QUESTION: We moved to Norway with our children. When would they be eligible to become citizens? 

Do you have a burning question about Norway you want answering, or maybe there’s something you are simply just curious about? You can get in touch here, and The Local will do its best to answer your question for you! 

Norway opened the door to dual citizenship two years ago, meaning foreign nationals could become Norwegian without giving up their existing citizenship. 

Norwegian citizenship comes with several benefits, whether it’s the right to live in Norway permanently, having the right to vote, being automatically enrolled into the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme, or simply having a Norwegian passport, one of the most powerful travel documents available. Having Norwegian citizenship also means living and moving freely across the Schengen zone for previously non-EEA nationals. 

 READ MORE: 

• Five advantages of getting Norwegian citizenship
• Citizenship: How powerful is a Norwegian passport?
• Why your Norwegian citizenship application might be rejected and how to avoid it

With so many benefits on offer, many parents will be wondering whether and when their children could take up citizenship. This will depend on several factors, such as age and the parents’ existing nationalities. 

If both parents are foreign nationals 

If both parents are foreign nationals and non-Nordic citizens, then the child must be older than 12 but under 18 for the rules for children to apply for them. 

You must be living in Norway and hold a valid residence permit, for starters. The permit must be valid for the duration of the application. You must also be living in Norway and plan on staying in the future. You will also need to have lived in Norway for five of the last seven years and held residence permits valid for longer than a year each during this time. 

You must also hold or meet the requirements for permanent residency when the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) decides on your application. This means you must not have been outside of Norway for a total of ten months in the last five years. 

Children over 16 will need to have completed mandatory training in the Norwegian language and passed the concluding tests, or if they have received a final assessment grade in Norwegian at secondary school or upper secondary school, they can apply to the municipality for an exemption. 

Those over 15 will also need to order a criminal record certificate to be handed in with their application. All applicants will need to have their identity checked too. 

There is no application fee for under-18s. 

Shorter waiting times for Nordic citizens

Children who are Nordic citizens over the age of 12 can apply for citizenship after living in Norway for the last two years. They will need to have not spent more than two months per calendar year outside the country. They must also understand the Norwegian or Sami language. Nordic nationals can do this by having someone document that they understand Norwegian. The UDI uses an employer as an example, so it may be worth finding out whether documentation from a teacher would count.   

Over 15s will need the criminal record certificate too. 

If one parent is Norwegian 

Some children may automatically qualify for citizenship at birth. Children with one parent who is a Norwegian citizen and born after September 1st 2006, automatically become Norwegian citizens at birth. This applies regardless of whether you were born abroad or not. 

The rules are tighter for offspring born before September 1st 2006, though. Those born before this date are Norwegian citizens from birth if their mother was Norwegian, or their father was Norwegian and married to the mother before the birth, or if the father died before birth, was Norwegian and was married to the mother at the time of his death. 

READ MORE: Do children born in Norway qualify for citizenship?

However, those born to a Norwegian father and who aren’t automatically citizens can become citizens relatively easily by handing in a notification of Norwegian citizenship. You can do this in Norway or from abroad. 

If I take up citizenship, will it make it easier for my children to become citizens? 

Children between the age of two and 18 can apply for citizenship in cases where they were not automatically eligible at birth, for example, if one of their parents takes up citizenship after the child was born. 

You will need to be a resident in Norway and intend on staying. You must have lived in Norway continuously for two years, which means no stays out of the country for longer than two months per calendar year. The child will also need to have held valid residence permits during this period, and they each will need to have valid for longer than a year. 

Kids over 15 will need the criminal reference certificate too. 

Children can also apply for citizenship alongside their parents under these rules, provided their parent meets the requirements.