If you have a child living in another country, he/she may be entitled to come to Norway. To be granted residence in Norway, your child must apply for a family immigration permit.
In what circumstances can a child be granted family immigration with his/her parents in Norway?
Children are entitled to family immigration when:
- he/she is under the age of 18 and has no cohabitant or spouse, and
- both parents live in Norway and have legal residence here, or
- one of the parents lives in Norway and has sole parental responsibility, or
- one of the parents lives in Norway, and the other parent has agreed to the child moving to Norway (if they have joint parental responsibility)
If the case concerns an adopted child, the Norwegian Directorate of Children, Youth and Family Affairs must have agreed to the adoption before the adopted child enters Norway. Read more about approval of intercountry adoptions on Bufetats website (in norwegian).
Foster children of persons living in Norway are also entitled to come here. You must then enclose valid documentation that the child is, and has been, part of the household. Parental responsibility must have been transferred to the foster parents, and they must also be deemed as having legal responsibility for the child pursuant to the legislation in the child’s home country. The Norwegian child welfare authorities must approve the foster home.
Documentation of the family relationship
When your child applies for family immigration, documentation of the family relationship must be enclosed. You can do this by enclosing a birth certificate or other documentation of the family relationship. In special cases, the UDI offers to carry out a DNA test to confirm the relationship.
Application procedures for children
It is the child or the child’s guardian who must apply for family immigration. See procedures on the page How to apply for family immigration.
In principle, there is a requirement that you as a parent can support the child financially (the subsistence requirement).
The child cannot settle in Norway until the application for family immigration has been granted.
Case processing time
See the list of the UDI’s expected case processing times at www.udi.no/caseprocessingtime.
Will the child become a Norwegian citizen when he/she moves here?
Children will not automatically become Norwegian citizens even if they are granted family immigration with a person living in Norway. An overview of the rules for children’s citizenship is available on the page Citizenship for children.
Further information
If you have more questions about this topic, contact your nearest Norwegian embassy or consulate, the nearest police district or the UDI’s Information Service.
