Want to apply Citizenship for people who hold a residence permit in Norway
The information on this page is personalised for
The applicant is a citizen of : Somalia
When you apply, UDI will consider which group you belong to, and whether you meet the requirements. Here you can check for yourself what the requirements are for the most common groups of applicants. Remember that you may belong to more than one group.
What group do you belong to?
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Over the age of 18
If you hold a valid residence permit in Norway and you live here on a permanent basis, you can apply for Norwegian citizenship. Your residence permit must be valid both when you apply for Norwegian citizenship and while your application is being processed. Applying for Norwegian citizenship does not mean that you have a valid permit to stay in Norway. It is therefore very important that you renew your permit in the normal manner no later than one month before it expires.
Requirements for Norwegian citizenship
- You must pay an application fee.
- You must have your identity verified. As a general rule, you are required to present a passport.
- You must be residing in Norway and intend to continue living here in the future.
- You must have permanently residence when you apply for Norwegian citizenship and when the application is processed.
- If you are between 18 and 67 years old, you must meet the following requirements:
- You must have passed an oral test in Norwegian at level B1 at the minimum, or
- You must have passed an oral test in Norwegian at level A2 at the minimum, if you are:
- a stateless person
- over 55 years of age and came to Norway on the basis of an application for protection or as a resettled refugee, or
- over 55 years of age and receive disability benefits, and
- Passed a test in social studies in Norwegian or a citizenship test
- If you over the age of 15 years: You must order a criminal record certificate (external website), which you must hand in with the application. The certificate cannot be more than three months old when you meet for your appointment with the police to submit the application documents. Therefore, you must wait to apply for a criminal record certificate until you know when you have an appointment with the police. If you already have a criminal record certificate that is older than three months, you must apply for a new certificate before you have your appointment. If you have been convicted or fined by the police or if you are under investigation for a criminal offence, you might have to wait longer to become a Norwegian citizen.
- From 1 January 2020, you are not required to give up your original citizenship to become a Norwegian citizen. You can have one or more citizenships in addition to a Norwegian citizenship. However, if the country you are a citizen of now does not allow you to have more than one citizenship, you may still lose this citizenship when you become a Norwegian citizen.
You must make sure what the rules are in your current country of citizenship. You can, for example, look for information on an official website which belongs to the authorities in that country or ask an embassy.
You do not have to inform Norwegian authorities that you wish to keep your previous citizenship. - You must hold, or meet all the requirements for, a permanent residence permit at the time when UDI makes a decision on your application for citizenship. This means that if you do not already have a permanent residence permit and do not have an application for a permanent residence permit under processing, it is not sufficient only to meet the requirements for permanent residence at the time you hand in the citizenship application. You must still meet the requirements when UDI processes the citizenship application. The requirement for income (self-sufficiency) must have been met for the last twelve months before the application is processed.
If you do not hold nor have applied for a permanent residence permit, you must also ensure that your temporary permit is valid while you wait for a response to your application for citizenship.
- You must have stayed in Norway for a total of eight of the past eleven years and have held residence permits that were each valid for at least one year.
Certain groups have shorter residence requirements. If you have a permit in Norway due to the need for protection (asylum), you must have resided in Norway for a total of seven of the past ten years and have held residence permits that were each valid for at least one year. If you have sufficient income, you must have resided in Norway for a total of six of the past ten years. If you were born in Norway or came here before you reached the age of 18, there is a shorter residence period requirement. You must have stayed in Norway for a total of five of the past seven years and have held residence permits that were each valid for at least one year.
A few other groups also have their own requirements for length of residence period. Read more about the exemptions for researchers associated with a Norwegian research institution, athletes, household members of deployed personnel at a Norwegian foreign service mission or of military personnel, foreigners who have held a Norwegian passport, and Kola Norwegians here.
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Spouse, registered partner or cohabitant of a Norwegian citizen
If you hold a valid residence permit in Norway and you live here on a permanent basis, you can apply for Norwegian citizenship. Your residence permit must be valid both when you apply for Norwegian citizenship and while your application is being processed. Applying for Norwegian citizenship does not mean that you have a valid permit to stay in Norway. It is therefore very important that you renew your permit in the normal manner no later than one month before it expires.
Requirements for Norwegian citizenship
- You must pay an application fee.
- You must have your identity verified. As a general rule, you are required to present a passport.
- You must be residing in Norway and intend to continue living here in the future.
