Stateless person over the age of 18
If you have a valid residence permit in Norway and you live here permanently, you can apply for Norwegian citizenship. You must have a valid residence permit, or have applied for one, when UDI processes your application. If you don’t have a permanent residence permit, it is important that you renew your temporary permit at least one month before it expires.
Applying for Norwegian citizenship does not mean you have the right to stay in Norway.
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 reside in Norway both when you apply for Norwegian citizenship and when the application is processed.
- You must have lived continuously in Norway for the last three years with residence permits valid for at least one year. The requirements are:
- You cannot have been outside of Norway for more than two months per calendar year in the past three years.
- You cannot have been without a valid residence permit for more than two months in total the past three years.
The past three years are calculated from the date we decide your case.
- If you are between 18 and 67 years old, you must:
- 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.
- If you do not have a permanent residence permit, you must have at least three years of residence permits, that qualify for permanent residence.
You must also meet the other requirements for a permanent residence permit, such as the self-sufficiency requirement (income requirement). All requirements must be met when UDI processes your citizenship application. For example, the self-sufficiency requirement must have been fulfilled for the last twelve months before the application is processed.