stateless, you cannot obtain an ordinary passport from any state. But you have a right to a travel document – and this is issued by Norway through UDI if you are registered as stateless.

The document is officially called "Travel Document for Stateless Persons" or in English "Convention Travel Document". It is based on the UN Convention from 1954 on the Status of Stateless Persons. The document looks like a passport, but is blue instead of red, and is marked "Convention Travel Document".

The Convention Travel Document gives you the right to travel and to return to Norway. It is valid for multiple journeys to most countries in the world, even though you do not have citizenship anywhere. Many countries recognize the Convention Travel Document as a valid travel document.

To obtain the Convention Travel Document, you must first apply to be registered as stateless with UDI. This is a process in which you must show documentation that you are truly stateless – for example, that you have applied for citizenship in your country of origin and it was rejected, or that your country no longer exists. You must also provide evidence from your employer or other proof that you live in Norway.

When UDI has registered you as stateless, you can apply for the Convention Travel Document. This costs a fee (approximately NOK 600–800 in 2026) and normally takes 2–3 weeks to obtain.

The Convention Travel Document is valid for five years for adults and two years for children. It must be renewed before it expires. Some countries accept the Convention Travel Document without problems, while others have strict requirements or will not accept it. Before you travel, you should check with the embassy of the country you are traveling to to confirm that they accept the Convention Travel Document.

The path to Norwegian citizenship as a stateless person

If you are stateless and live in Norway, you have a good opportunity to become a Norwegian citizen. The laws are more flexible for stateless persons than for other immigrants.

Normally, one must live in Norway for seven years before applying for Norwegian citizenship. But if you are stateless, it is possible to apply after only five years. This is an important relief that is written directly into the Immigration Act.

Furthermore, it is possible to be exempted from the requirement to speak and write Norwegian if you are stateless. This is because it may be completely impossible to learn a new language under certain circumstances, and the state recognizes that this is an unreasonable burden for stateless persons who have no home country to return to.

When you apply for citizenship, like all other applicants, you must be resident in Norway and not have serious convictions. You must also take an oath of allegiance – a formal oath in which you promise to be loyal to Norway. This oath is short and simple, and you can choose whether to do it in Norwegian or in English.

The process goes through the County Governor in your county. You send the application and all relevant documents (passport, documentation of statelessness, proof of residence) to the County Governor. They check that you meet the requirements, and if everything is in order, they forward the application to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, which makes the final decision.

The decision is communicated through the County Governor. When you become a Norwegian citizen, you receive a citizenship certificate that you can use to obtain a Norwegian passport. From that day on, you have the same rights and responsibilities as all other Norwegian citizens – you can work, live and travel freely.

If for some reason you do not obtain citizenship, you can appeal the decision to the County Governor or seek recourse to the court. But as a stateless person, you also have the right to live in Norway while you wait – you are not at risk of expulsion as long as you meet the basic conditions for residence.