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NORWEGIAN CITIZENSHIP

Norway to introduce new rules for how children get passports and national ID cards

From November 1st, parents in Norway will be able to give permanent consent to their children for the issuance or renewal of a passport or national ID card.

Published: 24 October 2022 11:52 CEST

Passport ID card

The old rules continue to apply until November 1. Photo by Norwegian police

New rules for issuing documents to children under 18, such as passports and national ID cards, are entering into force next month, the police announced on Monday.

Both parents will have to appear at the passport and ID office within office hours, but they will not have to present themselves at the same time, the police explained.

Legal guardians no longer need to bring a consent form; it will suffice for them to present a passport or national ID card.

Furthermore, appointments won’t have to be booked in advance.

If both parents give permanent consent, the child can have their passport or ID card renewed until they are 18 years old.

Permanent consent can be withdrawn, but a passport that has already been issued cannot be revoked.

The change is intended to make it easier for parents and further strengthen security related to passports and ID cards.

Note that the old rules – such as bringing the consent form – continue to apply until November 1st.

You can learn more about the rules on the police’s website (in Norwegian).

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Why do some Norwegian citizenship applications take much longer than others?

Language tests, citizenship and social studies tests, residency requirements and a good conduct certificate are just some of the key criteria you will need to meet to be granted Norwegian citizenship.

Meeting these requirements and being granted citizenship means such benefits as having the same rights as Norwegian and EEA citizens, being able to vote in general elections and staying in Norway for as long as you like or returning after a lengthy absence with virtually no paperwork.

Once you’ve checked all the boxes that apply to you and handed your documents to the police, your paperwork will be forwarded to the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI).

Per-Jan Brekke, a senior press advisor for the UDI, has told The Local that citizenship applications can take up to two years to process.

However, some cases receive a decision in a much shorter time, while others can take longer than two years to process.

One factor which affects how long an application will take is the applicant’s existing citizenship. Brekke used the example of applications from Syrian nationals taking longer to process.

“One of the reasons for long waiting times is that it is a challenge for Norwegian authorities to confirm the identity of persons from Syria. It has been difficult to determine the authenticity of Syrian passports since the civil war began in 2012. Consequently, the UDI has to confirm identities in other ways. Carrying out these alternative activities requires a case officer to evaluate your application,” he said.

Currently, the UDI website says that applications for citizens from (as an example) the UK, the US and Italy take 22 months to process. Meanwhile, applications for a national from Syria take 26 months.

One of the reasons citizenship cases take so long to process in the first place is that the UDI has received a large volume of applications.

“The main reason for the current long waiting times in citizenship cases is the large volume of cases that we have been unable to process quicker,” Thomas Theis-Haugan, a senior advisor to the press at the UDI, told The Local.

However, The Local has heard of citizenship cases processed in just a few months rather than up to 22 months. This is because the UDI can automatically process some applications, meaning a decision is made much quicker.

“Although some citizenship cases have much shorter waiting times since they can be automated (approximately one-third of all citizenship cases),” Theis-Haugan said.

Essentially, those who have their case processed can expect a significantly shorter wait for a decision.

On its website, the UDI states that those who do not receive an answer to their application within two months are probably not having their cases processed automatically. Applications that aren’t processed automatically are handled by a caseworker.

Those having a caseworker look over their application typically have nothing to fear or worry about, but it does mean it will take longer to receive a decision.

Unfortunately, the UDI or the police cannot tell you whether your application will be processed automatically. Additionally, you won’t receive any heads-up as to whether your case is or isn’t being processed automatically. If your request to become a Norwegian citizen is handled by a caseworker, the immigration directorate won’t be able to tell you why either.

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