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‘It’s not easy to live in Norway without one’: The verdict on electronic IDs

A lot of everyday life in Norway revolves around using electronic IDs, and The Local's readers generally agreed that while obtaining one was hard work, the system works well once you're in it. 

Pictured is a person using a phone.
Norway's electronic ID system has some issues, according to our readers. Pictured is a person using a phone. Photo by Firmbee.com on Unsplash

Electronic IDs were first launched in Norway around 20 years ago as a means of proving your identity when using online services. 

Since then, the system has evolved significantly, and now digital IDs make up a big part of everyday life. 

Electronic IDs are used in Norway for everything from signing up for the mobile payment service Vipps to verifying your identity when signing contracts, ordering prescriptions, and filing taxes. 

The overwhelming majority of people who responded to our survey said the system was either “good”  or “really good”, with only around 10 percent saying it was either “okay” or “really bad.”

“Once you have it, it’s great, and you have to wonder how every country doesn’t have the same,” Adam, who lives in Bodø, said.

‘Impossible to participate in society without it’ 

However, many also shared how it was “impossible to participate in everyday life in Norway without one. 

“It’s perfect once you have it, but when you don’t, you really feel excluded from society,” Guillaume said. 

“When I first moved here, I kept saying you do not exist in Norway with BankID, which I still feel is true. You really cannot do anything in this country without it,” Holly, who lives in Oslo, wrote in response to our survey. 

“Once you have it, it’s really easy and simple to use. But if you don’t have it, it’s almost impossible to participate in Norwegian society,” Hazael, who lives in Grimstad, said. 

While there are several different options for electronic IDs in Norway, most survey respondents referred to BankID. 

This is because it is the most widely used, integrated and adopted electronic ID in Norway, has a higher security clearance than the state-issued MindID, and doesn’t cost money. 

‘It’s certainly not setup to help foreigners’ 

BankID is the best integrated electronic ID and, with an app solution, the easiest to use. However, readers’ experiences of obtaining a BankID varied. 

Some found it straightforward, and others found things much harder. 

“Challenging – it’s certainly not setup to help foreigners,” Adam in Bodø, wrote when asked to describe the process of getting an electronic ID. 

READ ALSO: The issues with Norway’s electronic ID system

One of the reasons foreigners can have issues is that the regulations on what is required for a foreigner to obtain a BankID isn’t necessarily clear for consumers, or for banks. 

“It was difficult to obtain the information I needed to get BankID, but I eventually found out through trial and error how I could get it. I was lucky, as I already knew someone in Norway. That helped me speed up the process,” Hazael said. 

Meanwhile, Holly shared how she felt that banks decided the rules on the spot when dealing with foreigners. She said she found getting a BankID without a job offer impossible. 

 “I remember going with my spouse and the relocation expert that was helping him get a bank account, we actually went to a bank and met a banker in person. When I asked the banker if I, too, could get an account set up with BankID, he and a group of bankers basically formed a huddle and whispered back and forth for a while before replying, ‘Maybe,’ and that the job had to be longer than a six-month contract. They just made it up on the spot,” Holly wrote. 

Even though Holly has switched banks, she has kept her old account open because the new bank cannot grant her BankID unless she travels hundreds of kilometres for an in-person appointment. 

However, some people had a much easier time of things. 

“Straightforward for me because we had a good bank manager. Opened bank account quickly and got BankID within a few weeks,” Sam, who lives in Oslo, said about their journey to obtain a BankID a few years ago.

Many others said the process was as straightforward as just showing up at the bank. 

Typically, having a Norwegian birth number issued by the Norwegian Tax Administration and other paperwork made the process of getting a BankID much more straightforward. 

Norway has two forms of national identity numbers, D-numbers and birth numbers issued to those expected to reside in Norway for a long time. 

“After receiving our Norwegian birth number, it was possible to obtain a bank account. After that, it was easy to obtain a BankID,” Hannelore, in Trondheim, wrote. 

