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NORWEGIAN CITIZENSHIP

What’s the difference between becoming a permanent resident in Norway and gaining Norwegian citizenship? 

Once you've lived in Norway for a certain amount of time, you'll become eligible for permanent residency and, in many cases, Norwegian citizenship. Either status grants you more security to stay in Norway long-term, but there are some important differences between the two.

What's the difference between becoming a permanent resident in Norway and gaining Norwegian citizenship? 
How much more of an advantage is it to have a Norwegian passport?Photo: Wellingtons Travel/FLickr

What is the permanent residence permit and who is eligible for it?

Permanent residency enables foreign nationals to live and work in Norway indefinitely. It also gives extra protection against expulsion from Norway. 

The rules for permanent residency have a lot to do with individual situations, but they are primarily based heavily on your citizenship and how long you have been living in Norway. 

You are eligible to apply for permanent residence (PR), after you have lived legally in Norway for at least three years.

Obviously nationals from Nordic countries as well as EU/EEA citizens don’t need to apply for a residence permit before moving to Norway, but if you come from outside the EU/ EEA you will have to apply for a permit before travel.

READ MORE: How to apply for permanent residency in Norway

And in order to have been considered a “continuous” three year resident prior to applying, you must not have lived outside the country for more than six months during a year within those three years. Although there are some exceptions worth noting including for pregnancy and illness.

Note that as of December 10th, 2020 the government raised the minimum period to apply for permanent residency from three years to five years for certain individuals such as asylum seekers.

Permanent residency card holders in Norway are entitled to automatic membership of the Norwegian national insurance scheme which will give them access to benefits such as welfare options, health care, and other valuable advantages. In order for a residence card holder to keep this membership they must not leave the country for a longer period than 12 months. 

The fee to apply for permanent residence is 4,700 kroner (471 euros). There is no application fee for those applicants who are younger than 18 years. While work permits allow a foreigner to legally stay and work in Norway, it is often necessary for the individual to keep the specific job the permit was issued for. A foreigner that is the owner of a permanent residence card has a little more flexibility. If they chose to change occupations or take a break to study they can do so freely without having to apply for a different type of residency permit. 

When it comes to voting, a permanent residency card holder is allowed to take part in local and municipal elections. You are eligible to become a voter after you have lived in Norway consecutively for the past three years (via Valg). 

If you decide to travel outside of the country as a permanent residency holder you must have your PR card, or proof of residency, in order to get back inside the country. So keep close track of your PR card at home and most importantly, while abroad. There are cases where passport control will allow you back in with a stern warning. But they are allowed to refuse re-entry or detain you for further investigation. 

What about Norwegian citizenship?

The rules for applying for citizenship in Norway rely heavily on specific factors like your existing nationality, how long you have lived in Norway, when you came to Norway and whether you are married or the partner of a Norwegian. Though time wise, the general rule is that you must have lived in the country for at least seven of the past ten years to be considered eligible. 

READ MORE: How to apply for Norwegian citizenship?

The application to apply for citizenship as an adult is 3,700 kroner (€371) and the fee is waived for anyone applying under the age of 18. 

As with permanent residency, you are allowed to keep and use your native passport. As of January 1st, 2020, it became legal to hold dual citizenship in Norway. This would also allow a dual citizen to receive consular aid from both Norway and their home country if ever needed. 

Traveling as a Norwegian citizen can be easier in comparison to those who have permanent residency. Having a Norwegian passport could eliminate costly and timely visa applications as well as make it easier to re-enter the country after travel.  According to the Passport Index, Norway is ranked at number four on the global passport power ranking list. This high ranking is partially based on the fact that Norwegian passport owners are allowed to freely enter 86 different countries without needing a visa. 

Norwegian citizenship means you can live and study abroad for longer than one year and still be a part of the national insurance scheme. You are also eligible to move to neighbouring Nordic countries without losing your citizenship.

In addition to being able to vote in local and municipal elections, citizenship allows you to take part in national elections as well. This is a huge benefit for foreigners who are deeply interested in taking part in national matters such as introducing new legislation, imposing tax and public spending. 

Citizenship does have a demand that you learn the Norwegian language and at least have basic knowledge of it. According to UDI, applicants must have passed an A2 oral Norwegian test  in order to apply for citizenship. Citizens from neighbouring Nordic countries are omitted from this rule, as long as they show a demonstrated understanding of the Norwegian language.