- You must have permanently residence when you apply for Norwegian citizenship and when the application is processed.
- If you are between 18 and 67 years old, you must meet the following requirements:
- You must have passed an oral test in Norwegian at level B1 at the minimum, or
- You must have passed an oral test in Norwegian at level A2 at the minimum, if you are:
- a stateless person
- over 55 years of age and came to Norway on the basis of an application for protection or as a resettled refugee, or
- over 55 years of age and receive disability benefits, and
- Passed a test in social studies in Norwegian or a citizenship test
- If you over the age of 15 years: You must order a criminal record certificate (external website), which you must hand in with the application. The certificate cannot be more than three months old when you meet for your appointment with the police to submit the application documents. Therefore, you must wait to apply for a criminal record certificate until you know when you have an appointment with the police. If you already have a criminal record certificate that is older than three months, you must apply for a new certificate before you have your appointment. If you have been convicted or fined by the police or if you are under investigation for a criminal offence, you might have to wait longer to become a Norwegian citizen.
- From 1 January 2020, you are not required to give up your original citizenship to become a Norwegian citizen. You can have one or more citizenships in addition to a Norwegian citizenship. However, if the country you are a citizen of now does not allow you to have more than one citizenship, you may still lose this citizenship when you become a Norwegian citizen.
You must make sure what the rules are in your current country of citizenship. You can, for example, look for information on an official website which belongs to the authorities in that country or ask an embassy.
You do not have to inform Norwegian authorities that you wish to keep your previous citizenship. - You must hold, or meet all the requirements for, a permanent residence permit at the time when UDI makes a decision on your application for citizenship. This means that if you do not already have a permanent residence permit and do not have an application for a permanent residence permit under processing, it is not sufficient only to meet the requirements for permanent residence at the time you hand in the citizenship application. You must still meet the requirements when UDI processes the citizenship application. The requirement for income (self-sufficiency) must have been met for the last twelve months before the application is processed.
If you do not hold nor have applied for a permanent residence permit, you must also ensure that your temporary permit is valid while you wait for a response to your application for citizenship.
- You must have stayed in Norway for at least five years during the last ten years and have held residence permits that were each valid for at least one year.
- In addition, your combined residence period and marriage period must be at least seven years.
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Children under the age of two who have one Norwegian parent or apply together with one parent
Your parents must apply
Since you are under the age of 18, your parents, or the parent who has sole parental responsibility for you, must apply for Norwegian citizenship on your behalf. If your parents are dead or have forfeited their parental responsibility, your guardian has to submit the application.
If you are over the age of 12, you have to consent to an application for Norwegian citizenship being submitted on your behalf.
Requirements for Norwegian citizenship
- You must have your identity verified. As a general rule, you are required to present a passport.
- You must be residing in Norway and intend to continue living here in the future.
- You must have permanently residence when you apply for Norwegian citizenship and when the application is processed.
- You must have applied for a residence permit or have been granted a residence permit before we make a decision in your case.
- From 1 January 2020, you are not required to give up your original citizenship to become a Norwegian citizen. You can have one or more citizenships in addition to a Norwegian citizenship. However, if the country you are a citizen of now does not allow you to have more than one citizenship, you may still lose this citizenship when you become a Norwegian citizen.
You must make sure what the rules are in your current country of citizenship. You can, for example, look for information on an official website which belongs to the authorities in that country or ask an embassy.
You do not have to inform Norwegian authorities that you wish to keep your previous citizenship.
-
Children between the age of two and 18 with one Norwegian parent or apply together with one parent
If you hold a valid residence permit in Norway and you live here on a permanent basis, you can apply for Norwegian citizenship. Your residence permit must be valid both when you apply for Norwegian citizenship and while your application is being processed. Applying for Norwegian citizenship does not mean that you have a valid permit to stay in Norway. It is therefore very important that you renew your permit in the normal manner no later than one month before it expires.
Your parents must apply
Since you are under the age of 18, your parents, or the parent who has sole parental responsibility for you, must apply for Norwegian citizenship on your behalf. If your parents are dead or have forfeited their parental responsibility, your guardian has to submit the application.
If you are over the age of 12, you have to consent to an application for Norwegian citizenship being submitted on your behalf.
Requirements for Norwegian citizenship
- You must have your identity verified. As a general rule, you are required to present a passport.
- You must be residing in Norway and intend to continue living here in the future.
