Norwegian citizenship by descent — and regaining what was lost before 2020

Norway passes citizenship from parent to child only — a Norwegian grandparent is worth nothing legally. But because Norway banned dual citizenship until 2020, a great many Norwegians abroad lost theirs by naturalising elsewhere, and they can get it back.

2-minute anonymous interview — no real names or documents needed.

What actually works: the parent rule

You are Norwegian from birth if a parent was a Norwegian citizen when you were born. Which parent counts depends on your date of birth:

• Born on or after 1 September 2006 — Norwegian if either parent was Norwegian. Marital status is irrelevant. If only your father was Norwegian, paternity must be legally established.
• Born 1 July 1979 – 31 August 2006 — a Norwegian mother always passed it on. A Norwegian father only if he was married to your mother when you were born. A later marriage before you turned 18 and before 1 September 2006 transferred it from the marriage date, and from 1 October 1999 a notification before you turned 18 was also possible.
• Born 1951 – 30 June 1979 — the father had to be Norwegian and married to the mother. An unmarried Norwegian mother could pass it on.

The age-22 rule

Like Sweden, Norway removes citizenship from people born abroad who never built a connection to the country. You lose Norwegian citizenship at 22 unless you have lived in Norway for at least two years, or in the Nordic countries for at least seven years, before that birthday — or unless you applied to keep it before turning 22. Late applications are sometimes accepted where the person was not at fault or the loss would be unreasonable, so it is worth asking rather than assuming the door is shut.

Regaining citizenship lost before 2020

Here is the part that matters for a lot of Norwegian-American and Norwegian-Australian families. Norway only began allowing dual citizenship on 1 January 2020. Before that, becoming a citizen of another country meant automatically forfeiting your Norwegian one — which is exactly what happened to enormous numbers of Norwegians who naturalised abroad.

If that was you or a living parent, there is a notification route back: former Norwegian citizens who lost citizenship by voluntarily acquiring another one before 1 January 2020 can notify UDI and have it restored. No residence in Norway is required. The conditions are that the loss is registered in Norway's National Population Register, that applicants over 15 have a clean criminal record, and — for those who were Norwegian at birth — that they lived in Norway for at least six months before turning 22.

This route does not cover people who lost citizenship under the age-22 residence rule; that is a separate situation handled through the retention process or ordinary naturalisation.

What Norwegian citizenship is worth

Norway is not an EU member, so a Norwegian passport is not EU citizenship. It is still very strong: through the EEA and Schengen you get the right to live and work across the EU and EEA, plus full freedom of movement in the Nordic countries.

Documents you'd need

• Your Norwegian parent's birth record and proof they were Norwegian when you were born
• Your own birth certificate, plus your parents' marriage certificate where the father's line matters
• For a regain notification: evidence of the foreign naturalisation and its date, and a criminal record certificate
• Certified translations for foreign-issued documents

Frequently asked questions