Things to consider

• The requirements for permanent residence must be met when your application is processed

  If you have not been granted or applied for a permanent residence permit when you apply for Norwegian citizenship, you must meet all the requirements for permanent residence on the day UDI processes your application and makes a formal decision.

  This includes, for example, the income requirement. The twelve-month period will be counted backwards from the date you submitted your citizenship application. If you have applied for a permanent residence permit, the twelve-month period will be counted backwards from the date you submitted that application.

  Make sure you meet the requirements when your application is processed

  The waiting time can be long, and your situation may change while you wait. Many applicants meet the requirements for permanent residence when they submit their citizenship application, but not when UDI makes a formal decision, and they therefore receive a rejection.

  Situations that may lead to rejection:

  • You had enough income in the twelve months before you submitted your citizenship application, but by the time UDI processes your application, you have a lower income or no income.
  • You were in school the last two semesters before submitting your citizenship application, but by the time UDI processes your application, you have not been a pupil or student for the last two semesters.
  • You were under 25 and taking part in lower or upper secondary education with youth rights when you submitted your citizenship application, but by the time UDI processes your application, you are over 25 and no longer have youth rights.
  • You were under 18 and not required to have an income when you submitted your citizenship application, but by the time UDI processes your application, you are over 18 and must support yourself.
  • You were under 18 and not required to pass tests in Norwegian and social studies when you submitted your citizenship application, but by the time UDI processes your application, you are over 18 and must meet these test requirements for permanent residence.

• Your residence permit must be valid even if you have applied for citizenship

  If you have not been granted or applied for a permanent residence permit when you apply for Norwegian citizenship, you must hold another valid residence permit. Without a valid permit or a registered application for renewal, your citizenship application will be rejected.

  If you have already applied for a permanent residence permit, you do not need to renew your current residence permit.

  Remember to renew your residence permit while you wait

  The waiting time can be long, and you must make sure your temporary residence permit is renewed before the previous one expires.

• Your application will not be automatically processed

  If you do not have a permanent residence permit when applying for Norwegian citizenship, your application cannot be processed automatically. We must review your application manually and verify that you meet all the requirements.

  If you hold a permanent residence permit, your application is more likely to be processed automatically, and the waiting time may be shorter.

• There are different requirements for Norwegian language tests

  To obtain Norwegian citizenship, you must pass the oral Norwegian test at a higher level than what is required to obtain a permanent residence permit.

  If you meet the requirement of passing the oral Norwegian test – or the requirements for an exemption from the test under the rules for Norwegian citizenship – you also meet the requirement for passing the oral Norwegian test under the rules for a permanent residence permit.

  Test requirements for Norwegian citizenship information page - UDI.

  You should be aware of the following:

  • If you were under 18 years old when you applied for Norwegian citizenship, but have turned 18 by the time the UDI processes the application, you must meet the requirement for the oral Norwegian test under the regulations for a permanent residence permit (even if you are not required to take the oral Norwegian test under the rules for Norwegian citizenship).
  • Formal assessment of prior learning (realkompetansevurdering) in Norwegian only grants an exemption from the oral Norwegian test under the rules for a permanent residence permit, but not under the rules for Norwegian citizenship.

• There are different requirements for the social studies test (test on knowledge of Norwegian society)

  • You must pass the citizenship test (statsborgerprøven) or the social studies test (prøve i samfunnskunnskap) in Norwegian to meet the requirement for Norwegian citizenship.
  • You must pass the social studies test in a language of your choice to meet the requirement for a permanent residence permit.

  If you do not have a permanent residence permit when you apply for Norwegian citizenship, you must meet the test requirements under both the rules for Norwegian citizenship and the rules for a permanent residence permit. It is therefore not sufficient to have passed only the citizenship test.

  You can meet the requirement for the test on knowledge of Norwegian society for both Norwegian citizenship and a permanent residence permit if one of the following applies to you:

  • You have passed the social studies test in Norwegian.
  • You have passed the citizenship test and the social studies test in a language of your choice.
  • You have a grade of 2 or higher in social studies from primary/lower secondary school (final grade or exam grade).
  • You have a grade of 2 or higher in social studies from upper secondary education (half-year assessment, final grade, or exam grade).
  • You have completed and passed studies in social sciences that provide knowledge about Norway at the university or university college level, equivalent to a minimum of 10 ECTS credits (studiepoeng).
  • You have completed studies in Norwegian or Sami at the university or university college level in Norway and have received “vekttall” or ECTS credits (studiepoeng) from the study program.
  • You have a decision from the municipality granting an exemption from the obligation for training or the test in social studies.
  • You have only passed either the citizenship test or the social studies test in a language other than Norwegian, but can document that you are unable to pass the other test due to health, personal, or other compelling reasons.
  • You can document that you cannot pass either the citizenship test or the social studies test due to health, personal, or other compelling reasons.

  Cases where you only meet the requirements for citizenship, but not for a permanent residence permit:

  • You have passed the citizenship test, but you have not passed the social studies test.
  • You have a final grade or exam grade of 2 or higher in social studies from preparatory adult education (forberedende opplæring for voksne – FOV). This only grants an exemption from the citizenship test, but not from the requirement for the social studies test that applies to a permanent residence permit.

  Cases where you only meet the requirements for a permanent residence permit, but not for Norwegian citizenship:

  • You have passed the social studies test in a language other than Norwegian, but not the citizenship test.
  • You have had the subject social studies approved through a formal assessment of prior learning (realkompetansevurdering). This only grants an exemption from the requirement for the social studies test that applies to a permanent residence permit, but not from the requirement of passing the citizenship test that applies to obtaining Norwegian citizenship.

• If you have a criminal record

  If you have been convicted of a criminal offence or have received a fine, you must wait longer before you meet the requirements for a permanent residence permit and Norwegian citizenship. How long you must wait is calculated differently for a permanent residence permit and Norwegian citizenship. This means that even if the waiting period for a permanent residence permit may have expired, the waiting period for Norwegian citizenship may not have expired – or vice versa.

  If you apply for Norwegian citizenship without holding a permanent residence permit, the waiting period must have expired under both the rules for a permanent residence permit and the rules for Norwegian citizenship before your application can be granted.

  On the pages below, you will find important information about calculating the waiting period for your case:

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

  Waiting times for permanent residence permits for convicted persons and people who have been fined - UDI

  Please also be aware of the following:

  • Even if a fine has been paid, it can result in a waiting period under the rules for both a permanent residence permit and Norwegian citizenship.
  • A fine or prison sentence can result in different waiting periods under the rules for a permanent residence permit and the rules for Norwegian citizenship. For example: A 1-year prison sentence results in a 4-year waiting period for a permanent residence permit, while a 1-year prison sentence results in an 8-year waiting period for Norwegian citizenship.
  • A fine or prison sentence can become time-barred (meaning it does not result in a waiting period) under the rules for a permanent residence permit. Under the rules for Norwegian citizenship, most sentences or fines will not become time-barred, and an old sentence or fine can result in a waiting period (especially if you have committed new offenses).
  • Fines with a subsidiary prison sentence of less than 10 days do not result in a waiting period under the rules for Norwegian citizenship, but do result in a waiting period under the rules for a permanent residence permit.
  • The point in time from which the waiting period is calculated – and thus also the date it expires – may differ for Norwegian citizenship and a permanent residence permit. The waiting period for Norwegian citizenship is calculated from the date the fine was accepted or the date of the conviction, while the waiting period for a permanent residence permit can be calculated either from the time of the offence or the date you meet the residence period requirement for a permanent residence permit (depending on which date is later).