- You must have permanently residence when you apply for Norwegian citizenship and when the application is processed.
- If you over the age of 15 years: You must order a criminal record certificate (external website), which you must hand in with the application. The certificate cannot be more than three months old when you meet for your appointment with the police to submit the application documents. Therefore, you must wait to apply for a criminal record certificate until you know when you have an appointment with the police. If you already have a criminal record certificate that is older than three months, you must apply for a new certificate before you have your appointment. If you have been convicted or fined by the police or if you are under investigation for a criminal offence, you might have to wait longer to become a Norwegian citizen.
- You must have stayed in Norway continuously for the past two years and have held residence permits that were each valid for at least one year.
- This means that you cannot have been abroad for more than two months per calendar year during the past two years.
- Nor can you have stayed in Norway without a valid permit for more than two months in total during the past two years, reckoned from the date on which we make a decision in your case.
- Read more about how to calculate the length of your residence period.
- From 1 January 2020, you are not required to give up your original citizenship to become a Norwegian citizen. You can have one or more citizenships in addition to a Norwegian citizenship. However, if the country you are a citizen of now does not allow you to have more than one citizenship, you may still lose this citizenship when you become a Norwegian citizen.
You must make sure what the rules are in your current country of citizenship. You can, for example, look for information on an official website which belongs to the authorities in that country or ask an embassy.
You do not have to inform Norwegian authorities that you wish to keep your previous citizenship.
-
Children over the age of 12 who apply on their own
If you hold a valid residence permit in Norway and you live here on a permanent basis, you can apply for Norwegian citizenship. Your residence permit must be valid both when you apply for Norwegian citizenship and while your application is being processed. Applying for Norwegian citizenship does not mean that you have a valid permit to stay in Norway. It is therefore very important that you renew your permit in the normal manner no later than one month before it expires.
Your parents must apply
Since you are under the age of 18, your parents, or the parent who has sole parental responsibility for you, must apply for Norwegian citizenship on your behalf. If your parents are dead or have forfeited their parental responsibility, your guardian has to submit the application.
If you are over the age of 12, you have to consent to an application for Norwegian citizenship being submitted on your behalf.
Requirements for Norwegian citizenship
- You must have your identity verified. As a general rule, you are required to present a passport.
- You must be over the age of 12.
- You must be residing in Norway and intend to continue living here in the future.
- You must have permanently residence when you apply for Norwegian citizenship and when the application is processed.
- You must have stayed in Norway for a total of five of the past seven years and have held residence permits that were each valid for at least one year.
- If you over the age of 15 years: You must order a criminal record certificate (external website), which you must hand in with the application. The certificate cannot be more than three months old when you meet for your appointment with the police to submit the application documents. Therefore, you must wait to apply for a criminal record certificate until you know when you have an appointment with the police. If you already have a criminal record certificate that is older than three months, you must apply for a new certificate before you have your appointment. If you have been convicted or fined by the police or if you are under investigation for a criminal offence, you might have to wait longer to become a Norwegian citizen.
- From 1 January 2020, you are not required to give up your original citizenship to become a Norwegian citizen. You can have one or more citizenships in addition to a Norwegian citizenship. However, if the country you are a citizen of now does not allow you to have more than one citizenship, you may still lose this citizenship when you become a Norwegian citizen.
You must make sure what the rules are in your current country of citizenship. You can, for example, look for information on an official website which belongs to the authorities in that country or ask an embassy.
You do not have to inform Norwegian authorities that you wish to keep your previous citizenship. - You must hold, or meet all the requirements for, a permanent residence permit at the time when UDI makes a decision on your application for citizenship. This means that if you do not already have a permanent residence permit and do not have an application for a permanent residence permit under processing, it is not sufficient only to meet the requirements for permanent residence at the time you hand in the citizenship application. You must still meet the requirements when UDI processes the citizenship application. The requirement for income (self-sufficiency) must have been met for the last twelve months before the application is processed.
If you do not hold nor have applied for a permanent residence permit, you must also ensure that your temporary permit is valid while you wait for a response to your application for citizenship.
Important messages
- The identity clarification programme for Iraqis
- Sufficient income for reduced residence time when applying for citizenship
- Changes in Norwegian language requirements for obtaining Norwegian citizenship
- Norway allows dual citizenship as of 1 January 2020
- Somali citizens who do not have refugee status must obtain a Somali passport
- Somalis who apply for Norwegian citizenship must have a Somali passport