Waiting times for Norwegian citizenship for convicted persons and people who have been fined

If you have been convicted or fined by the police or if you are under investigation for a criminal offence, you have to wait longer to become a Norwegian citizen. This is called a 'disqualification period'.

Who has to wait longer?

You do not have to wait longer to become a Norwegian citizen if you

  • have been issued a fixed penalty notice
  • have been issued a parking ticket
  • have participated in mediation in the Norwegian Mediation Service
  • have been suspected of or charged in a criminal case and the case has been dropped, or it was decided not to bring charges.

You have to wait longer to become a Norwegian citizen if you

  • have been sentenced to imprisonment for a term of ten days or more
  • have been sentenced to community service lasting ten days or more
  • have been fined by the police (and the fine states that the 'alternative prison sentence' is ten days or more)
  • have been sentenced by a court to undergo enforced psychiatric treatment or care for ten days or more
  • are under investigation by the police or have been charged in a case that has not been decided yet.

How long do you have to wait? 

The disqualification period starts from when you were sentenced or accepted the fine. 

The prison sentence (or the 'alternative prison sentence' stated in the fine)Disqualification period (the period you have to wait after you were sentenced or accepted the fine)
10 to 20 days 2 years
Up to 90 days 3 years
Up to 6 months 3.5 years
Up to 1 year 4.5 years
Up to 2 years 6 years
Up to 3 years 7.5 years
Up to 4 years 9 years
Up to 5 years 10.5 years
Up to 6 years 12 years
Up to 7 years 13.5 years
Up to 8 years  15 years
Up to 9 years  16.5 years
Up to 10 years  18 years
Up to 11 years  19.5 years
Up to 12 years  21 years
Up to 13 years  22.5 years
Up to 14 years  24 years
Up to 15 years  25.5 years
Up to 17 years  27 years
Up to 18 years  28.5 years
Up to 19 years  30 years
Up to 20 years  31.5 years
Up to and including 21 years 34.5 years

If you are charged with or are put under investigation for a criminal offence

If you are charged with or are put under investigation for a criminal offence while your application is being processed, the case processing will be suspended. Once the criminal case has been decided, you must yourself contact your local police district and request that the processing of your application be resumed.

If you have been convicted or fined several times

If you have been convicted or fined several times, you have to wait for an extra long period.

This is how we calculate the disqualification period: We use the most recent disqualification period (the disqualification period that last expires) as the basis for the calculation and add half the disqualification period for each of your old convictions.

If you were sentenced to fines and imprisonment in the same court case, you have to add together the prison sentence and the alternative prison sentence stated in the fine. You then use the total number of days, months or years to find your disqualification period in the table. 

If you have been convicted abroad 

If you have been convicted or fined abroad, you will be given the same disqualification period as you would have been given if convicted in Norway.

This does not apply if the offence you have been convicted of is not a criminal offence in Norway.

If you were given a stricter sentence than the maximum sentence for the same offence in Norway, your disqualification period will be based on the maximum sentence you could have been given in Norway.