Useful vocabulary

statsborgerskapcitizenship

oppholdstillatelse – permanent residency 

søknad – application 

krav – requirements 

valg – vote

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NORWEGIAN CITIZENSHIP

‘It’s not an easy journey’: The challenges of getting Norwegian citizenship

It’s a long road to Norwegian citizenship. Thankfully, The Local’s readers have shared their insights on what to expect from the process and their motivations for applying.

'It's not an easy journey': The challenges of getting Norwegian citizenship

The number of people applying for Norwegian citizenship has increased sharply since Norway allowed dual citizenship in 2020, and application levels have remained high since.

The possibility of taking up Norwegian citizenship without having to relinquish one’s current nationality has led to a significant increase in the number of potential applicants wondering what the process is like.

Thankfully, some of Norway’s newer, or future, citizens recently took the time to fill out a survey that we ran on the process, so a huge thanks to those who participated.

When it came to the reasons for applying in the first place, the reasons were more varied than just the appeal of dual citizenship.

Lindsay, originally from the UK but who has lived in Norway for more than 14 years, said it was partially about restoring some rights lost due to Brexit.

“Following Brexit, I have lost my right to move/work across Europe. I feared that my job would move to Copenhagen, and I wanted to be prepared. I was tired of the long passport queue at Schiphol Airport and endless passport stamping as I travelled home to visit family in the UK,” she responded.

Eduardo, from Mexico, also wanted to secure more rights. In his case, he wanted more flexibility compared to permanent residence.

“To have more rights and be able to live in Norway regardless of the time I spend abroad. With PR (permanent residence), you lose it if you live abroad for more than two years. Citizenship will allow me to accept a job outside of Norway and come back after a few years without problems,” he said.

Others said they saw Norway as their long-term home and that becoming Norwegian felt natural after so many years in the country.

The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) got top marks from readers for making the requirements easy to understand.

“The requirements were clear and straightforward. I took language lessons to prepare me specifically for the exams, and I learned the citizenship information off by heart. Documenting my travels in the 14 years since I moved here took a bit more time to collate,” Lindsay wrote.

However, those applying should also be warned that the application can be pretty lengthy, and some found collecting all the paperwork to be quite challenging.

“I cannot say it has been an easy journey, but I am sure it will be worth it. The paperwork, requirements and hoop jumping feel endless at times. And the language and social studies requirements are frustrating,”  said Yvette, who lives in Bergen. 

She added that the social studies and language tests made sense from an integration point of view.

Plenty of others also pointed to the language requirements as one of the more challenging aspects of the application.

“Learning a new language while working full time. The waiting time is bad, but from what I understand, that’s now the norm worldwide,” a reader living in Asker said when asked about the most challenging aspect.

Applicants typically need to pass an oral Norwegian exam at the B1 level, ranked as ‘intermediate’ under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

The Local has spoken to language schools about how long it can take to meet the language requirements with lessons.

Bearing in mind that everyone’s capacity to learn languages is different, the schools said that reaching the required level would take around four and a half months of lessons, or 48 classroom hours, on top of 150 hours of independent practice.

When it comes to waiting times, the median waiting time as of early 2024 was 404 days. However, the directorate’s website estimates waiting times of 24 months on average.

READ ALSO: How long does it take to get Norwegian citizenship in 2024?

The waiting times meant Lindsay lost her job when her employer moved her role out of the country and wasn’t prepared to wait for her application to come through.

“It took me 19 months to get to the top of the pile. I lost my job in the process, as I had feared, my role moved to Copenhagen and my company were not prepared to wait for my citizenship to come through, and I was not prepared to abandon my application,” she said.

The cost of applying was another hurdle mentioned frequently. The application costs 6,500 kroner at the time of writing – however, language courses, social studies and citizenship exams all add to the overall cost.

Thankfully, if the thought of applying suddenly has you feeling overwhelmed, applicants also shared their tips.

“Start learning Norwegian immediately,” Yvette said.

“Take your time and be patient. This isn’t going to happen overnight, and you need to put in the effort,” the reader from Asker responded.

One reader, who has lived in Bergen for 11 years but didn’t leave a name, said being as thorough as possible would help.

“Make sure you have the correct documentation, check and check again. Be organised, rather have more than what is needed and make multiple copies of everything you hand in,” they said.

Meanwhile, Lindsay said that she wished she had applied even sooner.

“Go for it. As a Brit, I believe it makes me more attractive for roles in Norway. I wish I had prepared and applied as soon as the dual citizenship permission was in place,” she said.

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