Norwegian citizenship
If you have a Digipost account, we will send the decision letter to you there. If you do not have an account, you will receive the decision by post. Please read your decision letter or the information below on this page for details on what to do to follow up.
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Norwegian citizenship granted by application
Congratulations on your Norwegian citizenship! UDI has sent you the decision letter by post or, if you have an account, Digipost.
What you need to do now
- When you have received the letter with the decision from UDI, you need to wait a week before you can apply for Norwegian passport.
- You need to book an appointment with the police to apply for a passport (external website).
The reason you need to wait a week is because it takes a week for it to be registered in the National Population Register (Folkeregisteret) that you are a Norwegian citizen.
What to bring when you apply for a Norwegian passport
- The decision letter from UDI. You must show the decision letter when you are going to apply for a Norwegian passport for the first time.
- Your residence card (if you have one) to turn in.
- Your passport, or your immigrant’s passport / travel document for refugees, if you have one. If you do not have a passport / immigrant’s passport / travel document, you must bring a valid ID. You must submit a Norwegian immigrant's passport / travel document at the passport office.
- Report of loss for your travel document if you have lost your immigrant’s passport or travel document.
The name written at the top of your decision letter is your name as registered in the National Population Register. This is the name that will appear in your Norwegian passport. If you want a different spelling, you can find information on how to change your name on the Norwegian Population Register website (external website).
How to get a a report if you have lost your Norwegian immigrant’s passport or travel document
If you have lost your immigrant’s passport or travel document, you must first notify the police. You need to hand in a report of loss and the police need to confirm your identity.
You cannot apply for a passport without this confirmation. You can find the contact information for the police districts here.
If you are under 18 years of age
If you are under the age of 18 years, there are different rules and requirements for obtaining a passport (external website).
You can participate in a voluntary citizenship ceremony
If you are over 12 years old, you will receive an invitation from the county governor to participate in a voluntary citizenship ceremony. The citizenship ceremony is a formal celebration for those obtaining Norwegian citizenship. There will be a speech from a government official, you will be able to make a vow of allegiance, the national anthem will be played and you will receive a gift book. The ceremony is arranged by the County Governor. You will receive an invitation by post from the County Governor and you must register for the ceremony yourself. The ceremony is free and you can bring guests. After the ceremony, food and drink will be served. More information can be found at statsforvalteren.no (external website).
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Norwegian citizenship granted by notification for Nordic citizens
Congratulations on your Norwegian citizenship! UDI has sent you the decision letter by post or, if you have an account, Digipost.
What you need to do now
- You can apply for Norwegian passport once you get a decision letter from UDI.
- You must book an appointment with the police to apply for a passport (external website).
Please bring the following when you go to the police
- Your letter from UDI. You must show this to the police before they can give you your passport when you apply for the first time.
- Your current passport, which you must present or a valid ID.
Your children who live in Norway may have become Norwegian at the same time as you
- If you have children under the age of 18 years living in Norway, your children became Norwegian at the same time as you, even if you have not applied for or submitted a notification for Norwegian citizenship on their behalf. Note that your child did not automatically become Norwegian if he or she was married or a registered partner when you registered as a Norwegian citizen.
- You must ensure that your children are registered as Norwegian in the Norwegian Population Register (external website). You must send a letter explaining that you have become Norwegian by notification and that your children should be registered as Norwegian citizens as of the date you became Norwegian.
- When your children are registered as Norwegian in the National Register, you can apply for a Norwegian passport for them.
- You can check whether your children are registered as Norwegian by logging in at skatteetaten.no (external website).
You can participate in a voluntary citizenship ceremony
If you are over 12 years old, you will receive an invitation from the county governor to participate in a voluntary citizenship ceremony. The citizenship ceremony is a formal celebration for those obtaining Norwegian citizenship. There will be a speech from a government official, you will be able to make a vow of allegiance, the national anthem will be played and you will receive a gift book. The ceremony is arranged by the County Governor. You will receive an invitation by post from the County Governor and you must register for the ceremony yourself. The ceremony is free and you can bring guests. After the ceremony, food and drink will be served. More information can be found at statsforvalteren.no (external website).
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Norwegian citizenship regained following notification of recovery of citizenship
Congratulations on your Norwegian citizenship! UDI has sent you the decision letter by post or, if you have an account, Digipost.
What you need to do now
- When you have received the letter with the decision from UDI, you need to wait a week before you can apply for Norwegian passport.
- If you reside in Norway, you can apply for a passport at your local passport and ID office. An appointment is required. You can find more information and book an appointment on the police's webpages for passport and ID offices (external website).
