Received an answer Have been granted Norwegian citizenship
If you have Digipost, we will send you the letter there. If you do not have Digipost, you will receive the letter in the mail. Please read the enclosed information letter carefully. It tells you what you need to do next.
What type of decision has been made in your case?
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Norwegian citizenship granted by application
Congratulations on your Norwegian citizenship! UDI will send you the decition letter by mail, or by Digipost, if you have that.
What you need to do now
- When you have got the letter with the decision from UDI, you must wait a week before you can apply for Norwegian passport
- You must book an appointment for this with the passport office with the police (external website)
You must wait a week because it takes a week before you are registered in the national registry that you are a Norwegian citizen.
This is what you need 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 Norwegian passport for the first time.
- Your residence card, if you have that. You have to hand this in.
- Your passport, or immigrant’s passport/travel document for refugees, if you have that. If you do not have a passport/immigrant’s passport/travel document, you must bring a valid ID. You must submit a Norwegian immigration passport/travel document at the passport office
- Loss report for your travel document if you have lost your immigrant’s passport or travel document.
This is how you can get a loss 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 about this. You must hand in a loss report and the police must confirm your identity.
You can not apply for a passport without this confirmation. You can find the contact information for the police districts here
For you who are under the age of 18
If you are under the age of 18 there are other requirements for being granted a passport. You can read more about it here. (external website)
You can participate in a voluntary citizenship ceremony
If you are over twelve years old, you will receive an invitation from the county governor to participate in a voluntary citizenship ceremony. The citizenship ceremony is a solemn celebration of the transition to 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 in the mail 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
Congratulations on your Norwegian citizenship! UDI will send you the decition letter by mail.
What you need to do now
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You can apply for Norwegian passport when you get a decision letter from UDI.
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You must book an appointment for this at the passport office at the police.
Please bring the following when you go to the police
- Your letter from the 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 residency card, if you have that, which you must hand in.
For you who are under the age of 18
If you are under the age of 18 there are other requirements for being granted a passport. You can read more about it here. (external website)
You can participate in a voluntary citizenship ceremony
If you are over twelve years old, you will receive an invitation from the county governor to participate in a voluntary citizenship ceremony. The citizenship ceremony is a solemn celebration of the transition to 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 in the mail 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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I have become a Norwegian citizen, but have been told to renounce (give up) my previous citizenship
Your previous citizenship
If you have been required to renounce your previous citizenship within a deadline, you do not have to follow this requirement. We will send you a confirmation on this within January 2020. You must bring the letter next time you are going to apply for a passport.
Do you want to hold the Norwegian citizenship only?
If you wish to renounce your old citizenship and only hold the Norwegian citizenship, you can still do this. Then you have to contact the authorities of the country you were previously a citizen of.
After that, you must notify the Norwegian authorities that you are only a citizen of Norway. If you live in Norway, you must contact the tax office where you live (external website). If you live abroad, you must contact a Norwegian embassy or consulate. (external website)
Apply for Norwegian citizenship
When you have got the letter from UDI that confirms that you do not have to renounce your previous citizenship, you can apply for Norwegian passport at the police. (external website) You must show your decision letter when you were granted Norwegian citizenship and the information letter when you apply for passport, keep those documents.
You can participate in a voluntary citizenship ceremony
If you are over twelve years old, you will receive an invitation from the county governor to participate in a voluntary citizenship ceremony. The citizenship ceremony is a solemn celebration of the transition to 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 in the mail 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 citizenship (retention of citizenship) has been granted
You will receive a retention desicion by post. You must present the retention desicion when you apply for a passport, so take good care of this document.
You can apply for a Norwegian passport
You must submit your application for a passport to the police or to a Norwegian embassy.
Travel abroad
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Can you travel abroad after you have become a Norwegian citizen, if you have not yet received your Norwegian passport?
After you have been granted Norwegian citizenship, it may take some time until you receive a Norwegian passport.
When you are granted Norwegian citizenship, your residence card is no longer valid, even if the card has not expired. Suppose you have a passport from another country and do not have a Norwegian passport. In that case, you must be aware that it can be difficult to document that the visa rules that apply to Norwegian citizens also apply to you.
There is usually no passport control on travels between Schengen countries.
When you re-enter Norway, you may have to document that you have legal residence 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 you are abroad when being granted 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 still travel with a travel document / alien's passport / other country's passport and residence card and do not have a Norwegian passport. You must then 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 you lose your citizenship?
In some cases, you may lose your citizenship.
Losing a citizenship means that the UDI has decided that your citizenship is no longer valid. It 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
- The UDI revokes your citizenship
Here you will find more information about the revocation of citizenship.