“Long, bureaucratic and frustrating. Only once having a fødselnummer (Norwegian birth number) it was easy,” Arjen in Jessheim shared. 

Even then, some readers were asked for everything from payslips to rental contracts to obtain a BankID. 

Another reader had issues obtaining BankID after the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration sent their documentation to the wrong address. 

“Most banks realised their process was difficult but lacked interest or compassion to help. I ended up using a bank that had good reviews within the international community,” Sam, who lives in Ålesund, wrote.

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OSLO

Everything you need to know about Oslo’s public transport network

Buses, trams, ferries and a metro system all make up Oslo's public transport system. Here's what you need to know to get about the Norwegian capital.

Everything you need to know about Oslo's public transport network

Being the Norwegian capital, it’s no surprise that Oslo has a robust public transport network. You can use a public transport ticket for everything from ferries and buses to trams and trains.

One company, Ruter, handles public transport for the city and the surrounding Akershus area.

Thankfully, you’ll only need a single app or travel card to get around the city. This applies to the different forms of public transport, too. You can go from a bus to a tram to a ferry without having to use a different app or purchase a different kind of ticket.

The Ruter app is the only place to buy tickets digitally, and it is available in English. This app also has integrated map features so you can find the best way to get where you need to be and what zones your ticket will cover.

When it comes to the zones themselves, there are five. The cost of a ticket increases as you travel across zones. However, the main thing to know is that zone one covers the entirety of Oslo itself, and the other zones extend into the surrounding areas of Oslo.

Furthermore, some sections of the public transport network, such as the metro, only operate in zone one, so you don’t need to worry when buying tickets.

Tickets

Ruter offers tickets for single journeys, 24 hours, a week, 30 days, or a year. For those commuting inside and out of Oslo, you can add additional zones to the ticket.

The single ticket currently costs 42 kroner for an adult travelling in one zone . There is a flexible scheme currently in place which makes single tickets cheaper the more frequently you buy them.

This discount resets every 30 days. There are also discounts for children, pensioners, and those in the Norwegian Armed Forces.

A single ticket is valid for 60 minutes and allows unlimited transfers. The ticket duration is extended for every extra zone one travels through. For example, this is handy if you are taking a regional train from the airport to the city centre.

Meanwhile, a 24-hour ticket costs 127 kroner, a monthly ticket is 897 kroner (but will soon be reduced), and an annual ticket is 8,996 kroner. The longer the duration of the ticket, the more money you will save.

Those caught travelling without a ticket will typically be fined 1,470 kroner, or 1,200 kroner if the fine is paid on the spot.

The different transport options

There are two kinds of buses in Oslo: the red ones that operate solely in the city and the green ones that shuttle people in and out of the greater Oslo region.

You can get on the red buses at any of the doors, and some of the green ones need you to show your ticket at the front door.

Buses don’t operate 24/7. However, some of the most important routes will have a nighttime schedule.

There are also six tram lines in Oslo, with around 99 stops and 130,000 daily passengers. The trams are suitable for those with mobility issues as the doors open at pavement level. Most lines remain within Oslo, but line 13 ends in Bekkestua in Bærum, one of the municipalities that borders Oslo.

Oslo’s metro, or T-bane, is popular with both commuters and leisure travellers. There are five metro lines, and all lines converge in the city centre via a shared tunnel. The metro line is particularly good at connecting the city to its forested areas, with plenty of hikes and trails branching off from metro stops.

Passenger ferries connect the city to the islands in the Oslofjord. These ferries are a stone’s throw from Oslo town hall at Aker Brygge. There are also commuter ferries connecting Oslo and towns like Nessoden and Drøbak.

Several commuter train lines exist in Norway. In recent years, these have been plagued by punctuality issues.

Regional trains in Norway carry the R designation (the R11, for example), and you can use Ruter tickets for this. An example is using a Ruter ticket to take the cheaper regional trains from the airport to Oslo rather than the express service.

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