- If you reside outside Norway, you can contact the nearest embassy consulate general to apply for a passport. See www.norway.no (external website) for more information.
- If you do not have a Norwegian national identity number (fødselsnummer), you will need to apply for one before applying for a Norwegian passport. In your application for a national identity number, you must write that you need a national identity number in order to be able to apply for a Norwegian passport. You will find information concerning how to apply for a national identity number on the website of the Norwegian Tax Administration (external website) (Skatteetaten).
Together with your application for a national identity number, you must include a copy of the letter confirming that you have been granted Norwegian citizenship to the National Population Register. Once you have been issued a national identity number and your Norwegian citizenship has been entered into the register, you can apply for a Norwegian passport.
What to bring when you apply for a Norwegian passport
- The decision letter from UDI. You must show the decision letter when you are going to apply for a Norwegian passport for the first time.
- Your passport. If you do not have a passport, you must present valid ID.
- Your residence card (if you have one) to turn in.
If you are under 18 years of age
If you are under the age of 18 years, there are different rules and requirements for obtaining a passport (external website).
You can participate in a voluntary citizenship ceremony
If you are over 12 years old, you will receive an invitation from the county governor to participate in a voluntary citizenship ceremony. The citizenship ceremony is a formal celebration for those obtaining Norwegian citizenship. There will be a speech from a government official, you will be able to make a vow of allegiance, the national anthem will be played and you will receive a gift book. The ceremony is arranged by the County Governor. You will receive an invitation by post from the County Governor and you must register for the ceremony yourself. The ceremony is free and you can bring guests. After the ceremony, food and drink will be served. More information can be found at statsforvalteren.no (external website).
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Your application to keep your Norwegian citizenship has been approved (retention of citizenship)
You are allowed to keep your Norwegian citizenship. UDI has sent you the decision letter by post or, if you have an account, Digipost.
You must present the decision letter when you apply for a passport, so be sure to take good care of this document.
Applying for a Norwegian passport
- If you reside outside Norway, you can contact the nearest embassy consulate general to apply for a passport. See www.norway.no (external website) for more information.
- If you do not have a Norwegian national identity number (fødselsnummer), you will need to apply for one before applying for a Norwegian passport. In your application for a national identity number, you must write that you need a national identity number in order to be able to apply for a Norwegian passport. You will find information concerning how to apply for a national identity number on the website of the Norwegian Tax Administration (external website) (Skatteetaten).
Together with your application for a national identity number, you must include a copy of the letter confirming that you have been granted Norwegian citizenship to the National Population Register. Once you have been issued a national identity number and your Norwegian citizenship has been entered into the register, you can apply for a Norwegian passport. - If you reside in Norway, you can apply for a passport at your local passport and ID office. An appointment is required. You can find more information and book an appointment on the police's webpages for passport and ID offices (external website).
Travel abroad
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Can I travel abroad after I have become a Norwegian citizen, if I have not yet received my Norwegian passport?
It may take some time to receive your Norwegian passport after you have been granted citizenship.
When you are granted Norwegian citizenship, your residence card will no longer be valid even if the card has not yet expired. If you have a passport from another country, but do not have your Norwegian passport, be aware that it may be difficult to document that the visa rules that apply to Norwegian citizens also apply to you.
There is usually no passport control between Schengen countries.
When you re-enter Norway, you may have to document that you have legal residency in Norway at the border control. People with passports from outside the EU/EEA usually document this with a valid residence card.
If you travel without a Norwegian passport or Norwegian ID card, you may experience problems at the border control into Schengen/Norway, or at an ID check in another Schengen country. In other words, you may have difficulties re-entering Norway after your stay abroad.
What happens if I am abroad when I am granted my Norwegian citizenship?
Suppose you are granted Norwegian citizenship while being abroad. In this case, you should be prepared to answer questions when entering Norway about why you are still travelling with documents other than a Norwegian passport. You will then need to explain that you became a Norwegian citizen while abroad and, therefore, have not had the opportunity to get a Norwegian passport.
Revocation – losing a citizenship
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Can I lose my citizenship?
In some cases, you may lose your citizenship.
Losing a citizenship means that UDI has decided that your citizenship is no longer valid. This may mean that you are no longer allowed to live in Norway, or that you will be granted a new residence permit, and that your residence period in Norway will restart.
There may be different reasons why you lose your citizenship, for example, if:
- You (or your parents) were granted citizenship in another country before 1 January 2020
- You apply to be released from your Norwegian citizenship
- UDI revokes your citizenship
Here you will find more information about the revocation of citizenship.