The government wants to change the Norwegian Nationality Act in 2026: the main requirement would become eight years of continuous residence in Norway instead of eight of the last eleven years, and the residence requirement for stateless persons would rise from three to seven years. The proposal was presented on 21 June 2026 and still has to be adopted by the Storting.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion, headed by Minister Kjersti Stenseng (Labour), announced on 21 June 2026 that the government wants to tighten and simplify the Nationality Act. The changes come alongside a far more sweeping package of restrictions from the Progress Party (FrP), which the Storting debated in May 2026. If you are preparing for the tests on the way to permanent residence and citizenship, it is worth knowing what is actually proposed – and what does not change.

Changes to the Nationality Act in 2026: what the government proposes

At the core of the government's proposal is tidying up a framework the ministry itself calls "unnecessarily complicated", especially regarding residence requirements for different groups. These points are central:

  • The main residence rule is restructured. Today eight years of residence within the last eleven years is required (Nationality Act § 7). The government wants to replace this with a requirement of eight years of continuous residence in Norway. This simplifies case processing but also removes the flexibility today's "eight of eleven" rule gives those who have spent time abroad along the way.
  • Stateless persons: from three to seven years. The residence requirement for stateless persons rises from three to seven years, making it equal to the requirement for refugees.
  • Married to or cohabiting with a Norwegian citizen. The requirement is set at six years of continuous residence, combined with two years of marriage or cohabitation. This replaces today's more complex combination rule.
  • Those who arrived before the age of 18 must have five years of residence. Stateless persons born in Norway also get a five-year requirement, with an exemption after seven years of continuous residence.
  • Retaining citizenship after a stay abroad would require at least one year of residence, instead of today's case-by-case discretionary assessment.
  • Svalbard is excluded. The Nationality Act will not apply to Svalbard, and residence there will no longer count toward the residence requirement.

For stateless persons aged 18 to 67, the government simultaneously proposes raising the language requirement from A2 to B1, as a direct consequence of the increased residence requirement. For other applicants the language requirement stays the same.

The rationale is twofold: simplification and faster processing. Today around 30 percent of cases are handled fully automatically, and a more uniform set of rules could increase that share and shorten queues. "It is, and shall be, a privilege to obtain and hold Norwegian citizenship," Stenseng said in connection with the proposal.

Why "continuous residence" matters in practice

The shift from "eight of the last eleven years" to eight years of continuous residence sounds like a technical adjustment, but it can have real consequences. Today's rule is generous: you can have been outside Norway for up to three years within the eleven-year period and still meet the requirement. A continuous-residence requirement leaves less room for longer stays abroad along the way – for example studies, work or family obligations in another country.

How strict a "continuous" requirement becomes depends on the interruption rules the ministry settles on in the bill itself. It is common to allow shorter absences without resetting the residence count, but the precise limits are not clarified. Until the text is available, it is too early to say exactly how many days abroad will be permitted. Removing Svalbard from the act points in the same direction: time on the archipelago will no longer count, which particularly affects those who have lived and worked in Longyearbyen.

What are the requirements for Norwegian citizenship today?

As of June 2026, Nationality Act § 7 sets these main requirements for an adult applying for citizenship:

  • Residence: eight years of residence within the last eleven years.
  • Permanent residence permit: you must meet the conditions for, and as a rule hold, a permanent residence permit in 2026 when the decision is made.
  • Clarified identity: as a rule you must present a passport.
  • Language and civics: applicants aged 18 to 67 must pass an oral Norwegian test at level B1 and pass the citizenship test.
  • Conduct: a penalty or criminal sanction can trigger a waiting period (§ 9).

These basic requirements are explained further in our overview of Norwegian citizenship requirements 2026 and in the practical walkthrough of how to apply for Norwegian citizenship step by step.

The Progress Party's proposal: ten years' residence and B2

The government's proposal is moderate compared with the Progress Party's representative proposal (Doc 8:128 S (2025–2026)), put forward by Erlend Wiborg and Sylvi Listhaug among others and debated in the Storting on 7 May 2026. The FrP proposed to:

  • raise the residence requirement from eight to ten years,
  • tighten the language requirement from B1 to B2,
  • introduce a test in fundamental Norwegian values,
  • introduce an oath of allegiance modelled on the Danish arrangement,
  • require self-sufficiency with wage income of at least 3.2 times the National Insurance basic amount over the last five years (with an exception for pensioners),
  • introduce a permanent bar to citizenship for persons with an unconditional sentence of more than 90 days.

The proposals did not gain a majority. Labour, the Socialist Left, Red, the Centre Party and the Greens opposed the most far-reaching demands, while the Conservatives were open to reviewing the B1 requirement and reducing exemptions from the citizenship test, among other things. In the debate, Minister Stenseng pointed to research by professor Bente Puntervold Bø, who found that only around 13 percent of people with low education and a refugee background reach B1 level, despite long residence and high motivation. That is the main argument against raising the language requirement further.

What does this mean for you as an applicant?

First of all: nothing has been adopted yet. The government's proposal of 21 June 2026 must be drafted as a bill and processed in the Storting before anything takes effect, and no entry-into-force date has been set. The FrP's more sweeping demands were not adopted.

The most important thing to note is that the test requirements are not being weakened. For the vast majority of applicants the requirement of B1 oral Norwegian and a passed social-studies test stays fixed, both in current law and in the government's proposal. The debate is about residence, not about removing the tests. So if you are planning to apply, you should still expect the language and civics requirements to remain.

To understand the difference between the two tests, we have a separate explanation of the citizenship test vs the social-studies test. If you are considering keeping your original citizenship, the rules are gathered in the article on dual citizenship in Norway 2026.

The road ahead

Citizenship will remain a political battleground in the run-up to the parliamentary election, and more restrictions may come. The safest preparation is nonetheless the same whatever the outcome: master Norwegian at B1 level and pass the social-studies test. Both requirements already apply today, and none of the proposals remove them.

This is exactly where SamfunnPrep comes in. The service is built to help you pass the samfunnskunnskapsprøven (social-studies test) – the test you must take on the way to both a permanent residence permit and citizenship. With 700+ practice questions, a full exam simulation and progress tracking, you can practise systematically on precisely the requirement that stays fixed, while politicians debate residence and language level. Once you have passed the test, you have ticked off one of the requirements none of the proposals touch. You can prepare for the social-studies test with a structured plan – regardless of how the Nationality Act ends up looking.