Faith and worldview communities in Norway must now have at least 100 members eligible for state funding to receive government grants, up from 50 members as of 1 January 2026. Communities that had at least 100 members on that date retain their funding down to 85 members – but only if they submit their member list by 1 March.

What are state subsidies for faith and worldview communities?

State subsidies for faith and worldview communities are government support designed to give faith communities outside Den norske kirke approximately the same economic conditions per member as Den norske kirke receives. The scheme applies to all registered faith and worldview communities – whether they operate a mosque, temple, Buddhist association, free church, synagogue, or humanist fellowship.

The right to believe, practice, and organize freely is a fundamental right in Norway (read more in our article on religious freedom in Norway). The subsidy scheme is the economic side of this right: the state recognizes that practicing faith in community costs money, and therefore contributes financially.

Rules about religious and worldview freedom are also part of the curriculum for the citizenship test. If you serve on the board of a faith community and must take the test for a residence permit or citizenship, you can practice for free on the citizenship test through SamfunnPrep.

Eligible members: how many do you need?

As of 1 January 2026, a faith or worldview community must have at least 100 eligible members to receive state funding. Before this date, the requirement was 50 members – so the threshold has doubled.

This change is set out in the Faith Communities Act, §§ 4 and 5, enacted by law of 14 March 2025 no. 3 and effective from 1 January 2026. According to NRK, 179 faith and worldview communities had between 50 and 100 members in 2024, and around 170 of them now risk losing state support. Some have managed to exceed the threshold – Den norske buddhistforening grew from 92 to 116 members. Among those affected are mosques, Buddhist associations, Sikh and Hindu communities, and Orthodox congregations.

The member count that matters is the count as of 1 January. If you fall below 100, you must be above the threshold by the next count on 1 January 2027 to receive funding that year. A merger with another community is in practice demanding and must be completed before the count date.

SamfunnPrep has several articles about the rights and responsibilities of newcomers to Norway, including articles on religious freedom and democratic participation – both relevant when a board seeks registration and funding.

State subsidies for worldview communities: how much do you get per member?

The rate is set each year and should correspond to what the state and municipalities on average give Den norske kirke per member (Faith Communities Act § 5). For 2025, the rate was 1 554 kroner per eligible member. Check this year's rate in the circular from the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs before calculating your amount.

The money is paid out as a single lump sum to the organization – not as separate payments to each member. A community with 150 members received 233 100 kroner with the 2025 rate (150 × 1 554). The scheme is large: in 2025, just over 1.1 billion kroner was distributed to 693 recipients.

The 85-member buffer – does it apply to your faith community?

No, not for everyone. Only communities that already had at least 100 members on 1 January 2026 can retain their funding down to 85 members. In practice, the buffer first becomes relevant at the next count, since you by definition had at least 100 members on 1 January 2026.

It is easy to think that 85 members is a safe threshold for all faith communities. That is not correct. If you had at least 100 members on 1 January 2026, you retain your funding as long as you have at least 85 members – even if you later fall below 100. If you had fewer than 100 on that date, there is no buffer: the threshold is hard at 100.

Registering a faith community in Norway: two steps you must go through

Registration happens in two steps: first, getting an organization number from Brønnøysundregistrene, then registering as a faith community with Statsforvalteren (the regional state authority in the county).

  • Step 1 – Brønnøysundregistrene: Obtain an organization number in the Business Register, the standard register for Norwegian businesses and organizations. This gives only a number – Brønnøysundregistrene does not register the faith community itself.
  • Step 2 – truoglivssyn.statsforvalteren.no: Apply for registration as a faith or worldview community in the portal. Log in with ID-porten (the digital login solution for public services, for example with BankID) and select «Apply for registration».
  • Brønnøysundregistrene later checks that the member list does not overlap with other communities or with Den norske kirke.

Two Statsforvalteren offices divide the responsibility: Statsforvalteren in Østfold, Buskerud, Oslo, and Akershus covers its region, while Statsforvalteren in Agder is responsible for the rest of the country.

Running a faith community is in practice running a voluntary organization (see our article on volunteering and community work in Norway). Applying for state funding and registering with a public authority is a concrete form of democratic participation.

Member list and the 1 March deadline: you cannot afford to miss this

1 March is the deadline for claiming funding and uploading your member list for the year. 15 March is an additional deadline to correct errors in a list you have already uploaded. 10 April is the deadline for annual report and accounts. If you received more than 300 000 kroner in state funding last year, your accounts must also be audited by an authorized auditor.

The member count as of 1 January that year is what counts. The list must be uploaded as an Excel or CSV file, with 11-digit personal identity number for each member, one member per row, without spaces. Brønnøysundregistrene checks the list against the National Register, Den norske kirkes register, and other faith communities' lists, so no one is counted twice. Funding is paid out in autumn, after the check is complete.

The most important thing to remember: if you miss the 1 March deadline, the community loses the entire year's funding – not just a few weeks' delay. A community with 150 members that forgets to report by 1 March loses more than 200 000 kroner for that year. You cannot apply again until 1 January the following year, and the application will then only count toward the next year's funding.

Solemnization rights and registration: what happens if you fall below 100 members?

Funding stops when you are below the threshold – but that does not automatically mean the community loses its registration or solemnization rights.

The law uses the same numbers – 100, with a buffer down to 85 – both for funding and for the registration itself. The difference lies in how automatic it is: funding is not granted when you are below the threshold (§ 5), while registration can be revoked (§ 4) – this is a decision Statsforvalteren makes, not something that happens automatically. Solemnization rights, that is, the right to solemnize marriages with legal effect, are lost only if the community is dissolved or loses its registration under § 4.

This is an important distinction: you do not automatically lose the right to exist as a faith community even if the support stops. The uncertainty around member numbers is nevertheless real enough that leaders in smaller communities – including in Buddhist associations that NRK has reported on – describe the situation as a question about the fellowship's very future.

A faith community is not just about money and registration, but also about members' daily lives – such as the right to time off work and school for religious holidays. This entire body of rules, from religious freedom to participation in society, is part of the citizenship test curriculum. If you are new to Norway and must take the test, you can practice for free with SamfunnPrep.